What books are similar to A Bad Case of Stripes?

The 10 closest matches to A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon on ReadingList include Dog Breath, Arnie, the Doughnut, No More Dead Dogs, Scat, and The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors. Each is scored on shared themes (individuality, popularity, and ficción juvenil), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like A Bad Case of Stripes reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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 A Bad Case of Stripes

If you liked A Bad Case of Stripes, read Dog Breath, Arnie, the Doughnut, or No More Dead Dogs — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon (Humor · grades 2–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of individuality, popularity, and ficción juvenil. 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 2–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Dog Breathgrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Arnie, the Doughnutgrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
No More Dead Dogsgrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Scatgrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissorsgrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Rain Came Downgrades K–5: Is by David Shannon, the same author and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
Zen and the Art of Faking Itgrades 2–8: Shares themes of individuality, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouthgrades 3–8: Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Piggie Pie!grades 3–5: Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
The Diary of a Killer Catgrades 3–5: Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like A Bad Case of Stripes for younger readers (K–2)

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

Bone by Jeff Smith · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (1990s).
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (1990s).
Nova's Ark by Kirk, David · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (1990s).
Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann · grades K–3 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1990s).
Sharing Susan by Eve Bunting · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (1990s).

Books like A Bad Case of Stripes for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Sixth Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1990s).
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle · 740L — Shares themes of individuality and overlapping grades (5–7).
Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of popularity and overlapping grades (3–5).
Banana Twist by Florence Parry Heide · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (4–6).
Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days by Stephen Manes · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like A Bad Case of Stripes for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Sixth Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1990s).
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle · 740L — Shares themes of individuality and overlapping grades (5–7).
Banana Twist by Florence Parry Heide · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (4–6).
Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days by Stephen Manes · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (4–6).
Bone by Jeff Smith · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (1990s).

Books like A Bad Case of Stripes for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of individuality.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley · 870L — Shares themes of individuality.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of individuality and overlapping grades (6–9).

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

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