Books like The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School

If you liked The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School, read The Monster Who Ate My Peas, Two bad Ants, or The Perfect Score — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray (Realistic Fiction · grades K–3)? It’s most often read for its themes of schools, stories in rhyme, and cookies. 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.

10 books similar to The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School

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Why each is a match

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The Monster Who Ate My Peasgrades K–3
Shares themes of stories in rhyme, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Two bad Antsgrades K–3
Shares themes of picture books for children, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Perfect Scoregrades 3–8
Shares themes of schools, 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 →
Can I Be Your Dog?grades K–3
Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Chestergrades K–3
Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). 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 →
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoagrades 2–3
Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–3). Amazon → books like this →
Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doomgrades 3–5
Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Front Desk640L
Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K2— same scoring, different audience.

  • I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont · grades K–2 Shares themes of stories in rhyme, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–2).
  • Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk · grades K–3 Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes · grades K–3 Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Lion vs. Rabbit by Alex Latimer · grades K–3 Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Miss Nelson Has a Field Day by Harry Allard · grades K–3 Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 35— same scoring, different audience.

  • The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger · grades 4–6 Shares themes of schools, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Eight Keys by Suzanne M. LaFleur · grades 4–6 Shares themes of schools and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Flying Solo by Ralph J. Fletcher · grades 4–6 Shares themes of schools and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 Shares themes of schools and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 68— same scoring, different audience.

  • Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos · grades 6–8 Shares themes of schools, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger · grades 4–6 Shares themes of schools, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Eight Keys by Suzanne M. LaFleur · grades 4–6 Shares themes of schools and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • House Arrest by K. A. Holt · grades 6–9 Shares themes of stories in rhyme and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Breakout by Kate Messner · grades 6–8 Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 912— same scoring, different audience.

  • If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson · grades 9–12 Shares themes of schools, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Tears of A Tiger by Sharon M. Draper · grades 9–12 Shares themes of schools, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • House Arrest by K. A. Holt · grades 6–9 Shares themes of stories in rhyme and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn · grades 9–12 Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy · grades 9–12 Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School?
The 10 closest matches to The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray on ReadingList include The Monster Who Ate My Peas, Two bad Ants, The Perfect Score, Call Me Hope, and Can I Be Your Dog?. Each is scored on shared themes (schools, stories in rhyme, and cookies), 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 Gingerbread Man Loose in the School 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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