KidTeller BlogBooks Like Gravity Falls: Twins, Codes and Small-Town Mysteries
What books are like Gravity Falls?
The best books like Gravity Falls are The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Spiderwick Chronicles and The Sisters Grimm. Trenton Lee Stewart's Benedict Society is full of codes and brainteasers, Spiderwick has twins with a field guide to hidden creatures, and Michael Buckley's Sisters Grimm has two sisters solving magical mysteries in a small town. Most fit ages 8 to 12. For the show itself on paper, start with Gravity Falls: Journal 3.
Key takeaways
- The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Spiderwick Chronicles and The Sisters Grimm are the closest books to Gravity Falls for most kids aged 8 to 12.
- Gravity Falls: Journal 3 (2016) and the graphic novel Gravity Falls: Lost Legends (2018) are official books that suit younger fans.
- The Book of Bill (2024) is the first Gravity Falls book aimed at teens and adults, so read it before you hand it to a child.
- The show's end-credit cryptograms use Caesar, Atbash, A1Z26 and Vigenère ciphers, so code-and-puzzle books are a strong next read.
- Over the Garden Wall, Amphibia, The Owl House, Steven Universe and Hilda are the shows that come closest to the Gravity Falls mix of mystery and humor.
The best books like Gravity Falls are The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Spiderwick Chronicles and The Sisters Grimm: codes, twins with a secret guidebook, and two sisters solving strange cases in a small town. If your child has finished the show twice and is still decoding the end credits, these books similar to Gravity Falls give them the same mix of mystery, monsters and jokes. Below are 12 checked picks, the three official Gravity Falls books, a page on the show's ciphers, and five shows to watch next.
Books like Gravity Falls: the 12 best picks
Twelve books match Gravity Falls on at least one of its four big elements: siblings or twins, a small-town mystery, codes and cryptograms, and monsters played for laughs. The ages come from Common Sense Media, which rates the show itself 8+.
| Book | Author | Year | Age (Common Sense Media) | What it shares with Gravity Falls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Mysterious Benedict Society | Trenton Lee Stewart | 2007 | 9+ | Codes, brainteasers, a secret to crack |
| The Field Guide (Spiderwick Chronicles, book 1) | Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black | 2003 | 7+ | Twin brothers, a handwritten guide to hidden creatures |
| The Fairy-Tale Detectives (Sisters Grimm, book 1) | Michael Buckley | 2005 | 9+ (series) | Two sisters, small-town magic, detective work |
| The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, book 1) | Lemony Snicket | 1999 | 9+ | Siblings, a scheming adult, dark humor |
| "Who Could That Be at This Hour?" (All the Wrong Questions, book 1) | Lemony Snicket | 2012 | 9+ | A strange half-empty town full of mysteries |
| The Westing Game | Ellen Raskin | 1978 | 10+ | A puzzle mystery built on clues |
| Chasing Vermeer | Blue Balliett | 2004 | 9+ | Coded messages sent with pentominoes |
| The Name of This Book Is Secret | Pseudonymous Bosch | 2007 | 9+ | A secret society, codes and riddles |
| Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library | Chris Grabenstein | 2013 | 8+ | A puzzle game with rebus clues |
| Amulet: The Stonekeeper | Kazu Kibuishi | 2008 | 8+ | A brother and sister, an old family house, creatures |
| The Last Kids on Earth | Max Brallier | 2015 | 8+ | Monsters with humor, friends in a treehouse |
| Coraline | Neil Gaiman | 2002 | 8+ | A hidden door, a creepy other world, a brave kid |
Years and authors were checked on each book's Wikipedia page, and the ages on each book's Common Sense Media review. Amulet and The Last Kids on Earth are illustrated, so they also work for a child who prefers graphic novels for kids.
Three to start with
The right first book depends on the part of the show your child talks about most. A puzzle lover goes to The Mysterious Benedict Society, where four gifted children are recruited to investigate secret messages and Mr. Benedict talks to them in Morse code (Wikipedia).
A child who loves Dipper and Mabel goes to The Spiderwick Chronicles. Its heroes are nine-year-old identical twins, Jared and Simon, who move with their sister into an old house in Maine and find Arthur Spiderwick's handwritten field guide to the fantastical world around them, which feels a lot like finding Journal 3.
