What books are similar to The Screaming Staircase?

The 10 closest matches to The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud on ReadingList include The Girl with the Ghost Machine, The Headless Cupid, Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, Magyk, and Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism. Each is scored on shared themes (ghost stories, paranormal fiction, and psychic ability), 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 Screaming Staircase 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 Screaming Staircase

If you liked The Screaming Staircase, read The Girl with the Ghost Machine, The Headless Cupid, or Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher — 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.

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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 → books like this →
The Headless Cupidgrades 4–8: Shares themes of haunted houses, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatchergrades 4–6: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Magykgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
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 → books like this →
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 → books like this →
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 → books like this →
A Tale Dark and Grimmgrades 4–7: Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
City of Ghostsgrades 4–7: Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Dragons Love Tacosgrades K–3: Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Screaming Staircase for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— 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).
Enchanted Wood by Ruth Sanderson · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (K–3).
Eyes of the Dragon by Margaret Leaf · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (K–3).
How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head by Bill Peet · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (K–3).
Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky · grades 1–4 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (1–4).

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

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

Max and the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).
The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
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).

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

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

Max and the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).
The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
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).

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

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

Cinder by Marissa Meyer · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2010s).
Everless by Sara Holland · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2010s).
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2010s).
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).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Screaming Staircase?: The 10 closest matches to The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud on ReadingList include The Girl with the Ghost Machine, The Headless Cupid, Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, Magyk, and Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism. Each is scored on shared themes (ghost stories, paranormal fiction, and psychic ability), 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 Screaming Staircase 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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