What books are similar to The Apothecary?

The 10 closest matches to The Apothecary by Maile Meloy on ReadingList include Bink & Gollie, Here Comes the Garbage Barge, Down the Rabbit Hole, Fever 1793, and Baby Monkey, Private Eye. Each is scored on shared themes (cold war, adventure and adventurers, and alchemy), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Apothecary reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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.

Books like The Apothecary

If you liked The Apothecary, read Bink & Gollie, Here Comes the Garbage Barge, or Down the Rabbit Hole — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Apothecary by Maile Meloy (Mystery · grades 2–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of cold war, adventure and adventurers, and alchemy. 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 2–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Bink & Golliegrades 2–8: Shares themes of adventure and adventurers, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Here Comes the Garbage Bargegrades 2–8: Shares themes of history, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Down the Rabbit Holegrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Fever 1793grades 2–8: Shares themes of history, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Baby Monkey, Private Eyegrades K–3: Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon920L: Shares themes of history and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Framed!grades 3–8: Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871grades 3–6: Shares themes of adventure and adventurers and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912590L: Shares themes of history and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
Lootgrades 3–8: Shares themes of adventure and adventurers and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Apothecary for younger readers (K–2)

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

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust by Elisa Boxer · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of history and overlapping grades (2–5).
In a Dark, Dark Room by Alvin Schwartz · grades K–3 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (K–3).
Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Apothecary for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Pie by Sarah Weeks · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of history and overlapping grades (3–8).
Swindle by Gordon Korman · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of adventure and adventurers and overlapping grades (4–6).
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Apothecary for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Pie by Sarah Weeks · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of history and overlapping grades (3–8).
Swindle by Gordon Korman · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of adventure and adventurers and overlapping grades (4–6).
The Jigsaw Jungle by Kristin Levine · grades 6–8 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Fake ID by L. R. Giles · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and the same era (2010s).
Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and the same era (2010s).
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and the same era (2010s).
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and the same era (2010s).
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Apothecary?: The 10 closest matches to The Apothecary by Maile Meloy on ReadingList include Bink & Gollie, Here Comes the Garbage Barge, Down the Rabbit Hole, Fever 1793, and Baby Monkey, Private Eye. Each is scored on shared themes (cold war, adventure and adventurers, and alchemy), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Apothecary reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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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