What books are similar to The Secret Garden?

The 10 closest matches to The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett on ReadingList include A Tale Dark and Grimm, Amari and the Night Brothers, City of Ghosts, Ella Enchanted, and Freaky Friday. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, fiction, people with disabilities, fiction, and great britain, fiction), 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 Secret Garden 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.

Books like The Secret Garden

If you liked The Secret Garden, read A Tale Dark and Grimm, Amari and the Night Brothers, or City of Ghosts — the closest matches in our database, matched on reading level.

Looking for books like The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Fantasy · grades 4–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, fiction, people with disabilities, fiction, and great britain, fiction. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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.

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Why each is a match

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A Tale Dark and Grimmgrades 4–7: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Amari and the Night Brothersgrades 4–7: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
City of Ghostsgrades 4–7: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Ella Enchantedgrades 4–7: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Freaky Fridaygrades 4–6: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Girl in a Cagegrades 3–8: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Gregor the Overlandergrades 4–7: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabangrades 4–8: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatchergrades 4–6: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Keeper of the Lost Citiesgrades 4–8: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Secret Garden for younger readers (K–2)

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

Amos & Boris by William Steig · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
The Paper Crane by Molly Bang · grades K–1 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Fantasy).
The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt · grades 2–3 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Fantasy).
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum · grades K–1 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Fantasy).

Books like The Secret Garden for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Amos & Boris by William Steig · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt · grades 2–3 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Fantasy).
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Magyk by Angie Sage · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (3–8).

Books like The Secret Garden for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Eragon by Christopher Paolini · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Heart of a Champion by Carl Deuker · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction.
Magyk by Angie Sage · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (3–8).
Mary Poppins by Pamela L. Travers · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like The Secret Garden for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

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

Common questions

What books are similar to The Secret Garden?: The 10 closest matches to The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett on ReadingList include A Tale Dark and Grimm, Amari and the Night Brothers, City of Ghosts, Ella Enchanted, and Freaky Friday. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, fiction, people with disabilities, fiction, and great britain, fiction), 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 Secret Garden 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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