What books are similar to Big Nate: In a Class by Himself?

The 10 closest matches to Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce on ReadingList include Dog Man, Smile, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, and Fish in a Tree. Each is scored on shared themes (humor, school, and friendship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Big Nate: In a Class by Himself reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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.

Books like Big Nate: In a Class by Himself

If you liked Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, read Dog Man, Smile, or Diary of a Wimpy Kid — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce (Middle Grade Graphic Novel · 500L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of humor, school, and friendship. 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Dog Man390L: Shares themes of humor and friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
Smile410L: Shares themes of humor and friendship, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Shares themes of humor, school, and friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobodygrades 4–8: Shares themes of humor, school, and friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon →
Fish in a Tree550L: Shares themes of school and friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and a close reading level (550L vs 500L). Amazon →
Roller Girl440L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
The First Cat in Space Ate Pizzagrades 2–5: Shares themes of humor and friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
The 13-Story Treehouse560L: Shares themes of humor and friendship and a close reading level (560L vs 500L). Amazon →
The Adventures of Captain Underpants720L: Shares themes of humor, school, and friendship and a close reading level (720L vs 500L). Amazon →
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life890L: Shares themes of humor, school, and friendship and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →

Books like Big Nate: In a Class by Himself for younger readers (K–2)

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

Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton · 530L — Shares themes of humor and friendship and a close reading level (530L vs 500L).
Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo · 450L — Shares themes of humor and friendship and a close reading level (450L vs 500L).
A Lot to Like! by Derek Anderson · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of humor and friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
Fox Has a Problem by Corey R. Tabor · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of humor and friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows · 580L — Shares themes of humor and friendship and a close reading level (580L vs 500L).

Books like Big Nate: In a Class by Himself for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Hannah Sharpe, Cartoon Detective by Janet Tashjian · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of humor, school, and friendship and overlapping grades (3–6).
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of humor, school, and friendship and overlapping grades (3–6).
J vs. K by Kwame Alexander & Jerry Craft · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of humor, school, and friendship and overlapping grades (3–5).
My Teacher Is an Alien by Bruce Coville · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of humor, school, and friendship and overlapping grades (3–6).
New Kid by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel).

Books like Big Nate: In a Class by Himself for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Confessions of a Class Clown by Arianne Costner · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of humor, school, and friendship and overlapping grades (6–8).
Hannah Sharpe, Cartoon Detective by Janet Tashjian · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of humor, school, and friendship and overlapping grades (3–6).
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of humor, school, and friendship and overlapping grades (3–6).
My Teacher Is an Alien by Bruce Coville · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of humor, school, and friendship and overlapping grades (3–6).
New Kid by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel).

Books like Big Nate: In a Class by Himself for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck · 630L — Shares themes of friendship and a close reading level (630L vs 500L).
Drama by Raina Telgemeier · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (5–9).
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (6–9).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (5–9).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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