What books are similar to The Hero and the Crown?

The 10 closest matches to The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley on ReadingList include The Bronze Bow, The Door in the Wall, The Slave Dancer, Up a Road Slowly, and Ender's Game. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Hero and the Crown reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), 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 Hero and the Crown

If you liked The Hero and the Crown, read The Bronze Bow, The Door in the Wall, or The Slave Dancer — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (Young Adult Fiction · grades 3–7)? 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 3–7 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 Bronze Bowgrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (YOUNG ADULT FICTION), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Door in the Wallgrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Slave Dancergrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Up a Road Slowlygrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Ender's Game780L: Same genre (Young Adult Fiction), overlapping grades (6–10), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
A Visit to William Blake's Inngrades K–5: Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (K–5), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglassgrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
American Born Chinese530L: Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
Dear Mr. Henshawgrades 4–6: Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
Dicey's Songgrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Hero and the Crown for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1980s).
Joyful Noise by Paul Fleischman · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1980s).
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry · 670L — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1980s).
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan · 660L — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (1980s).
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like The Hero and the Crown for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–12).
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1980s).
Joyful Noise by Paul Fleischman · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1980s).
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–12).
Monster by Walter Dean Myers · 670L — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).

Books like The Hero and the Crown for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Artifice by Sharon Cameron · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
Chaos Theory by Nic Stone · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
Come Home Safe by Brian G. Buckmire · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Hero and the Crown?: The 10 closest matches to The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley on ReadingList include The Bronze Bow, The Door in the Wall, The Slave Dancer, Up a Road Slowly, and Ender's Game. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Hero and the Crown reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), 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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