37 Books like Holes

Beyond the Bright Sea

by Lauren Wolk • 2017

A twelve-year-old outcast risks a shuttered leper colony to uncover where she came from.

4.08

17k+

🏡 Found Family 👧 Orphan Protagonist 🪙 Hidden Treasure 🏚️ Leper Colony 🔎 Mysterious Origins

Beyond the Bright Sea 90%

A twelve-year-old outcast risks a shuttered leper colony to uncover where she came from.

by Lauren Wolk 2017

4.08

17k+ ratings

🏡 Found Family 👧 Orphan Protagonist 🪙 Hidden Treasure 🏚️ Leper Colony 🔎 Mysterious Origins

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 90%

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

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 89%

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

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 89%

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

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 89%

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

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 89%

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

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 89%

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

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 89%

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

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 89%

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

What the River Knows

by Isabel Ibañez • 2023

After her parents' deaths in Egypt, Argentine heiress inherits a magical ring and a deadly quest.

3.83

90k+

🗝️ Magical Artifacts 🏛️ Archaeological Adventure 🔥 Slow Burn Romance 🤝 Reluctant Allies 🔍 Family Secrets

What the River Knows 89%

After her parents' deaths in Egypt, Argentine heiress inherits a magical ring and a deadly quest.

by Isabel Ibañez 2023

3.83

90k+ ratings

🗝️ Magical Artifacts 🏛️ Archaeological Adventure 🔥 Slow Burn Romance 🤝 Reluctant Allies 🔍 Family Secrets

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 89%

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

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 89%

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

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 88%

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

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

by J.K. Rowling • 1998

When students turn to stone at Hogwarts, Harry's snake-speech makes him the prime suspect.

4.43

4.5M+

🏰 Magical Boarding School 🔍 School Mystery 👑 Hidden Heir 📖 Coded Diary 👻 Possession Plot

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Summary

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 88%

When students turn to stone at Hogwarts, Harry's snake-speech makes him the prime suspect.

by J.K. Rowling 1998

4.43

4.5M+ ratings

🏰 Magical Boarding School 🔍 School Mystery 👑 Hidden Heir 📖 Coded Diary 👻 Possession Plot

Revolver

by Marcus Sedgwick • 2009

A frozen cabin, a dead father, and a gunman demanding gold the family may not have.

3.71

5k+

🧊 Arctic Survival ⛏️ Gold Rush Frontier 💔 Absent Mother ⚖️ Sins Of The Father 🚪 Home Invasion

Revolver 88%

A frozen cabin, a dead father, and a gunman demanding gold the family may not have.

by Marcus Sedgwick 2009

3.71

5k+ ratings

🧊 Arctic Survival ⛏️ Gold Rush Frontier 💔 Absent Mother ⚖️ Sins Of The Father 🚪 Home Invasion

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 88%

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

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 88%

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

Found

by Margaret Peterson Haddix • 2008

A note tells an adopted boy he was taken from the past. Then a second warns: someone's coming.

3.98

42k+

🕰️ Time Travel Mystery 🔍 Kid Investigators 🎭 Hidden Identities 🕵️ Conspiracy Thriller 🤝 Found Family

Found 88%

A note tells an adopted boy he was taken from the past. Then a second warns: someone's coming.

by Margaret Peterson Haddix 2008

3.98

42k+ ratings

🕰️ Time Travel Mystery 🔍 Kid Investigators 🎭 Hidden Identities 🕵️ Conspiracy Thriller 🤝 Found Family

Hunting for Hidden Gold

by Franklin W. Dixon • 1928

Summoned to Montana, two brothers hunt for buried gold as a ruthless gang closes in.

3.93

7k+

⛏️ Gold Prospecting Mystery 🔍 Sibling Sleuths 🗺️ Hidden Treasure Hunt 🧠 Amnesia Plot 🏘️ Small Town Secrets

Hunting for Hidden Gold 88%

Summoned to Montana, two brothers hunt for buried gold as a ruthless gang closes in.

by Franklin W. Dixon 1928

3.93

7k+ ratings

⛏️ Gold Prospecting Mystery 🔍 Sibling Sleuths 🗺️ Hidden Treasure Hunt 🧠 Amnesia Plot 🏘️ Small Town Secrets

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 88%

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

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 88%

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

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 88%

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

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 88%

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

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 88%

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 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 88%

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

The Midnight Charter

by David Whitley • 1996

In a city that trades everything, two servant children are chosen to judge its fate.

