What books are similar to The Forbidden Library?

The 10 closest matches to The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler on ReadingList include Amari and the Night Brothers, The Lifters, The Sword of Summer, Keeper of the Lost Cities, and Mary Poppins. Each is scored on shared themes (libraries, magic, and fairies), 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 Forbidden Library 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 Forbidden Library

If you liked The Forbidden Library, read Amari and the Night Brothers, The Lifters, or The Sword of Summer — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler (Fantasy · grades 2–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of libraries, magic, and fairies. 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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Amari and the Night Brothersgrades 4–7: Shares themes of magic, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and same genre (Fantasy). Amazon →
The Liftersgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
The Sword of Summergrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Keeper of the Lost Citiesgrades 4–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon →
Mary Poppinsgrades 4–6: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Peter and the Starcatchersgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
The Christmas of the Reddle Moongrades 3–5: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →
The Indian in the Cupboardgrades 3–6: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
The Wishing Spellgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Word Eatergrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →

Books like The Forbidden Library for younger readers (K–2)

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

Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) 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 (Michigan Reading Association) list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6).
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Max and the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).
The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6).
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Max and the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).
The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan · grades 5–9 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan · grades 5–9 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).
A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (7–12).
Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2010s).
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy).

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

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