Books like The Boxes

If you liked The Boxes, read Rewind, Hope Was Here, or Mary, Bloody Mary — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Boxes by William Sleator (Children's · grades 9–12)? 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Boxes

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Why each is a match

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Rewindgrades 9–12
Is by William Sleator, the same author, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and same genre (Children's). Amazon → books like this →
Hope Was Heregrades 9–12
Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Mary, Bloody Marygrades 6–9
Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Peachesgrades 9–12
Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Rapunzel's Revengegrades 6–9
Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Shiver (Shiver, Book 1)grades 9–12
Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Son of the Mobgrades 6–9
Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Face on the Milk Cartongrades 9–12
Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Supernaturalistgrades 6–9
Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
A Hat Full of Skygrades 9–12
Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

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

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

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

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

  • A Dog's Life by Ann M. Martin · grades 4–6 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2000s).
  • Encyclopedia Brown Keeps the Peace by Donald J. Sobol · grades 4–7 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2000s).
  • Henry and the Paper Route by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–7 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2000s).
  • Paul Bunyan Swings His Axe by Dell J. McCormick · grades 4–7 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2000s).
  • The Swamp Fox of the Revolution by Stewart H. Holbrook · grades 4–7 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2000s).

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

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

  • A Dog's Life by Ann M. Martin · grades 4–6 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2000s).
  • Encyclopedia Brown Keeps the Peace by Donald J. Sobol · grades 4–7 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2000s).
  • Henry and the Paper Route by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–7 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2000s).
  • Paul Bunyan Swings His Axe by Dell J. McCormick · grades 4–7 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2000s).
  • The Swamp Fox of the Revolution by Stewart H. Holbrook · grades 4–7 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2000s).

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

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

  • City of Bones by Cassandra Clare · grades 9–12 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Crazy by Han Nolan · grades 9–12 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Eva by Peter Dickinson · grades 9–12 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Fat Kid Rules The World by K L Going · grades 9–12 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott · grades 9–12 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (9–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Boxes?
The 10 closest matches to The Boxes by William Sleator on ReadingList include Rewind, Hope Was Here, Mary, Bloody Mary, Peaches, and Rapunzel's Revenge. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Boxes reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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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