What books are similar to Legend?

The 10 closest matches to Legend by Marie Lu on ReadingList include Antigone, Ghost Boys, Swindle, The False Prince, and Black Brother, Black Brother. Each is scored on shared themes (dystopia, justice, and loyalty), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Legend reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–9), 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 Legend

If you liked Legend, read Antigone, Ghost Boys, or Swindle — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Legend by Marie Lu (Dystopian · grades 6–9)? It’s most often read for its themes of dystopia, justice, and loyalty. 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 6–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

Reading the whole similar-books list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

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Why each is a match

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Antigonegrades 9–12: Shares themes of justice and loyalty and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost Boys360L: Shares themes of justice, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Swindlegrades 4–7: Shares themes of justice, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
The False Princegrades 5–9: Shares themes of loyalty, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
Black Brother, Black Brothergrades 5–8: Shares themes of justice, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost730L: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L: Shares themes of justice, both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Matilda840L: Shares themes of justice, both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Smile410L: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Best School Year Evergrades 3–6: Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

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

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

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).
Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of justice and overlapping grades (5–8).
Odder by Katherine Applegate · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list).
Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of loyalty and overlapping grades (4–7).

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

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

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of justice, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (6–9).
Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of justice and overlapping grades (5–8).
Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Same genre (Dystopian), overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of justice, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (6–9).
Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Same genre (Dystopian), overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2010s).
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults) by Bryan Stevenson · 1130L — Shares themes of justice and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Maze Runner by James Dashner · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Dystopian), overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Legend?: The 10 closest matches to Legend by Marie Lu on ReadingList include Antigone, Ghost Boys, Swindle, The False Prince, and Black Brother, Black Brother. Each is scored on shared themes (dystopia, justice, and loyalty), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Legend reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–9), 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 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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