What books are similar to My Friend the Vampire?

The 10 closest matches to My Friend the Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg on ReadingList include The Hot and Cold Summer, Beware of Boys, He Came With the Couch, Walk Two Moons, and The Cybil War. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, vampires, and friendship, fiction), 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 My Friend the Vampire 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 My Friend the Vampire

If you liked My Friend the Vampire, read The Hot and Cold Summer, Beware of Boys, or He Came With the Couch — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like My Friend the Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, vampires, and friendship, fiction. 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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The Hot and Cold Summergrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship and friendship, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Beware of Boysgrades K–3: Shares themes of friendship, fiction, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
He Came With the Couchgrades K–3: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Cybil Wargrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Stories Julian Tellsgrades 2–3: Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–3). Amazon → books like this →
A Boy Named Queengrades 3–8: Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Amos & Borisgrades 2–3: Shares themes of friendship, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–3). Amazon → books like this →
Blubbergrades 4–7: Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Dogtowngrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like My Friend the Vampire for younger readers (K–2)

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

Don't Need Friends by Carolyn Crimi · grades K–2 — Shares themes of friendship and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–3).
Rugby and Rosie by Nan Parson Rossiter · grades K–3 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Great White Man-Eating Shark by Margaret Mahy · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Two bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like My Friend the Vampire for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renée Russell · 890L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Eight Keys by Suzanne M. LaFleur · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen · 760L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like My Friend the Vampire for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Heart of a Champion by Carl Deuker · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship and friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renée Russell · 890L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Eight Keys by Suzanne M. LaFleur · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like My Friend the Vampire for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The Face at the Edge of the World by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).

Common questions

What books are similar to My Friend the Vampire?: The 10 closest matches to My Friend the Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg on ReadingList include The Hot and Cold Summer, Beware of Boys, He Came With the Couch, Walk Two Moons, and The Cybil War. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, vampires, and friendship, fiction), 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 My Friend the Vampire 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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