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Quick answer: If you loved Of Mice and Men, try The Grapes of Wrath, Cannery Row, The Pearl, The Red Pony, Flowers for Algernon and To Kill a Mockingbird. Each one is a compact, powerful story about friendship, loneliness or hard American lives.
John Steinbeck's 1937 novella follows George and Lennie, two migrant workers in California during the Depression. George looks after his friend Lennie, a strong man with an intellectual disability, and the two of them dream of owning a small farm. When they take work on a ranch, the dream collapses into tragedy. Readers remember its famous ending for life. These books share its simple prose and emotional force.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Length | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Grapes of Wrath | John Steinbeck | Long | readers who want Steinbeck's masterpiece |
| Cannery Row | John Steinbeck | Short | readers who want warm humor |
| The Pearl | John Steinbeck | Very short | readers who like a parable |
| The Red Pony | John Steinbeck | Very short | readers who like a boy's view |
| Flowers for Algernon | Daniel Keyes | Medium | readers who loved Lennie |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Medium | readers who want a school classic |
| The Old Man and the Sea | Ernest Hemingway | Very short | readers who like plain prose |
| Ethan Frome | Edith Wharton | Very short | readers who like tragic endings |
| A Separate Peace | John Knowles | Short | readers who like tragic friendships |
| The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time | Mark Haddon | Short | readers who like a different mind |
| The Outsiders | S.E. Hinton | Short | readers who want young brotherhood |
| Where the Red Fern Grows | Wilson Rawls | Medium | readers who want to cry |
| The Great Gatsby | F. Scott Fitzgerald | Short | readers who like broken American dreams |
| Bridge to Terabithia | Katherine Paterson | Short | younger readers |
| Native Son | Richard Wright | Long | readers who like hard social realism |
1. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
A family of Oklahoma migrants heads to California during the Depression.
Best for: readers who want Steinbeck's masterpiece.
2. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
A group of friends in Monterey plan a party for their beloved neighbor.
Best for: readers who want warm humor.
3. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
A poor diver finds a huge pearl that brings ruin to his family.
Best for: readers who like a parable.
4. The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
A boy on a California ranch learns hard lessons about life and death.
Best for: readers who like a boy's view.
5. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
A man with an intellectual disability has surgery that raises his IQ.
Best for: readers who loved Lennie.
6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A girl watches her father defend a Black man in a 1930s trial.
Best for: readers who want a school classic.
7. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
An old fisherman battles a giant marlin.
Best for: readers who like plain prose.
8. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
A trapped New England farmer falls for his wife's cousin.
Best for: readers who like tragic endings.
9. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Two boarding school boys are bound by a moment of jealousy.
Best for: readers who like tragic friendships.
10. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
An autistic boy investigates the death of a neighbor's dog.
Best for: readers who like a different mind.
11. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
A teen gang member faces violence in 1960s Oklahoma.
Best for: readers who want young brotherhood.
12. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
A boy in the Ozarks raises two hunting dogs.
Best for: readers who want to cry.
13. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A mysterious millionaire pursues the woman he has always loved.
Best for: readers who like broken American dreams.
14. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Two young friends create a magical kingdom in the woods.
Best for: younger readers.
15. Native Son by Richard Wright
A young Black man in 1930s Chicago commits a crime that seals his fate.
Best for: readers who like hard social realism.
How to Choose
The clearest choice is The Grapes of Wrath, if you want the bigger version of Steinbeck's Depression. For similar short reads, The Pearl, The Old Man and the Sea and Ethan Frome can all be finished in an afternoon, and each of them ends with real sorrow. If you were most moved by Lennie, Flowers for Algernon is a very good choice, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time offers another fresh way of seeing the world. If you are looking for a warm read after the ending, Cannery Row is a welcome contrast. For class assignments, many teachers pair Of Mice and Men with To Kill a Mockingbird or The Great Gatsby.
Related: What Age Is Of Mice and Men Appropriate For? A Parent’s Guide · Of Mice and Men Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Of Mice and Men about?
Two migrant workers in Depression-era California dream of owning a farm until a tragedy ends their hopes.
How long is Of Mice and Men?
It is a short novella of around 100 pages.
Why is Of Mice and Men challenged in schools?
It has offensive language, racial slurs and a violent ending.
Where does the title come from?
It comes from a Robert Burns poem about how the best-laid plans often go wrong.
What age is it suitable for?
It is commonly taught from about ages 13 to 15.