What books are similar to Don't Trust Fish?

The 10 closest matches to Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson on ReadingList include Ballet Brown, Earl & Worm: The Bad Idea and Other Stories, Home in a Lunchbox, I'm Sorry You Got Mad, and Officer Buckle and Gloria. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–1), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Don't Trust Fish reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–1), 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 Don't Trust Fish

If you liked Don't Trust Fish, read Ballet Brown, Earl & Worm: The Bad Idea and Other Stories, or Home in a Lunchbox — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson (Juvenile Fiction · grades K–1)? 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–1 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Ballet Browngrades K–1: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–1). Amazon → books like this →
Earl & Worm: The Bad Idea and Other Storiesgrades K–1: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–1). Amazon → books like this →
Home in a Lunchboxgrades K–1: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–1). Amazon → books like this →
I'm Sorry You Got Madgrades K–1: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–1). Amazon → books like this →
Officer Buckle and Gloriagrades K–3: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
The Bakery Dragongrades K–1: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–1). Amazon → books like this →
The Fire-Breathing Ducklinggrades K–1: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–1). Amazon → books like this →
Towed by Toadgrades K–1: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–1). Amazon → books like this →
We Are Definitely Humangrades K–1: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–1). Amazon → books like this →
Zooni Tales: Keep It Up, Plucky Pupgrades K–1: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–1). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Don't Trust Fish for younger readers (K–2)

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

Barnaby Unboxed! by Terry Fan · grades 2–3 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Braided Roots by Pasha Westbrook · grades 2–3 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Cabin Head and Tree Head by Scott Campbell · grades 2–3 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Detective Sweet Pea: The Case of the Golden Bone by Sara Varon · grades 2–3 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Little Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi · grades 2–3 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).

Books like Don't Trust Fish for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps · grades 4–5 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Barnaby Unboxed! by Terry Fan · grades 2–3 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Braided Roots by Pasha Westbrook · grades 2–3 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Bubblegum Shoes: The Case of the Contraband Closet by Goldy Moldavsky · grades 4–5 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Buffalo Dreamer by Violet Duncan · grades 4–5 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).

Books like Don't Trust Fish for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

How to Talk to Your Succulent by Zoe Persico · grades 6–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
It's All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango · grades 6–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II by Adam Gidwitz · grades 6–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
The Curse of Eelgrass Bog by Mary Averling · grades 6–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie · grades 6–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).

Books like Don't Trust Fish for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Beasts by Ingvild Bjerkeland · grades 9–12 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol · grades 9–12 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Gone Wolf by Amber McBride · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Don't Trust Fish?: The 10 closest matches to Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson on ReadingList include Ballet Brown, Earl & Worm: The Bad Idea and Other Stories, Home in a Lunchbox, I'm Sorry You Got Mad, and Officer Buckle and Gloria. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–1), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Don't Trust Fish reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–1), 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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