What books are similar to Sal and Gabi Break the Universe?

The 10 closest matches to Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez on ReadingList include Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye, Ivy and Bean, Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All, and My Teacher Is an Alien. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, grief, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Sal and Gabi Break the Universe reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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 Sal and Gabi Break the Universe

If you liked Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, read Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye, or Ivy and Bean — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Looking for books like Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez (Science Fiction · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, grief, and family. 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Shares themes of friendship, family, and humor and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye530L: Shares themes of friendship, family, and humor and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon →
Ivy and Bean580L: Shares themes of friendship, family, and humor and overlapping grades (2–4). Amazon →
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It Allgrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship, family, and humor and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
My Teacher Is an Aliengrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship and humor, same genre (Science Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of friendship, grief, and family and overlapping grades (5–7). Amazon →
A Royal Conundrumgrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Ferrisgrades 3–6: Shares themes of family and humor, both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself500L: Shares themes of friendship and humor and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
City of Ghostsgrades 4–7: Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →

Books like Sal and Gabi Break the Universe for younger readers (K–2)

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

Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo · 450L — Shares themes of friendship, family, and humor.
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of friendship and humor and overlapping grades (2–5).
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of friendship and humor and overlapping grades (2–5).
A Lot to Like! by Derek Anderson · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and humor and overlapping grades (2–5).
Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb · grades K–2 — Shares themes of friendship and humor.

Books like Sal and Gabi Break the Universe for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo · 450L — Shares themes of friendship, family, and humor.
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of friendship and humor and overlapping grades (2–5).
Dog Man Unleashed by Dav Pilkey · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship and humor and overlapping grades (3–6).
Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (5–8).
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper · 700L — Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Sal and Gabi Break the Universe for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Dog Man Unleashed by Dav Pilkey · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship and humor and overlapping grades (3–6).
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (7–12).
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Science Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (5–8).
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper · 700L — Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Sal and Gabi Break the Universe for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of friendship and family and both on the Pura Belpré Author Award list.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (7–12).
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Science Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Four for the Road by K.J. Reilly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of friendship and grief.
Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (6–9).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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