Books like The Naturals
If you liked The Naturals, read The Inheritance Games, Good Girl's Guide to Murder, or One of Us Is Lying — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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Looking for books like The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Mystery · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of mystery and detective stories, united states, and criminal profilers. 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 Naturals
The Inheritance GamesJennifer Lynn Barnes
Good Girl's Guide to MurderHolly Jackson
One of Us Is LyingKaren M. McManus
Truly DeviousMaureen Johnson
Plague YearStephanie S. Tolan
The Man in the WoodsRosemary Wells
Eat Your Heart OutKelly deVos
Fake IDL. R. Giles
Daughter of the StarsPhyllis A. Whitney
How to Survive Your MurderDanielle Valentine
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Why each is a match
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- The Inheritance Gamesgrades 9–12
- Is by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, the same author, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon → books like this →
- Good Girl's Guide to Murdergrades 9–12
- Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon → books like this →
- One of Us Is Lyinggrades 9–12
- Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon → books like this →
- Truly Deviousgrades 9–12
- Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- Plague Yeargrades 9–12
- Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- The Man in the Woodsgrades 9–12
- Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- Eat Your Heart Outgrades 9–12
- Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- Fake IDgrades 9–12
- Same genre (Mystery), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
- Daughter of the Starsgrades 9–12
- Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- How to Survive Your Murdergrades 9–12
- Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
More like this
Same grade band, chosen by theme and by how many reading lists carry them. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
The Truth TrapFrances A. MillerAlso about criminal investigation · on 1 reading list
Grades 9–12 · 206 pages
Check price on Amazon →
That's Not My NameMegan LallyAlso Mystery · on 2 reading lists
Grades 9–12
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The AgathasKathleen GlasgowAlso Mystery · on 1 reading list
Grades 9–12
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The Fault in Our StarsJohn GreenSame grade band · on 12 reading lists
850L · Grades 9–12 · 313 pages
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The Hate U GiveAngie ThomasSame grade band · on 11 reading lists
590L · Grades 9–12 · 444 pages
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Firekeeper's DaughterAngeline BoulleySame grade band · on 6 reading lists
Grades 9–12 · 364 pages
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Lord of the FliesWilliam GoldingSame grade band · on 6 reading lists
770L · Grades 9–12 · 224 pages
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MacbethWilliam ShakespeareSame grade band · on 6 reading lists
Grades 9–12 · 272 pages
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The TempestWilliam ShakespeareSame grade band · on 6 reading lists
Grades 9–12 · 304 pages
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All My RageSabaa TahirSame grade band · on 5 reading lists
Grades 9–12 · 385 pages
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Much Ado About NothingWilliam ShakespeareSame grade band · on 5 reading lists
Grades 9–12 · 304 pages
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An Inspector CallsJ. B. PriestleySame grade band · on 4 reading lists
Grades 9–10 · 79 pages
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Books like The Naturals for middle school (grades 6–8)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.
- Framed! by James Ponti · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and united states and same genre (Mystery). Amazon →
- The Name of the Game Was Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon →
- Alvin's Swap Shop by Clifford B. Hicks · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery). Amazon →
- Christina's Ghost by Betty Ren Wright · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery). Amazon →
- Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery). Amazon →
Books like The Naturals for high school & teens (grades 9–12)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.
- Middlemarch by George Eliot · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon →
- Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon →
- That's Not My Name by Megan Lally · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon →
- The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon →
- The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon →
Common questions
- What books are similar to The Naturals?
- The 10 closest matches to The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes on ReadingList include The Inheritance Games, Good Girl's Guide to Murder, One of Us Is Lying, Truly Devious, and Plague Year. Each is scored on shared themes (mystery and detective stories, united states, and criminal profilers), 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 Naturals 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.