A child who loves the town itself goes to The Sisters Grimm. Sabrina and Daphne Grimm move in with their grandmother in Ferryport Landing and learn that their family has policed the town's magical Everafters for generations.
What makes a book feel like Gravity Falls
A book feels like Gravity Falls when it puts kids in charge of a mystery that adults either ignore or cause. The show, created by Alex Hirsch, follows twins Dipper and Mabel Pines through a summer with their great-uncle in a small Oregon town. It ran on Disney Channel and then Disney XD from June 15, 2012, to February 15, 2016 (Wikipedia).
Under the jokes, the show is about a brother and sister who protect each other. The books that land best keep that warmth, which is why sibling stories such as Amulet and A Series of Unfortunate Events work even without a single cipher.
The four elements to match
Look for at least two of these four in any book you pick:
- Twins or siblings: Spiderwick, Sisters Grimm, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Amulet.
- A small-town mystery: Sisters Grimm, All the Wrong Questions, The Westing Game.
- Codes and cryptograms: Benedict Society, Chasing Vermeer, The Name of This Book Is Secret, Mr. Lemoncello.
- Monsters with humor: The Last Kids on Earth, Spiderwick, Coraline for the creepier side.
The official Gravity Falls books
Three official books continue the show on paper, and they suit different ages. The dates below come from the Gravity Falls Wikipedia article and the entry for The Book of Bill.
| Book | Released | Who made it | Format | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravity Falls: Journal 3 | July 26, 2016 (Disney Press) | Alex Hirsch and Rob Renzetti | The journal from the show, page by page | Fans of the show who like to pore over details |
| Gravity Falls: Lost Legends | July 24, 2018 (Disney Press) | Alex Hirsch | Graphic novel with new stories | Younger fans and comic readers |
| The Book of Bill | July 23, 2024 (Hyperion Avenue) | Alex Hirsch | Illustrated book told by the villain, Bill Cipher | Teens and adults |
Journal 3 is the one most kids want first, because it is the book Dipper carries all through the show. Lost Legends is the easiest read, with panels instead of long pages.
Is The Book of Bill for kids?
The Book of Bill is not written for young children. Wikipedia describes it as a book for a "teen and adult audience" and calls it the first Gravity Falls book targeted at a mature audience. Read it yourself before you hand it to a child under 13, and give younger fans Journal 3 or Lost Legends.
Codes and puzzles: why Gravity Falls fans love ciphers
Codes are the part of Gravity Falls that turns viewers into readers. Hirsch hid "a variety of codes, cryptograms, backwards messages, and other secret clues" in every episode, and each episode ends with a coded message in the credits.
Looper's guide to the show's codes lists the main ciphers. Season 1 uses a Caesar cipher that shifts letters by three, the Atbash "mirror code" where A becomes Z, and the A1Z26 code where each letter becomes its number in the alphabet. The season 1 finale combines all three, and much of season 2 uses a Vigenère cipher, where a keyword sets a different shift for each letter.
Make a Gravity Falls cipher at home
A Caesar cipher takes two minutes to teach. Write the alphabet on a strip of paper, then shift each letter three places back: H becomes E, E becomes B, L becomes I and O becomes L, so HELLO turns into EBIIL.
Let your child write a coded note to a sibling, then hand over a code book. Chasing Vermeer, The Name of This Book Is Secret and The Mysterious Benedict Society all reward a reader who stops to work out a message before reading on.
How to pick the next book for a Gravity Falls fan
A good next book matches your child's age, reading stamina and favorite part of the show.
- Ask what they liked most. The twins, the monsters, the codes or Grunkle Stan's jokes point to different rows of the table above.
- Check the age. Most picks sit at 8+ or 9+. A 7-year-old does best with Spiderwick or a book read aloud together.
- Match the length to their stamina. Spiderwick books are short, and The Mysterious Benedict Society is long. Amulet and The Last Kids on Earth carry a reluctant reader with pictures.
- Read the first chapter together. Mysteries hook kids once the first strange thing happens, so stay with them until it does.
