50 Books like Beyond the Bright Sea

Holes

by Louis Sachar

Wrongly convicted, a cursed boy digs holes in the desert for a Warden hunting buried treasure.

4.01

1.4M+

🧿 Generational Curse 💎 Buried Treasure 🫂 Found Family 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🎭 Darkly Comic

Holes 90%

Wrongly convicted, a cursed boy digs holes in the desert for a Warden hunting buried treasure.

by Louis Sachar 1998

4.01

1.4M+ ratings

🧿 Generational Curse 💎 Buried Treasure 🫂 Found Family 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🎭 Darkly Comic

City of Orphans

by Avi • 2011

With a homeless girl, a newsboy hunts the real thief who framed his sister.

3.97

4k+

🏠 Found Family 🔍 Kid Detectives 🧳 Immigrant Experience 🗽 Street Kids 🏛️ Gilded Age

City of Orphans 93%

With a homeless girl, a newsboy hunts the real thief who framed his sister.

by Avi 2011

3.97

4k+ ratings

🏠 Found Family 🔍 Kid Detectives 🧳 Immigrant Experience 🗽 Street Kids 🏛️ Gilded Age

Moon Over Manifest

by Clare Vanderpool • 2010

Sent to her father's Kansas town, a girl follows old letters into an unsolved spy mystery.

4.04

36k+

🏘️ Small Town Secrets 📖 Story Within A Story 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family 🔍 Child Sleuths 💔 Grief And Guilt

Moon Over Manifest 92%

Sent to her father's Kansas town, a girl follows old letters into an unsolved spy mystery.

by Clare Vanderpool 2010

4.04

36k+ ratings

🏘️ Small Town Secrets 📖 Story Within A Story 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family 🔍 Child Sleuths 💔 Grief And Guilt

Journey to the River Sea

by Eva Ibbotson • 2001

An orphan arrives in the Amazon to cold guardians and a jungle boy fleeing his past.

4.19

18k+

🌿 Amazon Adventure 🧒 Orphan Protagonist 🤝 Found Family 🎭 Identity Swap 🕰️ Edwardian Era

Journey to the River Sea 92%

An orphan arrives in the Amazon to cold guardians and a jungle boy fleeing his past.

by Eva Ibbotson 2001

4.19

18k+ ratings

🌿 Amazon Adventure 🧒 Orphan Protagonist 🤝 Found Family 🎭 Identity Swap 🕰️ Edwardian Era

Bud, Not Buddy

by Christopher Paul Curtis • 1999

A 10-year-old runaway treks across 1930s Michigan, certain a famous bandleader is his lost father.

3.98

116k+

📉 Great Depression 🚸 Orphan Protagonist 🏃 Runaway Child 🔍 Missing Father 👨‍👩‍👦 Found Family

Bud, Not Buddy 92%

A 10-year-old runaway treks across 1930s Michigan, certain a famous bandleader is his lost father.

by Christopher Paul Curtis 1999

3.98

116k+ ratings

📉 Great Depression 🚸 Orphan Protagonist 🏃 Runaway Child 🔍 Missing Father 👨‍👩‍👦 Found Family

The Mystery of Locked Rooms

by Lindsay Currie • 2024

Facing foreclosure, three escape-room prodigies hunt treasure inside a legendary abandoned funhouse.

3.92

3k+

🧩 Escape Room Puzzles 💰 Hidden Treasure 🫂 Found Family 😰 Anxiety Representation 🏚️ Abandoned Places

The Mystery of Locked Rooms 92%

Facing foreclosure, three escape-room prodigies hunt treasure inside a legendary abandoned funhouse.

by Lindsay Currie 2024

3.92

3k+ ratings

🧩 Escape Room Puzzles 💰 Hidden Treasure 🫂 Found Family 😰 Anxiety Representation 🏚️ Abandoned Places

Shelterwood

by Lisa Wingate • 2024

Children's skeletons in an Oklahoma cave pull a ranger toward a girl's desperate escape in 1909.

