Books like The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks

If you liked The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks, read Dewey: There’s a Cat in the Library! or Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks by Joanna Cole (Nonfiction · 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.

10 books similar to The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks

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Why each is a match

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Dewey: There’s a Cat in the Library!grades K–3
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Nonfiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dreamgrades K–3
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Nonfiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
A Dog Called Kittygrades 3–5
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
A Friend for Lakota: The Incredible True Story of a Wolf Who Braved Bullyinggrades K–3
Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
A Handful of Starsgrades 3–8
Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Destiny Finds Her Way: How a Rescued Baby Sloth Learned to Be Wildgrades 3–6
Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Don’t Touch My Roomgrades K–3
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
Evidence! How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Choleragrades 3–6
Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Ferret in the Bedroom, Lizards in the Fridgegrades 3–5
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
Good Doggrades K–3
Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Honey, the Dog Who Saved Abe Lincoln by Shari Swanson · grades K–2 — Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–2).
  • I'm Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton · grades K–2 — Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–2).
  • Miss Nelson Has a Field Day by Harry Allard · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1980s).
  • Miss Nelson Is Back by Harry Allard · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1980s).
  • Peabody by Rosemary Wells · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1980s).

Books like The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Books like The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Books like The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Common questions

What books are similar to The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks?
The 10 closest matches to The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks by Joanna Cole on ReadingList include Dewey: There’s a Cat in the Library!, Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream, A Dog Called Kitty, A Friend for Lakota: The Incredible True Story of a Wolf Who Braved Bullying, and A Handful of Stars. 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 Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks 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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