What books are similar to Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You?

The 10 closest matches to Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements on ReadingList include Fourth Grade Rats, Class Clown, Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job, Call Me Hope, and Eight Keys. Each is scored on shared themes (dyslexia, teacher-student relationships, and schools), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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 Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You

If you liked Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You, read Fourth Grade Rats, Class Clown, or Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of dyslexia, teacher-student relationships, and schools. 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 3–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Fourth Grade Ratsgrades 4–6: Shares themes of schools and school stories, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Class Clowngrades 3–5: Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Jobgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Call Me Hopegrades 3–5: Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Eight Keysgrades 4–6: Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Flying Sologrades 4–6: Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Math Cursegrades 4–8: Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ramona's Worldgrades 4–6: Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Schooledgrades 3–8: Shares themes of school stories, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Cat Ate My Gymsuitgrades 4–6: Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You for younger readers (K–2)

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

¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).
Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).
Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).
How to Stay Invisible by Maggie C. Rudd · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
The Perfect Score by Rob Buyea · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
A Boy Named Queen by Sara Cassidy · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Ava and Pip by Carol Weston · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz · grades 3–6 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
The Perfect Score by Rob Buyea · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
A Boy Named Queen by Sara Cassidy · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Ava and Pip by Carol Weston · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz · grades 3–6 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (6–9).
Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–10).
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–10).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (6–9).
Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–10).

Book data last updated 2026-08-11. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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