What books are similar to The Maze Runner?

The 10 closest matches to The Maze Runner by James Dashner on ReadingList include Divergent, Drama, New Kid, Refugee, and Roller Girl. Each is scored on shared themes (survival, memory, and friendship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Maze Runner reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–12), 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.

Books like The Maze Runner

If you liked The Maze Runner, read Divergent, Drama, or New Kid — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Dystopian · grades 7–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of survival, memory, and friendship. 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 7–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Divergentgrades 8–12: Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+3 more shared lists), same genre (Dystopian), and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →
Dramagrades 5–9: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
New Kidgrades 4–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Refugee800L: Shares themes of survival, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
Roller Girl440L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Smile410L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone880L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Giver760L: Shares themes of memory, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →

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

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

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list.
Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (2–8).
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of survival.
Real Friends by Shannon Hale · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (2–8).

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

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

El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list (+1 more shared list).
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list).
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo · 610L — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Charlotte Award list (+1 more shared list).
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan · 740L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).

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

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

El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list (+1 more shared list).
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Shares themes of survival, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+5 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan · 740L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (7–10).

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

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

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Shares themes of survival, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+5 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (7–10).
My Ántonia by Willa Cather · 1010L — Shares themes of memory and friendship and overlapping grades (10–12).
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of memory, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
Under the Surface by Diana Urban · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of survival and friendship and overlapping grades (7–12).

What to read after The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner is book 1 of 5 in James Dashner’s The Maze Runner series. Not done with the series yet? Follow the The Maze Runner reading order first — then come back for the matches above.

Common questions

What books are similar to The Maze Runner?: The 10 closest matches to The Maze Runner by James Dashner on ReadingList include Divergent, Drama, New Kid, Refugee, and Roller Girl. Each is scored on shared themes (survival, memory, and friendship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Maze Runner reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–12), 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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