3.85

37k+

🕰️ Dual Timeline 🫂 Found Family 👭 Sibling Protection ⚠️ Children In Peril 🏘️ Small Town Secrets

Shelterwood 92%

Children's skeletons in an Oklahoma cave pull a ranger toward a girl's desperate escape in 1909.

by Lisa Wingate 2024

3.85

37k+ ratings

🕰️ Dual Timeline 🫂 Found Family 👭 Sibling Protection ⚠️ Children In Peril 🏘️ Small Town Secrets

The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams

by Daniel Nayeri • 2023

On the Silk Road, an orphan must outlast the killers chasing the storytelling merchant he loves.

3.96

3k+

🐪 Silk Road Adventure 🫂 Found Family 👦 Orphan Protagonist 🎭 Darkly Comic Quest 🏜️ Desert Survival

The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams Summary

The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams 91%

On the Silk Road, an orphan must outlast the killers chasing the storytelling merchant he loves.

by Daniel Nayeri 2023

3.96

3k+ ratings

🐪 Silk Road Adventure 🫂 Found Family 👦 Orphan Protagonist 🎭 Darkly Comic Quest 🏜️ Desert Survival

The Cay

by Theodore Taylor • 1969

Shipwrecked and blinded, a prejudiced boy must trust an old West Indian sailor to survive.

3.80

39k+

🏝️ Stranded On An Island 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🏕️ Survival Skills 🫱🏾‍🫲🏽 Overcoming Prejudice 👨‍🦯 Blind Character

The Cay 91%

Shipwrecked and blinded, a prejudiced boy must trust an old West Indian sailor to survive.

by Theodore Taylor 1969

3.80

39k+ ratings

🏝️ Stranded On An Island 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🏕️ Survival Skills 🫱🏾‍🫲🏽 Overcoming Prejudice 👨‍🦯 Blind Character

Wrecker

by Carl Hiaasen • 2023

Blackmailed by smugglers, a Key West teen hides their counterfeit cargo in the cemetery he scrubs.

4.05

5k+

🐠 Ecological Mystery 🪦 Inherited Guilt ⛵ Nautical Adventure 🔍 Teen Sleuthing Duo 🕯️ Graveyard Atmosphere

Wrecker 91%

Blackmailed by smugglers, a Key West teen hides their counterfeit cargo in the cemetery he scrubs.

by Carl Hiaasen 2023

4.05

5k+ ratings

🐠 Ecological Mystery 🪦 Inherited Guilt ⛵ Nautical Adventure 🔍 Teen Sleuthing Duo 🕯️ Graveyard Atmosphere

Riding Freedom

by Pam Muñoz Ryan • 1998

An orphan girl cuts her hair and becomes a boy, chasing a life of horses and freedom.

4.18

9k+

🏚️ Orphan Narrative 🐴 Horse Girl Story 🎭 Girl Living As Boy 🌄 Westward Expansion 🤝 Found Family

Riding Freedom 91%

An orphan girl cuts her hair and becomes a boy, chasing a life of horses and freedom.

by Pam Muñoz Ryan 1998

4.18

9k+ ratings

🏚️ Orphan Narrative 🐴 Horse Girl Story 🎭 Girl Living As Boy 🌄 Westward Expansion 🤝 Found Family

The Cross of Lead

by Avi • 2002

Falsely accused, a boy follows a giant juggler, his lead cross a secret worth a lordship.

3.65

28k+

🏰 Medieval Adventure 👑 Secret Noble Birth 🎪 Mentor Apprentice Bond 🏃 Outlaw On The Run ❤️ Found Family

The Cross of Lead 91%

Falsely accused, a boy follows a giant juggler, his lead cross a secret worth a lordship.

by Avi 2002

3.65

28k+ ratings

🏰 Medieval Adventure 👑 Secret Noble Birth 🎪 Mentor Apprentice Bond 🏃 Outlaw On The Run ❤️ Found Family

Light Comes to Shadow Mountain

by Toni Buzzeo • 2023

A Kentucky girl's dream of electric light meets the immovable force of her mother's grief.

