What books are similar to Mary Poppins?

The 10 closest matches to Mary Poppins by Pamela L. Travers on ReadingList include Word Eater, 12 Again, Amari and the Night Brothers, Keeper of the Lost Cities, and Peter and the Starcatchers. Each is scored on shared themes (magic, translations into thai, and translations from english), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Mary Poppins reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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 Mary Poppins

If you liked Mary Poppins, read Word Eater, 12 Again, or Amari and the Night Brothers — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Looking for books like Mary Poppins by Pamela L. Travers (Fantasy · grades 4–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of magic, translations into thai, and translations from english. 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 4–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Word Eatergrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic and magic in fiction, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
12 Againgrades 6–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Amari and the Night Brothersgrades 4–7: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Keeper of the Lost Citiesgrades 4–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Peter and the Starcatchersgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Rapunzelgrades 1–4: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (1–4). Amazon → books like this →
The Christmas of the Reddle Moongrades 3–5: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
The Forbidden Librarygrades 2–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Headless Cupidgrades 4–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Liftersgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Mary Poppins for younger readers (K–2)

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

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Enchanted Wood by Ruth Sanderson · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Eyes of the Dragon by Margaret Leaf · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy).
How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head by Bill Peet · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges · grades 1–4 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (1–4).

Books like Mary Poppins for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Mysterious Matter of I. M. Fine by Diane Stanley · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–5).
The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–6).
The White Stag by Kate Seredy · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1930s).

Books like Mary Poppins for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Eragon by Christopher Paolini · grades 6–9 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–6).
The White Stag by Kate Seredy · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1930s).

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

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

Eragon by Christopher Paolini · grades 6–9 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (6–9).
A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Cinder by Marissa Meyer · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Everless by Sara Holland · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy).

Common questions

What books are similar to Mary Poppins?: The 10 closest matches to Mary Poppins by Pamela L. Travers on ReadingList include Word Eater, 12 Again, Amari and the Night Brothers, Keeper of the Lost Cities, and Peter and the Starcatchers. Each is scored on shared themes (magic, translations into thai, and translations from english), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Mary Poppins reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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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