Books like Little Women
Looking for books like Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Classic Fiction · 1300L · grades 7–10)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, coming of age, and women's roles. The 10 titlesbelow 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 7–10 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to Little Women
Great ExpectationsCharles Dickens · 1150L
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963Christopher Paul Curtis · 1000L
Purple HibiscusChimamanda Ngozi Adichie · 920L
The Secret Life of BeesSue Monk Kidd · 840L
The Poet XElizabeth Acevedo · 800L- ReboundK.A.ReboundKwame Alexander · 780L
Where the Red Fern GrowsWilson Rawls · 700L
The Color PurpleAlice Walker · 670L
FencesAugust Wilson
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeMark Haddon · 1090L
Why each is a match
- Great Expectations1150L
- Shares themes of coming of age and ambition, same genre (Classic Fiction), and a close reading level (1150L vs 1300L).
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham—19631000L
- Shares themes of family and coming of age and overlapping grades (5–8).
- Purple Hibiscus920L
- Shares themes of family and coming of age and overlapping grades (10–12).
- The Secret Life of Bees840L
- Shares themes of family and coming of age and overlapping grades (9–11).
- The Poet X800L
- Shares themes of family and coming of age and overlapping grades (8–12).
- Rebound780L
- Shares themes of family and coming of age and overlapping grades (5–8).
- Where the Red Fern Grows700L
- Shares themes of family and coming of age and overlapping grades (4–7).
- The Color Purple670L
- Shares themes of family and sisterhood and overlapping grades (9–12).
- Fencesgrades 9–12
- Shares themes of family and ambition and overlapping grades (9–12).
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time1090L
- Shares themes of family and a close reading level (1090L vs 1300L).