4.25

307

🏔️ Appalachian Setting 🤝 Community Action 📰 Young Journalist 🌿 Folk Healing 👩‍👧 Mother-Daughter Tension

Light Comes to Shadow Mountain 91%

A Kentucky girl's dream of electric light meets the immovable force of her mother's grief.

by Toni Buzzeo 2023

4.25

307 ratings

🏔️ Appalachian Setting 🤝 Community Action 📰 Young Journalist 🌿 Folk Healing 👩‍👧 Mother-Daughter Tension

One False Note

by Gordon Korman • 2008

Amy and Dan chase Mozart's trail across Europe, hunted by relatives who want them dead.

3.90

55k+

🗺️ Global Treasure Hunt 👫 Orphaned Siblings 👁️ Secret Societies ⚔️ Family Feud 🔑 Code Breaking

One False Note 91%

Amy and Dan chase Mozart's trail across Europe, hunted by relatives who want them dead.

by Gordon Korman 2008

3.90

55k+ ratings

🗺️ Global Treasure Hunt 👫 Orphaned Siblings 👁️ Secret Societies ⚔️ Family Feud 🔑 Code Breaking

Words on Fire

by Jennifer A. Nielsen • 2019

A Lithuanian girl must smuggle banned books to save her culture after Cossacks arrest her parents.

4.28

15k+

📦 Book Smuggling 🚫 Forbidden Books 🇷🇺 Russian Occupation 🐛 Reluctant Hero 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

Words on Fire 91%

A Lithuanian girl must smuggle banned books to save her culture after Cossacks arrest her parents.

by Jennifer A. Nielsen 2019

4.28

15k+ ratings

📦 Book Smuggling 🚫 Forbidden Books 🇷🇺 Russian Occupation 🐛 Reluctant Hero 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

The Ministry of Unladylike Activity

by Robin Stevens • 2022

A ten-year-old spy hunts a Nazi in a manor. Then a murder makes everyone suspect.

4.15

2k+

🔍 Child Sleuths 🇬🇧 Wartime England 🏛️ Country House Mystery 🕵️ Kid Spies 🔒 Closed Circle

The Ministry of Unladylike Activity Summary

The Ministry of Unladylike Activity 91%

A ten-year-old spy hunts a Nazi in a manor. Then a murder makes everyone suspect.

by Robin Stevens 2022

4.15

2k+ ratings

🔍 Child Sleuths 🇬🇧 Wartime England 🏛️ Country House Mystery 🕵️ Kid Spies 🔒 Closed Circle

Elephant Run

by Roland Smith • 2007

Occupied Burma: a boy escapes through hidden corridors and braves the jungle to rescue his father.

4.09

7k+

🐅 Jungle Adventure 🌊 Pacific Theater 🐘 Working Elephants 🚪 Hidden Passageways 🏃 Escaping Captivity

Elephant Run 91%

Occupied Burma: a boy escapes through hidden corridors and braves the jungle to rescue his father.

by Roland Smith 2007

4.09

7k+ ratings

🐅 Jungle Adventure 🌊 Pacific Theater 🐘 Working Elephants 🚪 Hidden Passageways 🏃 Escaping Captivity

Echo Mountain

by Lauren Wolk • 2020

On a mountain in the Depression, Ellie believes the wild can wake her comatose father.

4.25

11k+

🏚️ Depression Era Fiction 🌿 Young Healer 💙 Father-Daughter Bond 🌲 Nature As Healer ⛰️ Mountain Wilderness

Echo Mountain 91%

On a mountain in the Depression, Ellie believes the wild can wake her comatose father.

by Lauren Wolk 2020

4.25

11k+ ratings

🏚️ Depression Era Fiction 🌿 Young Healer 💙 Father-Daughter Bond 🌲 Nature As Healer ⛰️ Mountain Wilderness

West with Giraffes

by Lynda Rutledge • 2021

A Dust Bowl orphan joins an old man hauling giraffes cross-country, chased by a circus owner.

