What books are similar to Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job?

The 10 closest matches to Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job by Willo Davis Roberts on ReadingList include Hostage, Henry Reed's Babysitting Service, Zach's Lie, Lulu's Mysterious Mission, and Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You. Each is scored on shared themes (babysitters, kidnapping, and babysitters, fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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 Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job

If you liked Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job, read Hostage, Henry Reed's Babysitting Service, or Zach's Lie — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job by Willo Davis Roberts (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of babysitters, kidnapping, and babysitters, fiction. 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 3–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Hostagegrades 3–8: Is by Willo Davis Roberts, the same author, shares themes of kidnapping, and both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list. Amazon → books like this →
Henry Reed's Babysitting Servicegrades 4–6: Shares themes of babysitters and babysitters, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Zach's Liegrades 3–8: Shares themes of kidnapping, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Lulu's Mysterious Missiongrades 2–8: Shares themes of babysitters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Sixth Grade Can Really Kill Yougrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
A Boy Named Queengrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ava and Pipgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ban This Bookgrades 3–6: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
City of Thievesgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
City Spiesgrades 4–6: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job for younger readers (K–2)

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

¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).
Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).
Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).
How to Stay Invisible by Maggie C. Rudd · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Loch by Paul Zindel · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Saving Zasha by Randi G. Barrow · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · 890L — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Loch by Paul Zindel · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Saving Zasha by Randi G. Barrow · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · 890L — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (6–9).
Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–10).
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–10).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (6–9).
Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–10).

Book data last updated 2026-08-11. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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