What books are similar to Life as We Knew It?

The 10 closest matches to Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer on ReadingList include Devilish, Flora Segunda, Graceling, Into the Wild, and Midnighters #2: Touching Darkness. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Life as We Knew It reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–12), 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 Life as We Knew It

If you liked Life as We Knew It, read Devilish, Flora Segunda, or Graceling — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Science Fiction & Fantasy · grades 5–12)? 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 5–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Devilishgrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Flora Segundagrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Gracelinggrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Into the Wildgrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Midnighters #2: Touching Darknessgrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Peepsgrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Savvygrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Stormwitchgrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Adoration of Jenna Foxgrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Amethyst Roadgrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Life as We Knew It for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
Vintage by Steve Berman · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).

Books like Life as We Knew It for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
Vintage by Steve Berman · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).

Books like Life as We Knew It for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
Vintage by Steve Berman · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to Life as We Knew It?: The 10 closest matches to Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer on ReadingList include Devilish, Flora Segunda, Graceling, Into the Wild, and Midnighters #2: Touching Darkness. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Life as We Knew It reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–12), 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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