4.32

205k+

🌾 Dust Bowl America 🦒 Animal Road Trip 🫂 Found Family 👴 Grumpy Mentor 🧒 Orphan Protagonist

West with Giraffes 91%

A Dust Bowl orphan joins an old man hauling giraffes cross-country, chased by a circus owner.

by Lynda Rutledge 2021

4.32

205k+ ratings

🌾 Dust Bowl America 🦒 Animal Road Trip 🫂 Found Family 👴 Grumpy Mentor 🧒 Orphan Protagonist

The Mysterious Benedict Society

by Trenton Lee Stewart • 2007

Four extraordinary kids ace a strange test, then infiltrate an academy built on mind control.

4.20

177k+

🧩 Puzzle Box Mystery 🕵️ Spy School Adventure 🖤 Found Family 🧠 Gifted Children Team 🌀 Mind Control Plot

The Mysterious Benedict Society 91%

Four extraordinary kids ace a strange test, then infiltrate an academy built on mind control.

by Trenton Lee Stewart 2007

4.20

177k+ ratings

🧩 Puzzle Box Mystery 🕵️ Spy School Adventure 🖤 Found Family 🧠 Gifted Children Team 🌀 Mind Control Plot

Five on a Treasure Island

by Enid Blyton • 1942

Four children follow a shipwreck map into island dungeons to find gold before scheming adults.

4.13

37k+

🗺️ Treasure Hunt Adventure 👧 Tomboy Protagonist 🐕 Loyal Animal Companion 🫂 Found Family 🏝️ Island Adventure

Five on a Treasure Island 91%

Four children follow a shipwreck map into island dungeons to find gold before scheming adults.

by Enid Blyton 1942

4.13

37k+ ratings

🗺️ Treasure Hunt Adventure 👧 Tomboy Protagonist 🐕 Loyal Animal Companion 🫂 Found Family 🏝️ Island Adventure

The Escape

by Robert Muchamore • 2009

A twelve-year-old orphan escapes into occupied France, where a spy's mission makes him a target.

4.12

6k+

🏚️ Occupied France 🕵️ Child Spies 🔍 Wwii Espionage 🧒 Orphan Hero 👫 Siblings At War

The Escape 90%

A twelve-year-old orphan escapes into occupied France, where a spy's mission makes him a target.

by Robert Muchamore 2009

4.12

6k+ ratings

🏚️ Occupied France 🕵️ Child Spies 🔍 Wwii Espionage 🧒 Orphan Hero 👫 Siblings At War

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

by Brian Selznick • 2007

A Paris station orphan repairs a broken automaton to unlock a message from his dead father.

4.22

190k+

🎨 Illustrated Middle Grade ⚙️ Mechanical Invention 🕰️ Clockwork Mystery 🔑 Secret Orphan 👴 Reluctant Guardian

The Invention of Hugo Cabret 90%

A Paris station orphan repairs a broken automaton to unlock a message from his dead father.

by Brian Selznick 2007

4.22

190k+ ratings

🎨 Illustrated Middle Grade ⚙️ Mechanical Invention 🕰️ Clockwork Mystery 🔑 Secret Orphan 👴 Reluctant Guardian

The Fairfleet Affair

by K.H. Saxton • 2023

After their mentor vanishes during an eclipse, two kid detectives follow his trail of museum clues.

4.06

185

🧩 Puzzle Mystery 🔍 Kid Detectives 👑 Hidden Heir 🏛️ Museum Setting 🎨 Art Forgery

The Fairfleet Affair 90%

After their mentor vanishes during an eclipse, two kid detectives follow his trail of museum clues.

by K.H. Saxton 2023

4.06

185 ratings

🧩 Puzzle Mystery 🔍 Kid Detectives 👑 Hidden Heir 🏛️ Museum Setting 🎨 Art Forgery

The Midas Box

by G.P. Taylor • 2008

At a gothic seaside hotel, an orphan discovers every boy hired before him has disappeared.

