What books are similar to Ivy and Bean?

The 10 closest matches to Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows on ReadingList include Mercy Watson to the Rescue, Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The 13-Story Treehouse, and Flat Stanley. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, family, and humor), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–4), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Ivy and Bean reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–4), 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 Ivy and Bean

If you liked Ivy and Bean, read Mercy Watson to the Rescue, Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye, or Diary of a Wimpy Kid — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows (Early Chapter Book · 580L · grades 2–4)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, family, and humor. 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 2–4 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Mercy Watson to the Rescue450L: Shares themes of friendship, family, and humor, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Early Chapter Book). Amazon →
Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye530L: Shares themes of friendship, family, and humor, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (530L vs 580L). Amazon →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Shares themes of friendship, family, and humor and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
The 13-Story Treehouse560L: Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (560L vs 580L). Amazon →
Flat Stanley540L: Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Early Chapter Book). Amazon →
Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1)510L: Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Early Chapter Book). Amazon →
The Season of Styx Malone510L: Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (510L vs 580L). Amazon →
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It Allgrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship, family, and humor and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Sal and Gabi Break the Universegrades 4–7: Shares themes of friendship, family, and humor and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Scare School Diaries: Welcome to Scare Schoolgrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship and humor, same genre (Early Chapter Book), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →

Books like Ivy and Bean for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Shares themes of friendship and humor and a close reading level (720L vs 580L).
Corduroy by Don Freeman · 600L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (600L vs 580L).
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of friendship and humor and a close reading level (390L vs 580L).
Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel · 330L — Shares themes of friendship and humor and a close reading level (330L vs 580L).
A Lot to Like! by Derek Anderson · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and humor and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like Ivy and Bean for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry · 670L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (670L vs 580L).
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper · 700L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (700L vs 580L).
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo · 610L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (610L vs 580L).
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce · 500L — Shares themes of friendship and humor and a close reading level (500L vs 580L).
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Shares themes of friendship and humor and a close reading level (720L vs 580L).

Books like Ivy and Bean for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry · 670L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (670L vs 580L).
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper · 700L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (700L vs 580L).
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce · 500L — Shares themes of friendship and humor and a close reading level (500L vs 580L).
Smile by Raina Telgemeier · 410L — Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (410L vs 580L).
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton · 750L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (750L vs 580L).

Books like Ivy and Bean for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton · 750L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (750L vs 580L).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of friendship and family.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas · 590L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (590L vs 580L).
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck · 630L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (630L vs 580L).
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 580L).

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

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