What books are similar to Verdi?

The 10 closest matches to Verdi by Janell Cannon on ReadingList include The Grannyman, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Togo, Lawn Boy, and Math Curse. Each is scored on shared themes (old age, pythons, and snakes), 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 Verdi 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.

Books like Verdi

If you liked Verdi, read The Grannyman, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, or Togo — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Verdi by Janell Cannon (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of old age, pythons, and snakes. 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.

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Why each is a match

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The Grannymangrades K–3: Shares themes of old age, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
The Strange Case of Origami Yodagrades 4–6: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Togogrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Lawn Boygrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Math Cursegrades 4–8: Both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Sharing Susangrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Shiloh890L: Both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Shiloh Seasongrades 3–6: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Snot Stewgrades 3–6: Both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Stellalunagrades K–3: Is by Janell Cannon, the same author, overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Verdi for younger readers (K–2)

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

Tangerine by Edward Bloor · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).

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

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

Tangerine by Edward Bloor · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Tornado by Betsy Cromer Byars · grades 3–6 — Both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech · 770L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–7).
Weslandia by Paul Fleischman · grades 3–8 — Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).

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

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

Tangerine by Edward Bloor · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Tornado by Betsy Cromer Byars · grades 3–6 — Both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech · 770L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–7).
Weslandia by Paul Fleischman · grades 3–8 — Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like Verdi for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (1990s).
A Time of Troubles by Pieter Van Raven · grades 5–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (1990s).
Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (1990s).
Bad by Jean Ferris · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (1990s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Verdi?: The 10 closest matches to Verdi by Janell Cannon on ReadingList include The Grannyman, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Togo, Lawn Boy, and Math Curse. Each is scored on shared themes (old age, pythons, and snakes), 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 Verdi 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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