3.46

706

🚂 Steampunk Fantasy 🏨 Gothic Hotel 🧒 Orphan Protagonist 🎭 Uncanny Doubles 🕰️ Victorian Fantasy

The Midas Box 90%

At a gothic seaside hotel, an orphan discovers every boy hired before him has disappeared.

by G.P. Taylor 2008

3.46

706 ratings

🚂 Steampunk Fantasy 🏨 Gothic Hotel 🧒 Orphan Protagonist 🎭 Uncanny Doubles 🕰️ Victorian Fantasy

The Impossible Thing

by Belinda Bauer • 2025

One impossible egg, stolen again. Two misfits hunt it through a century of dangerous obsession.

4.07

6k+

🕰️ Dual Timeline Mystery 🕯️ Historical Crime 🧠 Neurodivergent Protagonist 🫂 Found Family 🥚 Collector's Obsession

The Impossible Thing 90%

One impossible egg, stolen again. Two misfits hunt it through a century of dangerous obsession.

by Belinda Bauer 2025

4.07

6k+ ratings

🕰️ Dual Timeline Mystery 🕯️ Historical Crime 🧠 Neurodivergent Protagonist 🫂 Found Family 🥚 Collector's Obsession

The Bartender's Tale

by Ivan Doig • 2012

A bartender raises his son in a Montana saloon where stories matter more than whiskey.

4.07

10k+

🍺 Saloon Life 🏘️ Eccentric Small Town 💔 Absent Mother 👨‍👦 Father-Son Bond 🎙️ Oral History

The Bartender's Tale 90%

A bartender raises his son in a Montana saloon where stories matter more than whiskey.

by Ivan Doig 2012

4.07

10k+ ratings

🍺 Saloon Life 🏘️ Eccentric Small Town 💔 Absent Mother 👨‍👦 Father-Son Bond 🎙️ Oral History

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

by James McBride • 2023

Chicken Hill's Black and Jewish neighbors conspire to rescue a deaf boy from a state asylum.

3.91

329k+

🏘️ Small Town Secrets 🤲 Found Family ⚖️ Institutional Cruelty 🌿 Quiet Resilience 🏡 Small Town America

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store Summary

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store 90%

Chicken Hill's Black and Jewish neighbors conspire to rescue a deaf boy from a state asylum.

by James McBride 2023

3.91

329k+ ratings

🏘️ Small Town Secrets 🤲 Found Family ⚖️ Institutional Cruelty 🌿 Quiet Resilience 🏡 Small Town America

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912

by Lauren Tarshis • 2010

A curious boy aboard the Titanic must navigate chaos when an iceberg seals the ship's fate.

4.09

20k+

🚢 Titanic Disaster 🌊 Shipwreck Survival 👫 Sibling Bond 👦 Boy Protagonist ⚡ Tense Survival

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 Summary

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 90%

A curious boy aboard the Titanic must navigate chaos when an iceberg seals the ship's fate.

by Lauren Tarshis 2010

4.09

20k+ ratings

🚢 Titanic Disaster 🌊 Shipwreck Survival 👫 Sibling Bond 👦 Boy Protagonist ⚡ Tense Survival

The Ice Monster

by David Walliams • 2018

To return a resurrected mammoth home, a Victorian orphan steals a warship and outruns a hunter.

4.20

9k+

🧒 Plucky Orphan Heroine 🫂 Found Family 🐘 Animal Rescue Quest 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Victorian London 🎈 Madcap Schemes

The Ice Monster 90%

To return a resurrected mammoth home, a Victorian orphan steals a warship and outruns a hunter.

by David Walliams 2018

4.20

9k+ ratings

🧒 Plucky Orphan Heroine 🫂 Found Family 🐘 Animal Rescue Quest 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Victorian London 🎈 Madcap Schemes

Ghosts of Belle Isle

by Steven K. Smith • 2014

Chasing ghost stories onto a Civil War prison island, two brothers find the danger is real.

