Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you loved A Midsummer Night's Dream, try Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The Tempest, Stardust and The Princess Bride. Each one offers magic, mischief, mixed-up lovers or a joyful comedy with a touch of fairyland.
Shakespeare's comedy brings together four young Athenian lovers who flee into a forest, a band of amateur actors rehearsing a play and the quarreling fairy king and queen, Oberon and Titania. The mischievous Puck uses a love potion that makes everyone fall for the wrong person, and the weaver Bottom ends up with a donkey's head. Readers love its magic and its laughs. These works share its playful romance and its enchantment.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Format | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twelfth Night | William Shakespeare | Play | readers who want another comedy of mix-ups |
| Much Ado About Nothing | William Shakespeare | Play | readers who love witty banter |
| As You Like It | William Shakespeare | Play | readers who like forest comedies |
| The Tempest | William Shakespeare | Play | readers who like magic |
| Stardust | Neil Gaiman | Novel | readers who want a modern fairy tale |
| The Princess Bride | William Goldman | Novel | readers who like playful romance |
| Howl's Moving Castle | Diana Wynne Jones | Novel | readers who like magical mix-ups |
| Lud-in-the-Mist | Hope Mirrlees | Novel | readers who like fairy fruit and mischief |
| Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | Susanna Clarke | Novel | readers who like English fairies |
| The Cruel Prince | Holly Black | Novel | readers who like darker fairies |
| Puck of Pook's Hill | Rudyard Kipling | Novel | readers who want more Puck |
| The Faerie Queene | Edmund Spenser | Poem | readers who want the Elizabethan source |
| Wintersmith | Terry Pratchett | Novel | readers who want fairy comedy |
| Lords and Ladies | Terry Pratchett | Novel | readers who want a Midsummer parody |
| Emma | Jane Austen | Novel | readers who like matchmaking gone wrong |
1. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Twins separated by shipwreck cause romantic chaos.
Best for: readers who want another comedy of mix-ups.
2. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Two rival wits are tricked into falling in love.
Best for: readers who love witty banter.
3. As You Like It by William Shakespeare
Exiled lovers find each other in the Forest of Arden.
Best for: readers who like forest comedies.
4. The Tempest by William Shakespeare
A sorcerer controls an island with spirits.
Best for: readers who like magic.
5. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
A young man crosses into Faerie to find a fallen star.
Best for: readers who want a modern fairy tale.
6. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
A farm boy and a princess face villains and true love.
Best for: readers who like playful romance.
7. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
A cursed young woman moves into a wizard's castle.
Best for: readers who like magical mix-ups.
8. Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees
A town that bans fairy fruit faces its return.
Best for: readers who like fairy fruit and mischief.
9. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Two magicians revive English magic.
Best for: readers who like English fairies.
10. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
A mortal girl schemes at a faerie court.
Best for: readers who like darker fairies.
11. Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling
Two children meet Puck, who shows them English history.
Best for: readers who want more Puck.
12. The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser
An epic poem of knights and fairies.
Best for: readers who want the Elizabethan source.
13. Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
A young witch draws the attention of winter itself.
Best for: readers who want fairy comedy.
14. Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett
Elves invade the Discworld on Midsummer Night.
Best for: readers who want a Midsummer parody.
15. Emma by Jane Austen
A clever young woman meddles in love lives.
Best for: readers who like matchmaking gone wrong.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with A Midsummer Night's Dream: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to A Midsummer Night's Dream. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
For more Shakespeare comedy, Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing are the best next plays. Terry Pratchett's Lords and Ladies is a brilliant parody that borrows directly from the Dream. If the fairies were your favorite part, try Stardust, Lud-in-the-Mist or The Cruel Prince for a darker twist. The Princess Bride gives you the same mix of romance and fun.
Related: The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare: Summary and Key Takeaways · The Cruel Prince by Holly Black: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is A Midsummer Night's Dream about?
Lovers, actors and fairies get mixed up in a magical forest, thanks to a love potion.
Who is Puck?
A mischievous fairy who serves Oberon and causes much of the confusion.
Why does Bottom have a donkey's head?
Puck transforms him as a prank, and Titania falls in love with him.
Is A Midsummer Night's Dream a comedy?
Yes. It is one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies.
What is the play within the play?
The workers perform “Pyramus and Thisbe” for the wedding guests.