Books like I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871

If you liked I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871, read A Corner of the Universe, A Long Walk to Water, or A Night Divided — the closest matches in our database, matched on reading level.

Looking for books like I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871 by Lauren Tarshis (Historical Fiction · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of great fire, chicago, ill., 1871, adventure and adventurers, and fires. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871

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Why each is a match

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A Corner of the Universegrades 5–8
Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon →
A Long Walk to Water720L
Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon →
A Night Dividedgrades 5–8
Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon →
Alliesgrades 5–9
Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s). Amazon →
Bink & Golliegrades 2–8
Shares themes of adventure and adventurers and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon →
Echo680L
Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon →
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912590L
Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2010s). Amazon →
Lootgrades 3–8
Shares themes of adventure and adventurers and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
One Crazy Summer750L
Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon →
Projekt 1065grades 5–9
Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s). Amazon →

Books like I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871 for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Apothecary by Maile Meloy · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of adventure and adventurers and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of adventure and adventurers and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).
  • A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–8).

Books like I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871 for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).
  • Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys · 560L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
  • The Apothecary by Maile Meloy · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of adventure and adventurers and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of adventure and adventurers and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871 for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).
  • Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys · 560L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
  • A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens · 1170L — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
  • My Ántonia by Willa Cather · 1010L — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Same genre (Historical Fiction).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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