4.21

517

🏛️ Civil War History 👻 Ghost Stories 👥 Sibling Dynamics 🔍 Neighborhood Mystery 💪 Bullies To Face

Ghosts of Belle Isle 90%

Chasing ghost stories onto a Civil War prison island, two brothers find the danger is real.

by Steven K. Smith 2014

4.21

517 ratings

🏛️ Civil War History 👻 Ghost Stories 👥 Sibling Dynamics 🔍 Neighborhood Mystery 💪 Bullies To Face

This Tender Land

by William Kent Krueger • 2019

Four children flee an Indian boarding school, canoe the river, chasing a place to call home.

4.39

224k+

🏚️ Great Depression 🛶 River Odyssey 🤝 Found Family 👁️ Prophetic Visions 🙏 Charismatic Preacher

This Tender Land 90%

Four children flee an Indian boarding school, canoe the river, chasing a place to call home.

by William Kent Krueger 2019

4.39

224k+ ratings

🏚️ Great Depression 🛶 River Odyssey 🤝 Found Family 👁️ Prophetic Visions 🙏 Charismatic Preacher

The Librarian of Crooked Lane

by C.J. Archer • 2022

A librarian seeking magical roots lands in an enchanted art heist beside a haunted war hero.

3.83

26k+

🏮 Gaslamp Fantasy 🧳 Orphaned Heroine 🔥 Slow Burn Romance 🫂 Found Family 📚 Magical Library

The Librarian of Crooked Lane 90%

A librarian seeking magical roots lands in an enchanted art heist beside a haunted war hero.

by C.J. Archer 2022

3.83

26k+ ratings

🏮 Gaslamp Fantasy 🧳 Orphaned Heroine 🔥 Slow Burn Romance 🫂 Found Family 📚 Magical Library

The War I Finally Won

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley • 2017

Her clubfoot finally fixed, a wartime orphan faces the harder battle of accepting she is wanted.

4.48

49k+

🫂 Found Family 🐴 Healing Through Horses 🏠 Wwii Home Front 👩‍👧 Guardian And Ward 💔 Trauma Recovery

The War I Finally Won 90%

Her clubfoot finally fixed, a wartime orphan faces the harder battle of accepting she is wanted.

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 2017

4.48

49k+ ratings

🫂 Found Family 🐴 Healing Through Horses 🏠 Wwii Home Front 👩‍👧 Guardian And Ward 💔 Trauma Recovery

Orphan Train

by Christina Baker Kline • 2013

An elderly woman shares her orphan-train past with the foster teen assigned to clean her attic.

4.20

466k+

📜 Dual Timeline 🚂 Orphan Train History 👵 Intergenerational Friendship 🏡 Found Family 🧑‍⚖️ Foster Care System

Orphan Train 90%

An elderly woman shares her orphan-train past with the foster teen assigned to clean her attic.

by Christina Baker Kline 2013

4.20

466k+ ratings

📜 Dual Timeline 🚂 Orphan Train History 👵 Intergenerational Friendship 🏡 Found Family 🧑‍⚖️ Foster Care System

The Teacher of Nomad Land

by Daniel Nayeri • 2025

Two siblings wander wartime Iran with a blackboard, trading lessons for a place to belong.

4.15

4k+

👥 Orphan Protagonists 🫂 Sibling Bond 🧳 Child Refugees 🏕️ Found Family 🗣️ Language Barriers

The Teacher of Nomad Land 90%

Two siblings wander wartime Iran with a blackboard, trading lessons for a place to belong.

by Daniel Nayeri 2025

4.15

4k+ ratings

👥 Orphan Protagonists 🫂 Sibling Bond 🧳 Child Refugees 🏕️ Found Family 🗣️ Language Barriers

Book Scavenger

by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman • 2015

Twelve-year-old Emily must crack a coded Poe book: the last game her hero left behind.

4.14

18k+

📚 Books About Books 🕵️ Literary Scavenger Hunt 🔐 Coded Messages 👥 Unlikely Detectives 🌉 San Francisco Setting

Book Scavenger 90%

Twelve-year-old Emily must crack a coded Poe book: the last game her hero left behind.

by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman 2015

4.14

18k+ ratings

📚 Books About Books 🕵️ Literary Scavenger Hunt 🔐 Coded Messages 👥 Unlikely Detectives 🌉 San Francisco Setting

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

by Chris Grabenstein • 2013

An eccentric game-maker locks twelve kids in his library and dares them to escape.

