Books like New Kid

Looking for books like New Kid by Jerry Craft (Middle Grade Graphic Novel · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of race and identity, code-switching, and middle school adjustment. The 10 titlesbelow 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to New Kid

Why each is a match

Smile410L
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Fish in a Tree550L
Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (4–7).
Hello, Universe690L
Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (3–7).
Out of My Mind700L
Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (4–7).
Pax760L
Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (4–7).
The Parker Inheritance610L
Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (6–8).
The Season of Styx Malone510L
Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (3–7).
Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy720L
Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (3–7).
Wonder790L
Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (3–7).
Because of Winn-Dixie610L
Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (3–5).

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