What books are similar to The Devil's Arithmetic?

The 10 closest matches to The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen on ReadingList include The Book Thief, Girl in a Cage, I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912, Number the Stars, and Salt to the Sea. Each is scored on shared themes (Holocaust, memory, and Jewish identity), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Devil's Arithmetic reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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 Devil's Arithmetic

If you liked The Devil's Arithmetic, read The Book Thief, Girl in a Cage, or I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Looking for books like The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen (Historical Fiction · 730L · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of Holocaust, memory, and Jewish identity. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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 5–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Book Thief730L: Shares themes of Holocaust, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (730L vs 730L). Amazon → books like this →
Girl in a Cagegrades 3–8: Is by Jane Yolen, the same author, shares themes of history, and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912590L: Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (590L vs 730L). Amazon → books like this →
Number the Stars670L: Shares themes of Holocaust and a close reading level (670L vs 730L). Amazon → books like this →
Salt to the Sea560L: Shares themes of Holocaust, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (560L vs 730L). Amazon → books like this →
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—19631000L: Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Code Name Kingfishergrades 4–8: Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Fever 1793grades 2–8: Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaustgrades 2–5: Shares themes of Holocaust and history and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
Iceberggrades 3–7: Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Devil's Arithmetic for younger readers (K–2)

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

Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of history and overlapping grades (2–8).
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of history and overlapping grades (2–8).
The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of memory and overlapping grades (2–5).
The Yellow Bus by Loren Long · grades K–3 — Shares themes of memory.
Time to Make Art by Jeff Mack · grades K–3 — Shares themes of history.

Books like The Devil's Arithmetic for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Nothing Else But Miracles by Kate Albus · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Restart by Gordon Korman · 730L — Shares themes of memory and a close reading level (730L vs 730L).
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park · 720L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (720L vs 730L).
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (750L vs 730L).
Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan · 680L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (680L vs 730L).

Books like The Devil's Arithmetic for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Nothing Else But Miracles by Kate Albus · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Restart by Gordon Korman · 730L — Shares themes of memory and a close reading level (730L vs 730L).
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park · 720L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (720L vs 730L).
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (750L vs 730L).
The Giver by Lois Lowry · 760L — Shares themes of memory and a close reading level (760L vs 730L).

Books like The Devil's Arithmetic for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

My Ántonia by Willa Cather · 1010L — Shares themes of memory and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Torch by Lyn Miller-Lachmann · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of history and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (800L vs 730L).
Night by Elie Wiesel · 590L — Shares themes of Holocaust and a close reading level (590L vs 730L).
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien · 880L — Shares themes of memory and a close reading level (880L vs 730L).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Devil's Arithmetic?: The 10 closest matches to The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen on ReadingList include The Book Thief, Girl in a Cage, I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912, Number the Stars, and Salt to the Sea. Each is scored on shared themes (Holocaust, memory, and Jewish identity), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Devil's Arithmetic reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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 2026-08-11. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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