What books are similar to John, Paul, George and Ben?

The 10 closest matches to John, Paul, George and Ben by Lane Smith on ReadingList include Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things, Dogzilla, Guji Guji, He Came With the Couch, and Hooway for Wodney Wat. Each is scored on shared themes, 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 John, Paul, George and Ben 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.

Books like John, Paul, George and Ben

If you liked John, Paul, George and Ben, read Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things, Dogzilla, or Guji Guji — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like John, Paul, George and Ben by Lane Smith (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–5)? 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 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Thingsgrades 3–5: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Dogzillagrades K–3: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Guji Gujigrades K–3: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
He Came With the Couchgrades K–3: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Hooway for Wodney Watgrades K–3: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
I Need My Monstergrades K–3: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Losergrades 4–6: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Say What?grades 2–8: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Summer of Rileygrades 3–5: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
The Lemonade Wargrades 4–6: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like John, Paul, George and Ben for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Monster Who Ate My Peas by Danny Schnitzlein · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Soccer Mom From Outer Space by Barney Saltzberg · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Again by Emily Gravett · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like John, Paul, George and Ben for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Monster Who Ate My Peas by Danny Schnitzlein · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Soccer Mom From Outer Space by Barney Saltzberg · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Again by Emily Gravett · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like John, Paul, George and Ben for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Breathe: A Ghost Story by Cliff McNish · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Blackwater by Eve Bunting · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Breakout by Kate Messner · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
City Spies by James Ponti · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like John, Paul, George and Ben for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
The House Next Door by Richie Tankersley Cusick · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Wolf Rider: A Tale of Terror by Avi · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul by Jack Canfield · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to John, Paul, George and Ben?: The 10 closest matches to John, Paul, George and Ben by Lane Smith on ReadingList include Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things, Dogzilla, Guji Guji, He Came With the Couch, and Hooway for Wodney Wat. Each is scored on shared themes, 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 John, Paul, George and Ben 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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