What books are similar to Word Eater?

The 10 closest matches to Word Eater by Mary Amato on ReadingList include Mary Poppins, Peter and the Starcatchers, The Lifters, The Dunderheads, and Amari and the Night Brothers. Each is scored on shared themes (worms in fiction, magic, and magic in fiction), 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 Word Eater 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 Word Eater

If you liked Word Eater, read Mary Poppins, Peter and the Starcatchers, or The Lifters — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Word Eater by Mary Amato (Fantasy · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of worms in fiction, magic, and magic in fiction. 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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Mary Poppinsgrades 4–6: Shares themes of magic and magic in fiction, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Peter and the Starcatchersgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Fantasy). Amazon →
The Liftersgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Fantasy). Amazon →
The Dunderheadsgrades 3–5: Shares themes of schools, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →
Amari and the Night Brothersgrades 4–7: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Eragongrades 6–9: Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon →
Freaky Fridaygrades 4–6: Shares themes of schools, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Keeper of the Lost Citiesgrades 4–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon →
Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotismgrades 3–8: Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
The Christmas of the Reddle Moongrades 3–5: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →

Books like Word Eater 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 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–8).
No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of schools and overlapping grades (2–8).
Real Friends by Shannon Hale · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of schools and overlapping grades (2–8).
Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of magic and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like Word Eater 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 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–8).
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine · grades 4–7 — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Word Eater 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 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–8).
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine · grades 4–7 — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Word Eater 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) and overlapping grades (7–12).
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli · grades 6–9 — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s).
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan · grades 5–9 — Same genre (Fantasy) 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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