What books are similar to The Barnabus Project?

The 10 closest matches to The Barnabus Project by Terry Fan on ReadingList include Dogtown, Mr. Fox's Game of "No!", Norman Didn't Do It!, There's a Ghost in This House, and Barnaby Unboxed!. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Barnabus Project reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–3), 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 The Barnabus Project

If you liked The Barnabus Project, read Dogtown, Mr. Fox's Game of "No!", or Norman Didn't Do It! — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Barnabus Project by Terry Fan (Realistic Fiction · grades K–3)? 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 K–3 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Dogtowngrades 3–6: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Mr. Fox's Game of "No!"grades K–3: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Norman Didn't Do It!grades K–3: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
There's a Ghost in This Housegrades K–3: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Barnaby Unboxed!grades 2–3: Is by Terry Fan, the same author and overlapping grades (2–3). Amazon → books like this →
Cat Secretsgrades K–3: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Chestergrades K–3: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Cody Unpluggedgrades 3–5: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wombatgrades K–3: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Ellie's Storygrades 3–6: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Barnabus Project for younger readers (K–2)

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

Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Rotten Teeth by Laura Simms · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like The Barnabus Project for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity by Dave Roman · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
City Spies by James Ponti · grades 4–6 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Eerie Tales from the School of Screams by Graham Annable · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Gracie Under the Waves by Linda Sue Park · grades 4–6 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Lost & Found: Based on a True Story by Mei Yu · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).

Books like The Barnabus Project for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity by Dave Roman · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Attack of the Black Rectangles by A. S. King · grades 6–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
City Spies by James Ponti · grades 4–6 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Eerie Tales from the School of Screams by Graham Annable · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Gracie Under the Waves by Linda Sue Park · grades 4–6 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).

Books like The Barnabus Project for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Danger Zone by David Klass · grades 6–9 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Barnabus Project?: The 10 closest matches to The Barnabus Project by Terry Fan on ReadingList include Dogtown, Mr. Fox's Game of "No!", Norman Didn't Do It!, There's a Ghost in This House, and Barnaby Unboxed!. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Barnabus Project reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–3), 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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