- Keep book 2 on the shelf. Spiderwick, Sisters Grimm and Unfortunate Events are series, and momentum dies in the gap between books.
- Point them to more mysteries. Our list of mystery books for kids sorts more picks by age.
When the child wants something scarier
Coraline by Neil Gaiman is the scariest pick for Gravity Falls fans, and Common Sense Media calls it a tale "sure to creep kids out". Save it for a child who enjoyed the creepier Gravity Falls episodes rather than one who watched them through their fingers.
Older readers who want a long fantasy series with the same loyalty between friends can move on to Wings of Fire. For a wider list by age, see the top 20 books for ages 8 to 10.
Shows like Gravity Falls to watch next
Five shows come closest to the Gravity Falls mix of mystery, humor and heart. Network and years were checked on each show's Wikipedia page.
| Show | Network | Years | Why fans like it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Over the Garden Wall | Cartoon Network | 2014 (10-episode miniseries) | Two half-brothers lost in a strange forest called the Unknown |
| Amphibia | Disney Channel | 2019 to 2022 | A girl lands in a world of frog people and is taken in by a frog family |
| The Owl House | Disney Channel | 2020 to 2023 | A girl becomes a witch's apprentice on the demon-ruled Boiling Isles |
| Steven Universe | Cartoon Network | 2013 to 2019 | A half-Gem boy and his alien guardians protect a small beach town |
| Hilda | Netflix | 2018 to 2023 | A fearless girl befriends trolls, elves and spirits, based on Luke Pearson's comics |
Over the Garden Wall is the quickest win, at ten short episodes. Hilda also has books: Luke Pearson's comics came first, so a fan of the show can move straight to them.
Shows made by Gravity Falls alumni
Two of these shows come from people who worked on Gravity Falls. Amphibia creator Matt Braly was a storyboard artist and director on Gravity Falls, and The Owl House creator Dana Terrace was a storyboard artist on it. Both shows carry the same mix of goofy jokes and real danger.
Your Gravity Falls reading checklist
- Pick by element: twins, small town, codes or monsters.
- Check the age: most picks are 8+ or 9+, and The Book of Bill is for teens and adults.
- Start with one of three: Benedict Society, Spiderwick or Sisters Grimm.
- Add a code: teach the Caesar shift and let your child write the next message.
- Line up the show: Over the Garden Wall for a short watch, Amphibia or The Owl House for a long one.
A child who loves Dipper and Mabel can also be the hero of their own small-town mystery. KidTeller turns your child's photo into the illustrated hero, writes a fresh story from any idea you type, such as a strange summer in a pine-forest town with a sibling and a secret journal, and can add a brother or sister to the story with their own photo. You can have it narrated in your own cloned voice, and story ideas by theme help with a first plot.
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Frequently asked questions
What books are similar to Gravity Falls?
The Spiderwick Chronicles has twins who find a handwritten guide to hidden creatures, The Sisters Grimm has two sisters solving magical cases in a small town, and The Mysterious Benedict Society is full of codes and brainteasers. The Westing Game, Chasing Vermeer and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library add puzzle mysteries.
Are there Gravity Falls chapter books?
The three main official books are Gravity Falls: Journal 3, written as Ford's journal, the graphic novel Gravity Falls: Lost Legends, and The Book of Bill for older readers. For a chapter book with the same feel, The Sisters Grimm and The Spiderwick Chronicles are the closest match.
Are there books like Gravity Falls for adults?
The Book of Bill (2024) is the Gravity Falls book written for teens and adults. Adults who loved the show's puzzles also enjoy The Westing Game, a Newbery Medal mystery that Kirkus called more a puzzle than a novel, and Coraline, which won the Hugo Award.
Is The Book of Bill OK for kids?
The Book of Bill is aimed at teens and adults. Its Wikipedia entry calls it the first Gravity Falls book targeted at a mature audience. Read it yourself first, and give younger fans Journal 3 or Lost Legends instead.
What codes are used in Gravity Falls?
The end-credit cryptograms use a Caesar cipher that shifts letters by three, the Atbash mirror code, the A1Z26 number code, a combination of all three in the season 1 finale, and a keyword-based Vigenère cipher in much of season 2.
