What books are similar to Things in the Basement?

The 10 closest matches to Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke on ReadingList include Squished, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, Curveball, Dog Trouble: A Graphic Novel, and Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Things in the Basement reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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 Things in the Basement

If you liked Things in the Basement, read Squished, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, or Curveball — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke (Middle Grade Graphic Novel · grades 4–6)? 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 4–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

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Why each is a match

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Squishedgrades 4–6: Both on the North Carolina Children's Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobodygrades 4–8: Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Curveballgrades 3–5: Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Dog Trouble: A Graphic Novelgrades 3–6: Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knightgrades 3–6: Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Duelgrades 4–8: Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Four Eyes: A Graphic Novelgrades 3–7: Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Globalgrades 6–8: Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Hoopsgrades 3–5: Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Juniper Maegrades 6–8: Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Things in the Basement for younger readers (K–2)

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

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett · grades 2–5 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2020s).
100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle · grades K–3 — Both on the North Carolina Children's Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb · grades K–2 — Both on the North Carolina Children's Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel) and overlapping grades (2–5).
Don't Trust Cats: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog by Dev Petty · grades K–3 — Both on the North Carolina Children's Book Award list and the same era (2020s).

Books like Things in the Basement for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Lumberjackula by Mat Heagerty · grades 4–5 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–5), and the same era (2020s).
Misfit Mansion by Kay Davault · grades 3–5 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2020s).
Punycorn by Andi Watson · grades 3–5 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2020s).
Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2020s).
The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett · grades 2–5 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2020s).

Books like Things in the Basement for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2020s).
Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2020s).
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce · 500L — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel) and overlapping grades (4–7).
El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel) and overlapping grades (4–6).
Ferris by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Both on the North Carolina Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2020s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Things in the Basement?: The 10 closest matches to Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke on ReadingList include Squished, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, Curveball, Dog Trouble: A Graphic Novel, and Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Things in the Basement reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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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