Books like Bad Kitty

If you liked Bad Kitty, read Titanicat, Cat Secrets, or Heart of a Tiger — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel (Realistic Fiction · grades K–3)? It’s most often read for its themes of food, alphabet, and cats. 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 K–3 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Bad Kitty

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Why each is a match

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Titanicatgrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Cat Secretsgrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Heart of a Tigergrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Dog Who Had Kittensgrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Stranger Next Doorgrades 3–8
Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survivalgrades 3–6
Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Widgetgrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Arrowhawkgrades K–3
Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Chestergrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Class Clowngrades 3–5
Shares themes of behavior, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Bad Kitty for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

  • Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of behavior, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Minnie's Diner: A Multiplying Menu by Dayle Ann Dodds · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Ted by Tony DiTerlizzi · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like Bad Kitty for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

  • Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of behavior, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Minnie's Diner: A Multiplying Menu by Dayle Ann Dodds · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Shoeshine Girl by Clyde Robert Bulla · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of behavior and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like Bad Kitty for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

  • Night Hoops by Carl Deuker · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of behavior and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of behavior, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Shoeshine Girl by Clyde Robert Bulla · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of behavior and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • So B. It by Sarah Weeks · grades 5–8 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Bad Kitty for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

  • Night Hoops by Carl Deuker · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of behavior and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli · grades 6–9 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • The Compound by S. A. Bodeen · grades 6–9 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Bad Kitty?
The 10 closest matches to Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel on ReadingList include Titanicat, Cat Secrets, Heart of a Tiger, The Dog Who Had Kittens, and The Stranger Next Door. Each is scored on shared themes (food, alphabet, and cats), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Bad Kitty reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–3), 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.

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