Books like Donuthead

If you liked Donuthead, read Landry News, The Ghost Sitter, or The Report Card — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Donuthead by Sue Stauffacher (Juvenile Fiction · grades 3–8)? 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 3–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Donuthead

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Why each is a match

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Landry Newsgrades 3–8
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Ghost Sittergrades 3–8
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Report Cardgrades 3–8
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
102 Days of Lying About Laurengrades 6–8
Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
A Boy at Wargrades 3–6
Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
A Story, a Storygrades K–3
Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
A Tree Is Nicegrades K–3
Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
A Year Down Yondergrades 3–7
Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
All the Blues in the Skygrades 3–7
Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
And Then, Boom!grades 4–5
Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–5). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Donuthead for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K2— same scoring, different audience.

  • Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermott · grades K–3 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Ballet Brown by Bellen Woodard · grades K–1 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
  • Barnaby Unboxed! by Terry Fan · grades 2–3 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–3).
  • Big Snow and Other Stories by Hader, Berta and Elmer · grades K–3 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Black and White by David Macaulay · grades K–3 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like Donuthead for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 35— same scoring, different audience.

  • Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermott · grades K–3 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Barnaby Unboxed! by Terry Fan · grades 2–3 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–3).
  • Big Snow and Other Stories by Hader, Berta and Elmer · grades K–3 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Black and White by David Macaulay · grades K–3 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Bones on Black Spruce Mountain by David Budbill · grades 4–8 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like Donuthead for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 68— same scoring, different audience.

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

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 912— same scoring, different audience.

  • Beasts by Ingvild Bjerkeland · grades 9–12 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
  • Gone Wolf by Amber McBride · grades 9–12 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
  • Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol · grades 9–12 Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Donuthead?
The 10 closest matches to Donuthead by Sue Stauffacher on ReadingList include Landry News, The Ghost Sitter, The Report Card, 102 Days of Lying About Lauren, and A Boy at War. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Donuthead reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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.

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