Books like Peppermints in the Parlor

If you liked Peppermints in the Parlor, read Horror at the Haunted House, The Cursed Moon, or The Ghost of Fossil Glen — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Peppermints in the Parlor by Barbara Brooks Wallace (Horror · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of old age in fiction, old age, and orphans in fiction. 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Peppermints in the Parlor

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Why each is a match

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Horror at the Haunted Housegrades 4–6
Shares themes of horror stories, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Cursed Moongrades 3–6
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Ghost of Fossil Glengrades 3–8
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Curse of the Blue Figurinegrades 6–8
Shares themes of horror stories and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
All the Lovely Bad Onesgrades 5–8
Same genre (Horror) and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Cracker Jacksongrades 4–8
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
Daphne's Bookgrades 4–8
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
Earthquake Terrorgrades 3–5
Same genre (Horror) and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Fuzzy Mudgrades 3–5
Same genre (Horror) and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost Cadetgrades 3–5
Same genre (Horror) and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Peppermints in the Parlor for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • In a Dark, Dark Room by Alvin Schwartz · grades K–3 — Shares themes of horror stories.
  • Ghost in the House by Betty Ren Wright · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Horror) and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · 1020L — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (1980s).
  • It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Horror) and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Once They See You: 13 Stories to Shiver and Shock by Josh Allen · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Horror) and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like Peppermints in the Parlor for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Ghost in the House by Betty Ren Wright · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Horror) and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · 1020L — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (1980s).
  • It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Horror) and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Night Terrors by Murphy, Jim · grades 6–8 — Same genre (Horror) and overlapping grades (6–8).
  • Once They See You: 13 Stories to Shiver and Shock by Josh Allen · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Horror) and overlapping grades (4–8).

Common questions

What books are similar to Peppermints in the Parlor?
The 10 closest matches to Peppermints in the Parlor by Barbara Brooks Wallace on ReadingList include Horror at the Haunted House, The Cursed Moon, The Ghost of Fossil Glen, The Curse of the Blue Figurine, and All the Lovely Bad Ones. Each is scored on shared themes (old age in fiction, old age, and orphans in fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Peppermints in the Parlor reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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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