What books are similar to The Fault in Our Stars?

The 10 closest matches to The Fault in Our Stars by John Green on ReadingList include The Poet X, Long Way Down, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Hunger Games, and American Born Chinese. Each is scored on shared themes (mortality, grief, and love), 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 Fault in Our Stars 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.

Books like The Fault in Our Stars

If you liked The Fault in Our Stars, read The Poet X, Long Way Down, or The Perks of Being a Wallflower — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Young Adult Fiction · 850L · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of mortality, grief, and love. 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.

Reading the whole similar-books list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

Listen free on Audible30-day trial

New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Why each is a match

Amazon links below are affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

The Poet X800L: Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Young Adult Fiction). Amazon →
Long Way Down720L: Shares themes of grief, both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, and same genre (Young Adult Fiction). Amazon →
The Perks of Being a Wallflower720L: Shares themes of coming of age, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 850L). Amazon →
The Hunger Games810L: Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (810L vs 850L). Amazon →
American Born Chinese530L: Shares themes of coming of age, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon →
Four for the Roadgrades 9–12: Shares themes of grief, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon →
Never Thought I'd End Up Heregrades 7–12: Shares themes of love, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon →
Scythegrades 7–12: Shares themes of mortality, both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list, and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon →
The Silence That Binds Usgrades 9–12: Shares themes of grief, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon →
The Secret Life of Bees840L: Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (840L vs 850L). Amazon →

Books like The Fault in Our Stars for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (860L vs 850L).
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list and a close reading level (720L vs 850L).
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein · 530L — Shares themes of love.
Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of grief.

Books like The Fault in Our Stars for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Shares themes of grief, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 850L).
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls · 700L — Shares themes of grief and coming of age and a close reading level (700L vs 850L).
Rebound by Kwame Alexander · 780L — Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (780L vs 850L).
Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (730L vs 850L), and the same era (2010s).
Restart by Gordon Korman · 730L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (730L vs 850L), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Fault in Our Stars for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Shares themes of grief, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 850L).
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls · 700L — Shares themes of grief and coming of age and a close reading level (700L vs 850L).
Rebound by Kwame Alexander · 780L — Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (780L vs 850L).
The Giver by Lois Lowry · 760L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list, and a close reading level (760L vs 850L).
Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (730L vs 850L), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Fault in Our Stars for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee · 870L — Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (870L vs 850L).
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien · 880L — Shares themes of mortality and a close reading level (880L vs 850L).
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë · 890L — Shares themes of love and a close reading level (890L vs 850L).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list, a close reading level (800L vs 850L), and the same era (2010s).
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger · 790L — Shares themes of grief and a close reading level (790L vs 850L).

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

← Back to The Fault in Our Stars