What books are similar to Steelheart?

The 10 closest matches to Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson on ReadingList include Scythe, Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults), Long Way Down, Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25, and Sal and Gabi Break the Universe. Each is scored on shared themes (power, revenge, and heroism), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Steelheart reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–12), 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 Steelheart

If you liked Steelheart, read Scythe, Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults), or Long Way Down — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (Science Fiction · grades 7–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of power, revenge, and heroism. 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 7–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Scythegrades 7–12: Shares themes of power, both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list, and same genre (Science Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults)1130L: Shares themes of power and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Long Way Down720L: Shares themes of revenge and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25grades 6–9: Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Sal and Gabi Break the Universegrades 4–7: Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The False Princegrades 5–9: Shares themes of power and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Girl with the Ghost Machinegrades 3–8: Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Lost Herogrades 5–9: Shares themes of heroism and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
A Corner of the Universegrades 5–8: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
A Fate So Coldgrades 7–12: Shares themes of power and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Steelheart for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Science Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz · grades 4–7 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Aliens Ate My Homework by Bruce Coville · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Science Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–8).
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 5–8 — Same genre (Science Fiction) and overlapping grades (5–8).
Between Shades Of Gray by Ruta Sepetys · grades 4–9 — Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list, overlapping grades (4–9), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Steelheart for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Science Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz · grades 4–7 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Aliens Ate My Homework by Bruce Coville · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Science Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–8).
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 5–8 — Same genre (Science Fiction) and overlapping grades (5–8).
Anthem by Ayn Rand · 880L — Shares themes of power and overlapping grades (8–12).

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

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

Anthem by Ayn Rand · 880L — Shares themes of power and overlapping grades (8–12).
Between Shades Of Gray by Ruta Sepetys · grades 4–9 — Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list, overlapping grades (4–9), and the same era (2010s).
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi · grades 5–12 — Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list, overlapping grades (5–12), and the same era (2010s).
Dear Martin by Nic Stone · grades 9–12 — Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s).
Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list, overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Steelheart?: The 10 closest matches to Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson on ReadingList include Scythe, Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults), Long Way Down, Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25, and Sal and Gabi Break the Universe. Each is scored on shared themes (power, revenge, and heroism), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Steelheart reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–12), 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.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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