3.44

652

🏙️ Dystopian City 🧒 Orphan Heroes 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 💰 Rags To Riches 🫂 Found Family

The Midnight Charter 88%

In a city that trades everything, two servant children are chosen to judge its fate.

by David Whitley 1996

3.44

652 ratings

🏙️ Dystopian City 🧒 Orphan Heroes 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 💰 Rags To Riches 🫂 Found Family

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 88%

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 Adventures of Tom Sawyer

by Mark Twain • 1876

When Tom Sawyer witnesses a graveyard murder, his clever tongue must finally speak the truth.

3.92

1.0M+

🏘️ Small-Town Boyhood 😈 Boyhood Mischief 💰 Treasure Hunt 🏃 Running Away Adventure 😏 Satirical Small-Town

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 88%

When Tom Sawyer witnesses a graveyard murder, his clever tongue must finally speak the truth.

by Mark Twain 1876

3.92

1.0M+ ratings

🏘️ Small-Town Boyhood 😈 Boyhood Mischief 💰 Treasure Hunt 🏃 Running Away Adventure 😏 Satirical Small-Town

Way of the Argosi

by Sebastien de Castell • 2021

Cursed to spoil every kindness, an orphan thief steals toward a freedom no mage controls.

4.25

2k+

🧙 Mage Society 🪢 Magical Curse 🫂 Found Family 🗡️ Thief Crew 💔 Trauma Healing

Way of the Argosi 88%

Cursed to spoil every kindness, an orphan thief steals toward a freedom no mage controls.

by Sebastien de Castell 2021

4.25

2k+ ratings

🧙 Mage Society 🪢 Magical Curse 🫂 Found Family 🗡️ Thief Crew 💔 Trauma Healing

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 88%

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

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 88%

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

How to Stay Invisible

by Maggie C. Rudd • 2023

Abandoned, a boy and his dog survive in the woods behind his school, attending class.

4.43

1k+

🎒 Secretly Homeless ❤️ Found Family 🐕 Loyal Dog Companion 🎣 Grumpy Old Mentor 🏎️ Persistent Best Friend

How to Stay Invisible 88%

Abandoned, a boy and his dog survive in the woods behind his school, attending class.

by Maggie C. Rudd 2023

4.43

1k+ ratings

🎒 Secretly Homeless ❤️ Found Family 🐕 Loyal Dog Companion 🎣 Grumpy Old Mentor 🏎️ Persistent Best Friend

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 88%

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

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 88%

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 Westing Game

by Ellen Raskin • 1978

Sixteen tenants learn a dead man's will named them suspects. To inherit, they must find the killer.

3.99

237k+

🧩 Puzzle Mystery 🎭 Hidden Identities 🕵️ Child Detective 🔒 Closed Circle Mystery 👥 Eccentric Ensemble Cast

The Westing Game 88%

Sixteen tenants learn a dead man's will named them suspects. To inherit, they must find the killer.

by Ellen Raskin 1978

3.99

237k+ ratings

🧩 Puzzle Mystery 🎭 Hidden Identities 🕵️ Child Detective 🔒 Closed Circle Mystery 👥 Eccentric Ensemble Cast

Museum of Thieves

by Lian Tanner • 2010

A chained girl escapes into a living museum, where the wildness her city buried is waking.

3.92

6k+

🏛️ Living Museum 🌪️ Wild Magic 🗡️ Thief Training 🤝 Found Family 🐾 Loyal Beast Companion

Museum of Thieves 88%

A chained girl escapes into a living museum, where the wildness her city buried is waking.

by Lian Tanner 2010

3.92

6k+ ratings

🏛️ Living Museum 🌪️ Wild Magic 🗡️ Thief Training 🤝 Found Family 🐾 Loyal Beast Companion

Hunting for Hidden Gold

by Franklin W. Dixon • 1928

Summoned to Montana, two brothers hunt for buried gold as a ruthless gang closes in.

3.93

7k+

⛏️ Gold Prospecting Mystery 🔍 Sibling Sleuths 🗺️ Hidden Treasure Hunt 🧠 Amnesia Plot 🏘️ Small Town Secrets

Hunting for Hidden Gold 88%

Summoned to Montana, two brothers hunt for buried gold as a ruthless gang closes in.

by Franklin W. Dixon 1928

3.93

7k+ ratings

⛏️ Gold Prospecting Mystery 🔍 Sibling Sleuths 🗺️ Hidden Treasure Hunt 🧠 Amnesia Plot 🏘️ Small Town Secrets

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