What books are similar to The Ghost of Fossil Glen?

The 10 closest matches to The Ghost of Fossil Glen by Cynthia C. DeFelice on ReadingList include The Ghost's Grave, Wait Till Helen Comes, A Haunting in Williamsburg, Ghost Cadet, and The Ghost on Saturday Night. Each is scored on shared themes (imagination, diaries, and ghosts), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Ghost of Fossil Glen reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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 Ghost of Fossil Glen

If you liked The Ghost of Fossil Glen, read The Ghost's Grave, Wait Till Helen Comes, or A Haunting in Williamsburg — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Ghost of Fossil Glen by Cynthia C. DeFelice (Horror · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of imagination, diaries, and ghosts. 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 3–8 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 Ghost's Gravegrades 3–8: Shares themes of ghosts and ghost stories, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Horror). Amazon → books like this →
Wait Till Helen Comesgrades 4–7: Shares themes of ghosts, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Horror). Amazon → books like this →
A Haunting in Williamsburggrades 3–5: Shares themes of ghosts and ghost stories, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost Cadetgrades 3–5: Shares themes of ghosts, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Horror). Amazon → books like this →
The Ghost on Saturday Nightgrades 4–6: Shares themes of ghosts and ghost stories, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
All the Lovely Bad Onesgrades 5–8: Shares themes of ghosts, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Horror). Amazon → books like this →
The Cursed Moongrades 3–6: Shares themes of ghosts, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Horror). Amazon → books like this →
The Ghost of Graylockgrades 5–8: Shares themes of ghosts, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list, and same genre (Horror). Amazon → books like this →
Christina's Ghostgrades 4–6: Shares themes of ghosts, both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost in the Housegrades 4–6: Shares themes of ghosts, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Ghost of Fossil Glen for younger readers (K–2)

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

How Dinosaurs Went Extinct: A Safety Guide by Ame Dyckman · grades K–2 — Shares themes of imagination and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
No Cats in the Library by Lauren Emmons · grades K–2 — Shares themes of imagination and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1990s).
Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1) by Mary Pope Osborne · 510L — Shares themes of imagination and overlapping grades (1–4).
If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like The Ghost of Fossil Glen for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Horror at the Haunted House by Peg Kehret · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of ghosts, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (4–6).
The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of ghosts, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of imagination, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Earthquake Terror by Peg Kehret · grades 3–5 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Frindle by Andrew Clements · 830L — Shares themes of imagination, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like The Ghost of Fossil Glen for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Horror at the Haunted House by Peg Kehret · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of ghosts, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Night Terrors by Murphy, Jim · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of ghosts, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (6–8).
The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of ghosts, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of imagination, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–6).
There's a Dead Person Following My Sister Around by Vivian Vande Velde · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of ghosts, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (6–8).

Books like The Ghost of Fossil Glen for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of diaries, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Haunting by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of ghosts, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (6–9).
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of diaries and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
Eragon by Christopher Paolini · grades 6–9 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (6–9).
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (5–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Ghost of Fossil Glen?: The 10 closest matches to The Ghost of Fossil Glen by Cynthia C. DeFelice on ReadingList include The Ghost's Grave, Wait Till Helen Comes, A Haunting in Williamsburg, Ghost Cadet, and The Ghost on Saturday Night. Each is scored on shared themes (imagination, diaries, and ghosts), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Ghost of Fossil Glen reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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