Books like The Inheritance Games

If you liked The Inheritance Games, read Twilight, Check & Mate, or The Haunting — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Mystery · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of new york times bestseller. 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.

10 books similar to The Inheritance Games

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Why each is a match

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Twilightgrades 9–12
Shares themes of new york times bestseller, both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Check & Mategrades 9–12
Shares themes of new york times bestseller, both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Hauntinggrades 6–9
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Truly Deviousgrades 9–12
Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Whispers from the Deadgrades 6–9
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Creepy Carrots!grades 3–10
Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Five Survivegrades 9–12
Shares themes of new york times bestseller and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
How to Survive Your Murdergrades 9–12
Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Not Quite Dead Yetgrades 7–12
Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
That's Not My Namegrades 9–12
Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Inheritance Games for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list and same genre (Mystery).
  • Piggins by Jane Yolen · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list and same genre (Mystery).
  • Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton · grades K–3 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list.
  • Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list).
  • Substitute Teacher Plans by Johnson, Doug · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list).

Books like The Inheritance Games for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list and same genre (Mystery).
  • Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list and same genre (Mystery).
  • Is Anybody There? by Eve Bunting · grades 3–5 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list and same genre (Mystery).
  • Nightmare Mountain by Peg Kehret · grades 3–6 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list and same genre (Mystery).
  • Odder by Katherine Applegate · grades 3–5 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2020s).

Books like The Inheritance Games for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list and same genre (Mystery).
  • Nightmare Mountain by Peg Kehret · grades 3–6 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list and same genre (Mystery).
  • Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list and same genre (Mystery).
  • The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list.
  • The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list.

Books like The Inheritance Games for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s).
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (6–9).
  • The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2020s).
  • Under the Surface by Diana Urban · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2020s).
  • Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Inheritance Games?
The 10 closest matches to The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes on ReadingList include Twilight, Check & Mate, The Haunting, Truly Devious, and Whispers from the Dead. Each is scored on shared themes (new york times bestseller), 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 Inheritance Games 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.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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