Books like J vs. K

If you liked J vs. K, read The Superteacher Project, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or The Adventures of Captain Underpants — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Looking for books like J vs. K by Kwame Alexander & Jerry Craft (Middle Grade Fiction · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, school, and humor. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to J vs. K

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Why each is a match

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The Superteacher Projectgrades 3–6
Shares themes of friendship, school, and humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L
Shares themes of friendship, school, and humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Adventures of Captain Underpants720L
Shares themes of friendship, school, and humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobodygrades 4–8
Shares themes of friendship, school, and humor and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Hannah Sharpe, Cartoon Detectivegrades 3–6
Shares themes of friendship, school, and humor and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Popcorngrades 4–8
Shares themes of school and humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself500L
Shares themes of friendship, school, and humor and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life890L
Shares themes of friendship, school, and humor and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Fish in a Tree550L
Shares themes of friendship and school, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Harriet the Spygrades 4–7
Shares themes of friendship and school, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like J vs. K for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of friendship and humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • A Lot to Like! by Derek Anderson · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and humor and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb · grades K–2 — Shares themes of friendship and humor.
  • Fox Has a Problem by Corey R. Tabor · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and humor and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and humor and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like J vs. K for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship, school, and humor and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • My Teacher Is an Alien by Bruce Coville · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship, school, and humor and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship and school, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of school and humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).

Books like J vs. K for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Confessions of a Class Clown by Arianne Costner · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship, school, and humor, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • Control Freaks by J.E. Thomas · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship and school, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship, school, and humor and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).

Books like J vs. K for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Four for the Road by K.J. Reilly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of friendship.
  • Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of friendship.
  • The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of friendship.
  • Under the Surface by Diana Urban · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of friendship.
  • Drama by Raina Telgemeier · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (5–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to J vs. K?
The 10 closest matches to J vs. K by Kwame Alexander & Jerry Craft on ReadingList include The Superteacher Project, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, and Hannah Sharpe, Cartoon Detective. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, school, and humor), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like J vs. K reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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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