What books are similar to The BFG?

The 10 closest matches to The BFG by Roald Dahl on ReadingList include The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Out of My Mind, Wonder, James and the Giant Peach, and Simon Sort of Says. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, courage, and imagination), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The BFG reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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 BFG

If you liked The BFG, read The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Out of My Mind, or Wonder — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The BFG by Roald Dahl (Middle Grade Fiction · 720L · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, courage, and imagination. 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 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Adventures of Captain Underpants720L: Shares themes of friendship and imagination, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 720L). Amazon →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
James and the Giant Peach870L: Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Simon Sort of Saysgrades 6–8: Shares themes of friendship and courage, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Number the Stars670L: Shares themes of friendship and courage, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (670L vs 720L). Amazon →
The 13-Story Treehouse560L: Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
The Whipping Boygrades 3–7: Shares themes of friendship and courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
Hello, Universe690L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Holes660L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →

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

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

Corduroy by Don Freeman · 600L — Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (600L vs 720L).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak · 740L — Shares themes of imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (740L vs 720L).
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (750L vs 720L).
I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li · grades K–3 — Shares themes of friendship and imagination and overlapping grades (K–3).

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

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

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden · 780L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Shares themes of courage, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship, courage, and imagination and overlapping grades (4–7).
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead · 750L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 720L).
Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (760L vs 720L).

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

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

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of friendship and courage, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 720L).
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Shares themes of courage, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship, courage, and imagination and overlapping grades (4–7).
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship and courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead · 750L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 720L).

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

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

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of friendship and courage, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 720L).
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck · 630L — Shares themes of friendship and loneliness, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (630L vs 720L).
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton · 750L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (750L vs 720L).
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky · 720L — Shares themes of friendship and a close reading level (720L vs 720L).

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

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