What books are similar to El Deafo?

The 10 closest matches to El Deafo by Cece Bell on ReadingList include Smile, Roller Girl, Fish in a Tree, Dog Man, and Out of My Mind. Each is scored on shared themes (disability, friendship, and self-acceptance), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like El Deafo reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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 El Deafo

If you liked El Deafo, read Smile, Roller Girl, or Fish in a Tree — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like El Deafo by Cece Bell (Middle Grade Graphic Novel · 420L · grades 4–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of disability, friendship, and self-acceptance. 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 4–6 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: Shares themes of friendship, self-acceptance, and growing up, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
Roller Girl440L: Shares themes of friendship and growing up, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
Fish in a Tree550L: Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (550L vs 420L). Amazon →
Dog Man390L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+4 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
New Kidgrades 4–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+4 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Shares themes of friendship and growing up, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
Rulesgrades 4–7: Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Swim Teamgrades 3–7: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing470L: Shares themes of growing up, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (470L vs 420L). Amazon →

Books like El Deafo for younger readers (K–2)

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

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Nēnē Award (Hawai'i) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (2–4).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (2–4).
Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and overlapping grades (2–8).
Real Friends by Shannon Hale · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and overlapping grades (2–8).
The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like El Deafo for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce · 500L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and a close reading level (500L vs 420L).
The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Shares themes of friendship and growing up and a close reading level (510L vs 420L).
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Shares themes of disability, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (580L vs 420L).
Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+8 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel).

Books like El Deafo for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce · 500L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and a close reading level (500L vs 420L).
The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Shares themes of friendship and growing up and a close reading level (510L vs 420L).
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Shares themes of disability, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (580L vs 420L).
Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+8 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel).

Books like El Deafo 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 disability and friendship and a close reading level (630L vs 420L).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky · 720L — Shares themes of friendship and growing up.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes · 910L — Shares themes of disability and friendship.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of friendship and growing up.

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

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