What books are similar to The Last Straw?

The 10 closest matches to The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney on ReadingList include Rodrick Rules, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, How to Eat Fried Worms, The Best School Year Ever, and Wayside School Is Falling Down. Each is scored on shared themes (family, school, and humor), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Last Straw reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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 The Last Straw

If you liked The Last Straw, read Rodrick Rules, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or How to Eat Fried Worms — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney — shares school and humor

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Looking for books like The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney (Humor · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, school, and humor. 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Rodrick Rulesgrades 4–7: Is by Jeff Kinney, the same author, shares themes of school and humor, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Is by Jeff Kinney, the same author, shares themes of family, school, and humor, and both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list. Amazon → books like this →
How to Eat Fried Wormsgrades 3–6: Shares themes of school and humor, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
The Best School Year Evergrades 3–6: Shares themes of family, school, and humor, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Wayside School Is Falling Downgrades 3–5: Shares themes of school and humor, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself500L: Shares themes of school and humor and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissorsgrades 2–8: Shares themes of humor, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Double Fudgegrades 4–6: Shares themes of family, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobodygrades 4–8: Shares themes of school and humor and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life890L: Shares themes of school and humor and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Last Straw for younger readers (K–2)

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

A Lion is a Lion by Polly Dunbar · grades K–0 — Same genre (Humor) and the same era (2010s).
Best Frints in the Whole Universe by Antoinette Portis · grades K–3 — Same genre (Humor) and the same era (2010s).
Crash, Splash, or Moo! by Bob Shea · grades K–3 — Same genre (Humor) and the same era (2010s).
Escargot by Dashka Slater · grades K–2 — Same genre (Humor) and the same era (2010s).
Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott · grades K–3 — Same genre (Humor) and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Last Straw for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–6 — Is by Jeff Kinney, the same author, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–7 — Is by Jeff Kinney, the same author, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–7 — Is by Jeff Kinney, the same author, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–7 — Is by Jeff Kinney, the same author, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–7 — Is by Jeff Kinney, the same author, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like The Last Straw for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–6 — Is by Jeff Kinney, the same author, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–7 — Is by Jeff Kinney, the same author, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–7 — Is by Jeff Kinney, the same author, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–7 — Is by Jeff Kinney, the same author, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–7 — Is by Jeff Kinney, the same author, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).

What to read after Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The Last Straw is book 3 of 12 in Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Not done with the series yet? Follow the Diary of a Wimpy Kid reading order first — then come back for the matches above.

Common questions

What books are similar to The Last Straw?: The 10 closest matches to The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney on ReadingList include Rodrick Rules, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, How to Eat Fried Worms, The Best School Year Ever, and Wayside School Is Falling Down. Each is scored on shared themes (family, school, and humor), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Last Straw reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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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