What books are similar to Holes?

The 10 closest matches to Holes by Louis Sachar on ReadingList include Out of My Mind, Because of Winn-Dixie, Wonder, Hello, Universe, and The Adventures of Captain Underpants. Each is scored on shared themes (fate vs choice, friendship, and justice), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Holes reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like Holes

If you liked Holes, read Out of My Mind, Because of Winn-Dixie, or Wonder — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Holes by Louis Sachar (Middle Grade Fiction · 660L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of fate vs choice, friendship, and justice. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+13 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+14 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Hello, Universe690L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Adventures of Captain Underpants720L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Pax760L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Matilda840L: Shares themes of justice, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Mouse and the Motorcycle860L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nēnē Award (Hawai'i) list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Number the Stars670L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and a close reading level (670L vs 660L). Amazon → books like this →
Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (770L vs 660L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Holes for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Both on the Nēnē Award (Hawai'i) list (+3 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (750L vs 660L).
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+4 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (470L vs 660L).
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (2–5).
Corduroy by Don Freeman · 600L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (600L vs 660L).

Books like Holes for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Swindle by Gordon Korman · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship and justice, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nēnē Award (Hawai'i) list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).

Books like Holes for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Swindle by Gordon Korman · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship and justice, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).

Books like Holes for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas · 590L — Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (590L vs 660L).
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of justice, both on the North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck · 630L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (630L vs 660L).
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson · 690L — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (690L vs 660L), and the same era (1990s).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky · 720L — Shares themes of friendship and a close reading level (720L vs 660L).

Common questions

What books are similar to Holes?: The 10 closest matches to Holes by Louis Sachar on ReadingList include Out of My Mind, Because of Winn-Dixie, Wonder, Hello, Universe, and The Adventures of Captain Underpants. Each is scored on shared themes (fate vs choice, friendship, and justice), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Holes reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-08-11. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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