Books like Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job

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

Closest match: Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts — shares kidnapping

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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.

10 books similar to Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job

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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 →
Zach's Liegrades 3–8
Shares themes of kidnapping, both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Scared Stiffgrades 3–6
Is by Willo Davis Roberts, the same author, shares themes of kidnapping, and overlapping grades (3–6). 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 →
Jelly Bellygrades 4–6
Both on the South Carolina Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Shiloh890L
Both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Boys Start the Wargrades 3–8
Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroomgrades 4–6
Both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
The Third Eyegrades 6–8
Shares themes of kidnapping, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
All About Samgrades 4–6
Both on the Mark Twain 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 elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Don't Hurt Laurie by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 4–8 — Is by Willo Davis Roberts, the same author, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 4–6 — Is by Willo Davis Roberts, the same author, both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of babysitters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
  • Blended by Sharon M. Draper · 610L — Both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–7).

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.

  • Don't Hurt Laurie by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 4–8 — Is by Willo Davis Roberts, the same author, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 4–6 — Is by Willo Davis Roberts, the same author, both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Twisted Summer by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 6–8 — Is by Willo Davis Roberts, the same author, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8).
  • Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of babysitters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).

Common questions

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, Zach's Lie, Scared Stiff, Henry Reed's Babysitting Service, and Jelly Belly. 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.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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