4.12

62k+

🧩 Puzzle Mystery 📚 Library Adventure 🤝 Team Competition 🎩 Eccentric Benefactor ✨ Whimsical Adventure

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library Summary

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library 90%

An eccentric game-maker locks twelve kids in his library and dares them to escape.

by Chris Grabenstein 2013

4.12

62k+ ratings

🧩 Puzzle Mystery 📚 Library Adventure 🤝 Team Competition 🎩 Eccentric Benefactor ✨ Whimsical Adventure

Luck of the Titanic

by Stacey Lee • 2021

To join the circus with her twin, a Chinese British teen stows away on the Titanic.

3.66

10k+

🚢 Titanic 🧧 Chinese Diaspora 🤹 Circus Acrobats 🎭 Hidden Identity 👯 Twin Bond

Luck of the Titanic 90%

To join the circus with her twin, a Chinese British teen stows away on the Titanic.

by Stacey Lee 2021

3.66

10k+ ratings

🚢 Titanic 🧧 Chinese Diaspora 🤹 Circus Acrobats 🎭 Hidden Identity 👯 Twin Bond

The Glass Sentence

by S.E. Grove • 2014

A time-blind girl crosses a fractured world, following maps of memory to save her kidnapped uncle.

3.82

7k+

🗺️ Magical Maps ⏳ Fractured Time 📜 Alternate History 🧠 Memory Magic 👧 Orphan Protagonist

The Glass Sentence 90%

A time-blind girl crosses a fractured world, following maps of memory to save her kidnapped uncle.

by S.E. Grove 2014

3.82

7k+ ratings

🗺️ Magical Maps ⏳ Fractured Time 📜 Alternate History 🧠 Memory Magic 👧 Orphan Protagonist

The Thief Lord

by Cornelia Funke • 2000

Two runaway brothers join Venice's child thieves and discover a magical secret on a hidden island.

3.99

103k+

🫂 Found Family 🏃 Runaway Children 👥 Band Of Misfits 💰 Heist Adventure 🛶 Venice

The Thief Lord 90%

Two runaway brothers join Venice's child thieves and discover a magical secret on a hidden island.

by Cornelia Funke 2000

3.99

103k+ ratings

🫂 Found Family 🏃 Runaway Children 👥 Band Of Misfits 💰 Heist Adventure 🛶 Venice

Echo

by Pam Muñoz Ryan • 2015

A cursed harmonica travels through time, into the hands of three children fighting to belong.

4.36

48k+

🕰️ Interwoven Timelines 🪄 Magical Object 👨‍👩‍👦 Found Family 🎶 Music As Resistance ⚫ Nazi Germany

Echo 90%

A cursed harmonica travels through time, into the hands of three children fighting to belong.

by Pam Muñoz Ryan 2015

4.36

48k+ ratings

🕰️ Interwoven Timelines 🪄 Magical Object 👨‍👩‍👦 Found Family 🎶 Music As Resistance ⚫ Nazi Germany

Hattie Big Sky

by Kirby Larson • 2006

An orphan inherits a Montana claim in 1918 and must survive brutal prairie and war prejudice.

4.03

20k+

🏡 Female Homesteader 🎖️ WWI Home Front 🔥 Wartime Hysteria 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family 👧 Orphan Protagonist

Hattie Big Sky 90%

An orphan inherits a Montana claim in 1918 and must survive brutal prairie and war prejudice.

by Kirby Larson 2006

4.03

20k+ ratings

🏡 Female Homesteader 🎖️ WWI Home Front 🔥 Wartime Hysteria 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family 👧 Orphan Protagonist

The Orphan Collector

by Ellen Marie Wiseman • 2020

In 1918 Philadelphia, a girl's twin brothers vanish; she must hunt a woman who collects orphans.

