Books like A Smart Kid Like You

If you liked A Smart Kid Like You, read And You Give Me a Pain, Elaine, Wilderness, or Motown and Didi — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like A Smart Kid Like You by Stella Pevsner (Fiction · grades 4–8)? The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to A Smart Kid Like You

Reading the whole similar-books list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Why each is a match

Amazon links below are affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

And You Give Me a Pain, Elainegrades 4–9
Is by Stella Pevsner, the same author and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
Wildernessgrades 4–8
Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Motown and Didigrades 4–8
Same genre (Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Soundergrades 3–7
Same genre (Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Dark Frigategrades 3–7
Same genre (Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Midwife's Apprenticegrades 3–7
Same genre (Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtzegrades 3–7
Same genre (Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
11 Birthdaysgrades 3–5
Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
A Bundle of Sticksgrades 4–6
Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L
Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →

Common questions

What books are similar to A Smart Kid Like You?
The 10 closest matches to A Smart Kid Like You by Stella Pevsner on ReadingList include And You Give Me a Pain, Elaine, Wilderness, Motown and Didi, Sounder, and The Dark Frigate. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like A Smart Kid Like You reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?
Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

← Back to A Smart Kid Like You

Browse by another angle