Books like Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
Looking for books like Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (Graphic Memoir · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of revolution, coming of age, and religion. 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
American Born ChineseGene Luen Yang · 530L
Life of PiYann Martel · 830L
Purple HibiscusChimamanda Ngozi Adichie · 920L
Ender's GameOrson Scott Card · 780L
The Handmaid's TaleMargaret Atwood · 750L
The Poet XElizabeth Acevedo · 800L
ChainsLaurie Halse Anderson · 780L
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time IndianSherman Alexie · 600L
The Secret Life of BeesSue Monk Kidd · 840L
A Doll's HouseHenrik Ibsen
Why each is a match
- American Born Chinese530L
- Shares themes of coming of age and identity and overlapping grades (7–12).
- Life of Pi830L
- Shares themes of religion and identity and overlapping grades (9–12).
- Purple Hibiscus920L
- Shares themes of coming of age and religion and overlapping grades (10–12).
- Ender's Game780L
- Shares themes of identity and war and overlapping grades (6–10).
- The Handmaid's Tale750L
- Shares themes of religion and identity and overlapping grades (11–12).
- The Poet X800L
- Shares themes of coming of age and identity and overlapping grades (8–12).
- Chains780L
- Shares themes of revolution and overlapping grades (5–9).
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian600L
- Shares themes of coming of age and overlapping grades (7–10).
- The Secret Life of Bees840L
- Shares themes of coming of age and overlapping grades (9–11).
- A Doll's Housegrades 11–12
- Shares themes of identity and overlapping grades (11–12).