What books are similar to The Tale of Despereaux?

The 10 closest matches to The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo on ReadingList include The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1), Number the Stars, The Graveyard Book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and The Witching Wind. Each is scored on shared themes (courage, forgiveness, and light vs dark), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Tale of Despereaux reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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 Tale of Despereaux

If you liked The Tale of Despereaux, read The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1), Number the Stars, or The Graveyard Book — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (Middle Grade Fantasy · 670L · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of courage, forgiveness, and light vs dark. 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 3–6 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 Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)740L: Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and a close reading level (740L vs 670L). Amazon →
Number the Stars670L: Shares themes of courage, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and a close reading level (670L vs 670L). Amazon →
The Graveyard Book820L: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and a close reading level (820L vs 670L). Amazon →
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone880L: Shares themes of courage, both on the Blue Hen Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon →
The Witching Windgrades 3–6: Shares themes of courage, both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon →
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH790L: Shares themes of courage, both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (790L vs 670L). Amazon →
Fablehavengrades 4–7: Shares themes of courage, both on the Volunteer State Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon →
The BFG720L: Shares themes of courage, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (720L vs 670L). Amazon →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Both on the Blue Hen Book Award list (+10 more shared lists), a close reading level (610L vs 670L), and the same era (2000s). Amazon →
Amir and the Jinn Princessgrades 4–8: Shares themes of courage, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon →

Books like The Tale of Despereaux for younger readers (K–2)

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

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (750L vs 670L).
The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1) by Christina Soontornvat · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–5).
Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–5).
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña · 610L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (610L vs 670L).
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+3 more shared lists) and a close reading level (470L vs 670L).

Books like The Tale of Despereaux for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).
The Night Train by Lorelei Savaryn · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).
The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).
The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).

Books like The Tale of Despereaux for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Eragon by Christopher Paolini · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).
The Night Train by Lorelei Savaryn · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).
The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).

Books like The Tale of Despereaux for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Eragon by Christopher Paolini · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–9).
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of courage, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 670L).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), a close reading level (810L vs 670L), and the same era (2000s).
Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9).

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

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