What books are similar to Smile?

The 10 closest matches to Smile by Raina Telgemeier on ReadingList include El Deafo, Roller Girl, Dog Man, Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Each is scored on shared themes (growing up, friendship, and self-acceptance), 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 Smile 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.

Books like Smile

If you liked Smile, read El Deafo, Roller Girl, or Dog Man — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Smile by Raina Telgemeier (Middle Grade Graphic Novel · 410L · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of growing up, friendship, and self-acceptance. 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.

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Why each is a match

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El Deafo420L: Shares themes of growing up, friendship, and self-acceptance, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
Roller Girl440L: Shares themes of growing up and friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
Dog Man390L: Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself500L: Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Shares themes of growing up, friendship, and humor, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
New Kidgrades 4–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) list (+5 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobodygrades 4–8: Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →
How to Eat Fried Wormsgrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
My Teacher Is an Aliengrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Nēnē Award (Hawai'i) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Swim Teamgrades 3–7: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon →

Books like Smile 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 and humor, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (450L vs 410L).
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (560L vs 410L).
The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and humor, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (2–5).
Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton · 530L — Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (530L vs 410L).
Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel · 330L — Shares themes of friendship and humor and a close reading level (330L vs 410L).

Books like Smile 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 and humor, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (450L vs 410L).
The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Shares themes of growing up and friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (510L vs 410L).
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (560L vs 410L).
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper · 700L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+8 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7).

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

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

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Shares themes of growing up and friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (510L vs 410L).
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper · 700L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+8 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Cybil War by Betsy Byars · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of growing up, friendship, and humor and overlapping grades (3–6).
Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), and a close reading level (660L vs 410L).

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

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

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of growing up and friendship, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and overlapping grades (7–10).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky · 720L — Shares themes of growing up and friendship.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list, and overlapping grades (7–12).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).

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

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