Books like The Ogress and the Orphans

If you liked The Ogress and the Orphans, read The Marvellers, Iron Hearted Violet, or The Girl Who Drank the Moon — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill (Middle Grade Fantasy · grades 4–5)? 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 4–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Ogress and the Orphans

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Why each is a match

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The Marvellersgrades 4–5
Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–5). Amazon → books like this →
Iron Hearted Violetgrades 5–12
Is by Kelly Barnhill, the same author and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Girl Who Drank the Moongrades 4–7
Is by Kelly Barnhill, the same author and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
A Game of Noctisgrades 3–6
Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Amir and the Jinn Princessgrades 4–8
Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Growing Homegrades 3–5
Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Impossible Creaturesgrades 4–8
Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Just a Pinch of Magicgrades 4–8
Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Legendarios: Wrath of the Rain Godgrades 3–6
Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Lightningborn (Storm Dragons #1)grades 3–5
Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Ogress and the Orphans for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1) by Christina Soontornvat · grades 2–5 — Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2020s).
  • Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega · grades 2–5 — Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2020s).
  • A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis · grades K–1 — Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list and the same era (2020s).
  • Abuelita and Me by Leonarda Carranza · grades K–1 — Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list and the same era (2020s).
  • Action!: How Movies Began by Meghan McCarthy · grades 2–3 — Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list and the same era (2020s).

Books like The Ogress and the Orphans for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2020s).
  • Nimbus by Jan Eldredge · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2020s).
  • The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1) by Christina Soontornvat · grades 2–5 — Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2020s).
  • The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes · grades 3–5 — Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2020s).
  • The Night Train by Lorelei Savaryn · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2020s).

Books like The Ogress and the Orphans for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Common questions

What books are similar to The Ogress and the Orphans?
The 10 closest matches to The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill on ReadingList include The Marvellers, Iron Hearted Violet, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, A Game of Noctis, and Amir and the Jinn Princess. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Ogress and the Orphans reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–5), 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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