Books like The Screaming Staircase

If you liked The Screaming Staircase, read The Girl with the Ghost Machine, Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, or Magyk — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud (Fantasy · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of ghost stories, paranormal fiction, and psychic ability. 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.

10 books similar to The Screaming Staircase

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Why each is a match

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The Girl with the Ghost Machinegrades 3–8
Shares themes of ghost stories, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatchergrades 4–6
Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Magykgrades 3–8
Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotismgrades 3–8
Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
The Ghost's Gravegrades 3–8
Shares themes of ghost stories, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulanegrades 3–6
Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
A Tale Dark and Grimmgrades 4–7
Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon →
City of Ghostsgrades 4–7
Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon →
Max and the Midknightsgrades 3–6
Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon →
The Dragonet Prophecygrades 3–7
Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon →

Books like The Screaming Staircase for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Hidden Kingdom by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Lifters by Dave Eggers · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Screaming Staircase for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Hidden Kingdom by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Lifters by Dave Eggers · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Screaming Staircase for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan · grades 5–9 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan · grades 5–9 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).
  • A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (7–12).
  • Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy).
  • Eragon by Christopher Paolini · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (6–9).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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