What books are similar to Guts?

The 10 closest matches to Guts by Raina Telgemeier on ReadingList include Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Eragon, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Hatchet, and Heroes. Each is scored on shared themes (anxiety, growing up, and courage), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Guts reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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.

Books like Guts

If you liked Guts, read Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Eragon, or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Guts by Raina Telgemeier (Graphic Memoir · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of anxiety, growing up, and courage. 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Shares themes of growing up, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
Eragongrades 6–9: Shares themes of courage, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon →
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone880L: Shares themes of courage, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Hatchet1020L: Shares themes of growing up, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
Heroesgrades 6–8: Shares themes of courage, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon →
How to Eat Fried Wormsgrades 3–6: Shares themes of courage, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Shiloh890L: Shares themes of courage, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
The Tale of Despereaux670L: Shares themes of courage, both on the Volunteer State Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Alliesgrades 5–9: Shares themes of courage, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon →
Echo680L: Shares themes of courage, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →

Books like Guts for younger readers (K–2)

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

Wild Blue: Taming a Big-Kid Bike by Dashka Slater · grades K–2 — Shares themes of growing up and courage.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of courage and overlapping grades (2–5).
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2010s).
Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust by Elisa Boxer · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of courage and overlapping grades (2–5).

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

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

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of growing up and courage and overlapping grades (5–8).
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8).
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Volunteer State Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).

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

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

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of growing up and courage and overlapping grades (5–8).
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8).
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Volunteer State Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).

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

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

Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (6–9).
Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of courage and overlapping grades (8–12).

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

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