What books are similar to Drama?

The 10 closest matches to Drama by Raina Telgemeier on ReadingList include Smile, Dog Man, Blubber, Guts, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Each is scored on shared themes (theater, friendship, and identity), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Drama reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–9), 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 Drama

If you liked Drama, read Smile, Dog Man, or Blubber — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Drama by Raina Telgemeier (Graphic Novel · grades 5–9)? It’s most often read for its themes of theater, friendship, and identity. 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 5–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Smile410L: Is by Raina Telgemeier, the same author, shares themes of friendship, and both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list. Amazon → books like this →
Dog Man390L: Shares themes of friendship and identity, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
Blubbergrades 4–7: Shares themes of friendship and identity, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Gutsgrades 4–8: Is by Raina Telgemeier, the same author, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone880L: Shares themes of friendship and identity, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
New Kidgrades 4–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Indian in the Cupboardgrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Maze Runnergrades 7–12: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Bud, Not Buddy950L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Drama for younger readers (K–2)

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

Real Friends by Shannon Hale · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb · grades K–2 — Shares themes of friendship and identity.
How This Book Got Red by Margaret Chiu Greanias · grades K–2 — Shares themes of friendship and identity.
You're So Amazing! by James Catchpole · grades K–2 — Shares themes of friendship and identity.
Yuna's Cardboard Castles by Marie Tang · grades K–2 — Shares themes of friendship and identity.

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

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

Dog Man Unleashed by Dav Pilkey · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship and identity and overlapping grades (3–6).
Real Friends by Shannon Hale · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks · 780L — Shares themes of friendship and identity and overlapping grades (4–7).

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

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

Dog Man Unleashed by Dav Pilkey · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship and identity and overlapping grades (3–6).
Real Friends by Shannon Hale · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks · 780L — Shares themes of friendship and identity and overlapping grades (4–7).

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

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

Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of identity, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (8–12).
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes · 910L — Shares themes of friendship and identity and overlapping grades (8–11).
Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard by Ronald Wimberly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (9–12).
Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of friendship and identity and overlapping grades (9–12).
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of identity, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to Drama?: The 10 closest matches to Drama by Raina Telgemeier on ReadingList include Smile, Dog Man, Blubber, Guts, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Each is scored on shared themes (theater, friendship, and identity), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Drama reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–9), 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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