What books are similar to The Maze of Bones?

The 10 closest matches to The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan on ReadingList include Pie, Skeleton Creek, The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1), The Sea of Monsters, and Ava and Pip. Each is scored on shared themes (scavenger hunts, families, and wills), 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 Maze of Bones 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 Maze of Bones

If you liked The Maze of Bones, read Pie, Skeleton Creek, or The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (Mystery · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of scavenger hunts, families, and wills. 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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Piegrades 3–8: Shares themes of families, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Skeleton Creekgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)740L: Is by Rick Riordan, the same author, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The Sea of Monstersgrades 4–6: Is by Rick Riordan, the same author, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Ava and Pipgrades 3–8: Shares themes of families, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Framed!grades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Tarot Says Bewaregrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Name of the Game Was Murdergrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Closed for the Seasongrades 3–8: Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Double Fudgegrades 4–6: Shares themes of families and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Maze of Bones for younger readers (K–2)

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

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2000s).
Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick · grades K–3 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (K–3).
In a Dark, Dark Room by Alvin Schwartz · grades K–3 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (K–3).
Piggins by Jane Yolen · grades K–3 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (K–3).
Poor Louie by Tony Fucile · grades K–3 — Shares themes of families and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like The Maze of Bones for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2000s).
Loser by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of families and overlapping grades (4–6).
Mystery at the Club Sandwich by Doug Cushman · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
A Haunting in Williamsburg by Lou Kassem · grades 3–5 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (3–5).

Books like The Maze of Bones for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2000s).
Loser by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of families and overlapping grades (4–6).
Mystery at the Club Sandwich by Doug Cushman · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
Alvin's Swap Shop by Clifford B. Hicks · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like The Maze of Bones for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Daughter of the Stars by Phyllis A. Whitney · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of families and same genre (Mystery).
Sold by Patricia McCormick · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of families.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and the same era (2000s).
Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly deVos · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery).
Fake ID by L. R. Giles · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Maze of Bones?: The 10 closest matches to The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan on ReadingList include Pie, Skeleton Creek, The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1), The Sea of Monsters, and Ava and Pip. Each is scored on shared themes (scavenger hunts, families, and wills), 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 Maze of Bones 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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