Books like The Terrible Two

If you liked The Terrible Two, read John's Turn, The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza, or Allergic — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett? 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 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Terrible Two

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Why each is a match

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John's Turngrades K–4
Is by Mac Barnett, the same author, overlapping grades (K–4), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
The First Cat in Space Ate Pizzagrades 2–5
Is by Mac Barnett, the same author, overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Allergicgrades 4–6
Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Oddergrades 3–5
Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
The Old Willis Placegrades 3–6
Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Wait Till Helen Comesgrades 4–7
Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
11 Birthdaysgrades 3–5
Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+4 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L
Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+3 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Bud, Not Buddy950L
Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+3 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Bunniculagrades 3–6
Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Terrible Two for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+3 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine · grades 4–7 — Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein · grades 4–6 — Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+3 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like The Terrible Two for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+3 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine · grades 4–7 — Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein · grades 4–6 — Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+3 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (4–6).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Terrible Two?
The 10 closest matches to The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett on ReadingList include John's Turn, The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza, Allergic, Odder, and The Old Willis Place. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Terrible Two reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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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