What books are similar to Ungifted?

The 10 closest matches to Ungifted by Gordon Korman on ReadingList include Diary of a Wimpy Kid, A Boy Named Queen, Blubber, Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life, and Fish in a Tree. Each is scored on shared themes (school, giftedness, and friendship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Ungifted reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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 Ungifted

If you liked Ungifted, read Diary of a Wimpy Kid, A Boy Named Queen, or Blubber — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Ungifted by Gordon Korman (Realistic Fiction · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of school, giftedness, and friendship. 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 5–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Shares themes of school and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
A Boy Named Queengrades 3–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Blubbergrades 4–7: Shares themes of school and friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life890L: Shares themes of school and friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Fish in a Tree550L: Shares themes of school and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Saving Winslowgrades 3–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Wild Wingsgrades 4–6: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Dogtowngrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
El Deafo420L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Fourth Grade Ratsgrades 4–6: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →

Books like Ungifted for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Shares themes of school and friendship and overlapping grades (2–5).
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).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list.
Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (2–8).
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Ungifted for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Front Desk by Kelly Yang · 640L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes · 360L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen · 760L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
My Teacher Is an Alien by Bruce Coville · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of school and friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Ungifted for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Front Desk by Kelly Yang · 640L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes · 360L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen · 760L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
My Teacher Is an Alien by Bruce Coville · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of school and friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Ungifted 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, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Maze Runner by James Dashner · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list, and overlapping grades (7–12).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10).
Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).
Drama by Raina Telgemeier · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (5–9).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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