What books are similar to Salt to the Sea?

The 10 closest matches to Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys on ReadingList include A Long Walk to Water, Refugee, Echo, Night, and Allies. Each is scored on shared themes (war, survival, and refugees), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 8–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Salt to the Sea reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 8–12), 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 Salt to the Sea

If you liked Salt to the Sea, read A Long Walk to Water, Refugee, or Echo — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (Historical Fiction · 560L · grades 8–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of war, survival, and refugees. 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 8–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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A Long Walk to Water720L: Shares themes of war, survival, and hope, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 560L). Amazon →
Refugee800L: Shares themes of survival and refugees, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon →
Echo680L: Shares themes of war, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon →
Night590L: Shares themes of survival and Holocaust and a close reading level (590L vs 560L). Amazon →
Alliesgrades 5–9: Shares themes of war, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon →
The Book Thief730L: Shares themes of Holocaust, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (730L vs 560L). Amazon →
The Devil's Arithmetic730L: Shares themes of Holocaust, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (730L vs 560L). Amazon →
The Diary of a Young Girl1080L: Shares themes of Holocaust and hope and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon →
A Night Dividedgrades 5–8: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
Code Name Kingfishergrades 4–8: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon →

Books like Salt to the Sea for younger readers (K–2)

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

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (590L vs 560L).
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
A Band of Angels by Deborah Hopkinson · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list and the same era (2010s).
A Dance Like Starlight by Kristy Dempsey · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list and the same era (2010s).
A Green Place to be by Ashley Benham Yazdani · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list and the same era (2010s).

Books like Salt to the Sea for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (590L vs 560L).
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Shares themes of war, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and a close reading level (580L vs 560L).
Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of war, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and a close reading level (760L vs 560L).
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of survival and same genre (Historical Fiction).

Books like Salt to the Sea for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Shares themes of war, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and a close reading level (580L vs 560L).
Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of war, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and a close reading level (760L vs 560L).
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of survival and same genre (Historical Fiction).
The Cay by Theodore Taylor · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).

Books like Salt to the Sea for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of survival and Holocaust and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Shares themes of survival, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and a close reading level (810L vs 560L).
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of hope, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and overlapping grades (6–9).
Torch by Lyn Miller-Lachmann · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of survival, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and overlapping grades (6–9).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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