What books are similar to Say What??

The 10 closest matches to Say What? by Margaret Peterson Haddix on ReadingList include Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, Loser, Lulu's Mysterious Mission, Front Desk, and Ghost. Each is scored on shared themes (terms and phrases, conduct of life, and human behavior), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Say What? reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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.

Books like Say What?

If you liked Say What?, read Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, Loser, or Lulu's Mysterious Mission — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Say What? by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Realistic Fiction · grades 2–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of terms and phrases, conduct of life, and human behavior. 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 2–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphreygrades 6–9: Is by Margaret Peterson Haddix, the same author, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Losergrades 4–6: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Lulu's Mysterious Missiongrades 2–8: Shares themes of conduct of life, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Front Desk640L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost730L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Red Kayakgrades 6–8: Shares themes of conduct of life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Gollywhopper Gamesgrades 3–8: Shares themes of conduct of life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Walk Two Moons770L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–7). Amazon → books like this →
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Thingsgrades 3–5: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Breathe: A Ghost Storygrades 6–8: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Say What? for younger readers (K–2)

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

Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Guji Guji by Chen, Zhiyuan · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
He Came With the Couch by David Slonim · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like Say What? for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of conduct of life, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and overlapping grades (3–8).
Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of conduct of life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Guji Guji by Chen, Zhiyuan · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
He Came With the Couch by David Slonim · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like Say What? for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of conduct of life, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and overlapping grades (3–8).
Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of conduct of life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Ida B. and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Rules by Cynthia Lord · grades 4–7 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Star in the Storm by Joan Hiatt Harlow · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like Say What? for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul by Jack Canfield · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of conduct of life, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of conduct of life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of conduct of life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The House Next Door by Richie Tankersley Cusick · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Say What??: The 10 closest matches to Say What? by Margaret Peterson Haddix on ReadingList include Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, Loser, Lulu's Mysterious Mission, Front Desk, and Ghost. Each is scored on shared themes (terms and phrases, conduct of life, and human behavior), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Say What? reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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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