What books are similar to Watership Down?

The 10 closest matches to Watership Down by Richard Adams on ReadingList include Cinder, The Darkangel, Downriver, Pursuit, and Salt to the Sea. Each is scored on shared themes (rabbits, adventure and adventurers, and open library staff picks), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Watership Down reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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 Watership Down

If you liked Watership Down, read Cinder, The Darkangel, or Downriver — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

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Looking for books like Watership Down by Richard Adams (Fantasy · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of rabbits, adventure and adventurers, and open library staff picks. 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

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Why each is a match

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Cindergrades 9–12: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Darkangelgrades 9–12: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Downrivergrades 9–12: Shares themes of survival, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Pursuitgrades 9–12: Shares themes of survival, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Salt to the Sea560L: Shares themes of survival, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →
A Farewell to Armsgrades 11–12: Shares themes of open library staff picks and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
A Fate So Coldgrades 7–12: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
As I Lay Dyinggrades 11–12: Shares themes of open library staff picks and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Divine Rivalsgrades 9–12: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Everlessgrades 9–12: Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →