Books like Not Nothing

If you liked Not Nothing, read Wonder, Because of Winn-Dixie, or Diary of a Wimpy Kid — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Not Nothing by Gayle Forman (Middle Grade Fiction · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of redemption, friendship, and history. 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Not Nothing

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Why each is a match

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Wonder790L
Shares themes of friendship and empathy, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Heroesgrades 6–8
Shares themes of friendship and history, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Mid-Airgrades 5–8
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Simon Sort of Saysgrades 6–8
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkiengrades 4–8
Shares themes of friendship and history, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Partition Projectgrades 4–8
Shares themes of history, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Fish in a Tree550L
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Not Nothing for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, 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 overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like Not Nothing for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper · 700L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • The Sherlock Society by James Ponti · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like Not Nothing for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper · 700L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • The Sherlock Society by James Ponti · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Confessions of a Class Clown by Arianne Costner · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).

Books like Not Nothing for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Common questions

What books are similar to Not Nothing?
The 10 closest matches to Not Nothing by Gayle Forman on ReadingList include Wonder, Because of Winn-Dixie, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Heroes, and Mid-Air. Each is scored on shared themes (redemption, friendship, and history), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Not Nothing reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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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