Books like The Stories Julian Tells

If you liked The Stories Julian Tells, read The Cybil War, A Boy Named Queen, or Ava and Pip — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Looking for books like The Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron (Realistic Fiction · grades 2–3)? It’s most often read for its themes of families, friendship, and family life. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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 2–3 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Stories Julian Tells

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Why each is a match

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The Cybil Wargrades 3–6
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
A Boy Named Queengrades 3–8
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ava and Pipgrades 3–8
Shares themes of families, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Backlashgrades 3–8
Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Crashgrades 3–8
Shares themes of friendship and family life and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Dogtowngrades 3–6
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Ida B. and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the Worldgrades 2–8
Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It Allgrades 3–6
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Piegrades 3–8
Shares themes of families and family life and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Project Mulberrygrades 3–8
Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Stories Julian Tells for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • A Boy, a Dog and a Frog by Mercer Mayer · grades K–1 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Amos & Boris by William Steig · grades 2–3 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–3).
  • Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman · grades K–1 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Corduroy by Don Freeman · 600L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like The Stories Julian Tells for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Loser by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of families and family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of families and family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • All About Sam by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech · 770L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents by Lee Wardlaw · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like The Stories Julian Tells for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Loser by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of families and family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of families and family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • All About Sam by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech · 770L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents by Lee Wardlaw · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like The Stories Julian Tells for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of friendship and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Master Harold...and the Boys by Athol Fugard · grades 9–10 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
  • As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner · grades 11–12 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky · grades 11–12 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Stories Julian Tells?
The 10 closest matches to The Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron on ReadingList include The Cybil War, A Boy Named Queen, Ava and Pip, Backlash, and Crash. Each is scored on shared themes (families, friendship, and family life), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Stories Julian Tells reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–3), 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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