Books like Max and the Midknights

If you liked Max and the Midknights, read Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, Dog Man, or A Royal Conundrum — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Max and the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce (Fantasy · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of adventure, humor, and identity. 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 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Max and the Midknights

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Why each is a match

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Big Nate: In a Class by Himself500L
Is by Lincoln Peirce, the same author, shares themes of humor, and both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list). Amazon → books like this →
Dog Man390L
Shares themes of humor and identity, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
A Royal Conundrumgrades 3–6
Shares themes of adventure, humor, and identity and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The First Cat in Space Ate Pizzagrades 2–5
Shares themes of adventure and humor, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
The Season of Styx Malone510L
Shares themes of adventure, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L
Shares themes of humor, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The False Princegrades 5–9
Shares themes of adventure and identity and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spellgrades 3–7
Shares themes of adventure, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissorsgrades 2–8
Shares themes of adventure and humor and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulanegrades 3–6
Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Max and the Midknights for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Beanie the Bansheenie by Eoin Colfer · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of humor and identity and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb · grades K–2 — Shares themes of humor and identity.
  • Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton · 530L — Shares themes of adventure and humor and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • A Lot to Like! by Derek Anderson · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of humor, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • Fox Has a Problem by Corey R. Tabor · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of humor, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like Max and the Midknights for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz · grades 4–7 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Beanie the Bansheenie by Eoin Colfer · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of humor and identity and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • Boy 2.0 by Tracey Baptiste · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of adventure and identity and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab · grades 4–7 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Max and the Midknights for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz · grades 4–7 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Boy 2.0 by Tracey Baptiste · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of adventure and identity and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab · grades 4–7 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Confessions of a Class Clown by Arianne Costner · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of humor and identity and overlapping grades (6–8).

Books like Max and the Midknights for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of humor and identity.
  • Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of identity, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (6–9).
  • Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of identity.
  • Drama by Raina Telgemeier · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of identity and overlapping grades (5–9).
  • I Am Malala (Young Readers Edition) by Malala Yousafzai · 830L — Shares themes of identity and overlapping grades (6–10).

Common questions

What books are similar to Max and the Midknights?
The 10 closest matches to Max and the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce on ReadingList include Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, Dog Man, A Royal Conundrum, The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza, and The Season of Styx Malone. Each is scored on shared themes (adventure, humor, and identity), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Max and the Midknights reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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