Books like Bedhead

If you liked Bedhead, read Hair Love, Piggie Pie!, or If I Built a Car — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry — shares hair, fiction

Get it on Amazon →

Affiliate link: as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Looking for books like Bedhead by Margie Palatini (Realistic Fiction · grades K–3)? It’s most often read for its themes of hair, hair -- fiction, and hair, 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 K–3 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Bedhead

Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Why each is a match

Amazon links below are affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Hair Lovegrades K–0
Shares themes of hair, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–0). Amazon → books like this →
Piggie Pie!grades 3–5
Is by Margie Palatini, the same author and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
If I Built a Cargrades K–3
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
My Lucky Daygrades K–3
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the Schoolgrades K–3
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Titanicatgrades K–3
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Chez Bobgrades K–2
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
Don’t Touch My Roomgrades K–3
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Gastongrades K–3
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
If I Built a Schoolgrades K–3
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →

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

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

  • High Heat by Carl Deuker · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Loser by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Night Hoops by Carl Deuker · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Perfect by Natasha Friend · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

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

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

  • High Heat by Carl Deuker · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Night Hoops by Carl Deuker · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Perfect by Natasha Friend · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • The Compound by S. A. Bodeen · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Bedhead?
The 10 closest matches to Bedhead by Margie Palatini on ReadingList include Hair Love, Piggie Pie!, If I Built a Car, My Lucky Day, and The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School. Each is scored on shared themes (hair, hair -- fiction, and hair, fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Bedhead reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–3), 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.

← Back to Bedhead

Browse by another angle

Find ReadingList in your Google results more often: