Books like Popcorn

If you liked Popcorn, read Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Confessions of a Class Clown, or J vs. K — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Popcorn by Rob Harrell (Middle Grade Fiction · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of anxiety, school, and humor. 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 Popcorn

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Why each is a match

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L
Shares themes of school and humor, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Confessions of a Class Clowngrades 6–8
Shares themes of school and humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
J vs. Kgrades 3–5
Shares themes of school and humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
The Superteacher Projectgrades 3–6
Shares themes of school and humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobodygrades 4–8
Shares themes of school and humor, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ramona Quimby, Age 8860L
Shares themes of school and humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Simon Sort of Saysgrades 6–8
Shares themes of humor, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Adventures of Captain Underpants720L
Shares themes of school and humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
Fish in a Tree550L
Shares themes of school, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Control Freaksgrades 6–8
Shares themes of school, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Popcorn for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb · grades K–2 — Shares themes of humor and both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list.
  • Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of school, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–4).
  • The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of humor, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • A Lot to Like! by Derek Anderson · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of humor and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like Popcorn for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Hannah Sharpe, Cartoon Detective by Janet Tashjian · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of school and humor and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Oliver's Great Big Universe by Jorge Cham · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Operation Final Notice by Matthew Landis · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of anxiety, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Roll for Initiative by Jaime Formato · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of anxiety, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like Popcorn for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Hannah Sharpe, Cartoon Detective by Janet Tashjian · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of school and humor and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Oliver's Great Big Universe by Jorge Cham · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of humor, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Operation Final Notice by Matthew Landis · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of anxiety, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Roll for Initiative by Jaime Formato · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of anxiety, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like Popcorn for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Louder Than Hunger by John Schu · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of mental health and overlapping grades (7–12).
  • A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of mental health.
  • Brownstone by Samuel Teer · grades 9–12 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and the same era (2020s).
  • Death in the Jungle by Candace Fleming · grades 4–10 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, overlapping grades (4–10), and the same era (2020s).
  • Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of mental health.

Common questions

What books are similar to Popcorn?
The 10 closest matches to Popcorn by Rob Harrell on ReadingList include Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Confessions of a Class Clown, J vs. K, The Superteacher Project, and Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody. Each is scored on shared themes (anxiety, school, and humor), 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 Popcorn 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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