4.24

61k+

😷 1918 Flu Pandemic 🚂 Orphan Trains 👫 Lost Siblings 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family 😢 Maternal Grief

The Orphan Collector 90%

In 1918 Philadelphia, a girl's twin brothers vanish; she must hunt a woman who collects orphans.

by Ellen Marie Wiseman 2020

4.24

61k+ ratings

😷 1918 Flu Pandemic 🚂 Orphan Trains 👫 Lost Siblings 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family 😢 Maternal Grief

The Crowns of Croswald

by D.E. Night • 2017

An orphaned maid's forgotten past is the only weapon against a queen who feeds on forgetting.

3.79

4k+

🏰 Magical Boarding School 👑 Hidden Royal Heir 🔮 Memory Magic 💕 Found Family ✨ Whimsical Magic

The Crowns of Croswald 90%

An orphaned maid's forgotten past is the only weapon against a queen who feeds on forgetting.

by D.E. Night 2017

3.79

4k+ ratings

🏰 Magical Boarding School 👑 Hidden Royal Heir 🔮 Memory Magic 💕 Found Family ✨ Whimsical Magic

Strangers in Time

by David Baldacci • 2025

An orphan thief, a privileged girl, and a bookseller spy forge a family in the Blitz.

4.13

59k+

🫂 Found Family 💣 The Blitz 🧒 War Orphans 📚 Bookshop Sanctuary 🌉 Cross-Class Friendship

Strangers in Time 90%

An orphan thief, a privileged girl, and a bookseller spy forge a family in the Blitz.

by David Baldacci 2025

4.13

59k+ ratings

🫂 Found Family 💣 The Blitz 🧒 War Orphans 📚 Bookshop Sanctuary 🌉 Cross-Class Friendship

Making Bombs for Hitler

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch • 2012

A Ukrainian girl builds bombs for the Nazis while searching for the sister torn from her.

4.33

13k+

🏭 Forced Labor Camp 🧒 Child Survivor 🤝 Found Family 🕯️ Quiet Resistance 🧳 Postwar Displacement

Making Bombs for Hitler 90%

A Ukrainian girl builds bombs for the Nazis while searching for the sister torn from her.

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch 2012

4.33

13k+ ratings

🏭 Forced Labor Camp 🧒 Child Survivor 🤝 Found Family 🕯️ Quiet Resistance 🧳 Postwar Displacement

Wish You Well

by David Baldacci • 2000

Orphaned city kids land on a great-grandmother's Appalachian farm. The land demands everything.

4.06

33k+

🏔️ Appalachian Historical 👧 Orphaned Siblings 🌄 Land As Legacy 🏡 Found Family ⛏️ Coal Country

Wish You Well 90%

Orphaned city kids land on a great-grandmother's Appalachian farm. The land demands everything.

by David Baldacci 2000

4.06

33k+ ratings

🏔️ Appalachian Historical 👧 Orphaned Siblings 🌄 Land As Legacy 🏡 Found Family ⛏️ Coal Country

Alabama Moon

by Watt Key • 2004

His father dead, a boy raised in the Alabama wild must outrun the law to survive.

4.06

5k+

🌲 Wilderness Survival 🫂 Found Family 👥 Unlikely Friends 🏃 Runaway Kids 🛡️ Resilience

Alabama Moon 90%

His father dead, a boy raised in the Alabama wild must outrun the law to survive.

by Watt Key 2004

4.06

5k+ ratings

🌲 Wilderness Survival 🫂 Found Family 👥 Unlikely Friends 🏃 Runaway Kids 🛡️ Resilience

Greenglass House

by Kate Milford • 2014

At Greenglass House, a boy's holiday becomes a puzzle when a ghost and map reveal secrets.

3.99

29k+

❄️ Wintry Mystery 👻 Ghostly Mystery 🔍 Kid Detective Duo 🎭 Secret Identities 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

Greenglass House 90%

At Greenglass House, a boy's holiday becomes a puzzle when a ghost and map reveal secrets.

by Kate Milford 2014

3.99

29k+ ratings

❄️ Wintry Mystery 👻 Ghostly Mystery 🔍 Kid Detective Duo 🎭 Secret Identities 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

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