Books like Dogtown

Looking for books like Dogtown by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, perseverance, and humor. The 10 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Dogtown

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Why each is a match

Knight Owlgrades K–3
Shares themes of friendship, perseverance, and courage and overlapping grades (K–3).
Knight Owl and Early Birdgrades K–3
Shares themes of friendship, perseverance, and courage and overlapping grades (K–3).
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It Allgrades 3–6
Shares themes of friendship and humor, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Punycorngrades 3–5
Shares themes of perseverance, humor, and courage and overlapping grades (3–5).
Simon Sort of Saysgrades 6–8
Shares themes of friendship, humor, and courage and overlapping grades (6–8).
Skyridersgrades 6–8
Shares themes of friendship, perseverance, and courage and overlapping grades (6–8).
Stuntboy, In-Between Timegrades 3–6
Shares themes of humor and courage, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Swim Teamgrades 3–7
Shares themes of friendship, perseverance, and courage and overlapping grades (3–7).
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life890L
Shares themes of friendship and humor, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
How to Eat Fried Wormsgrades 3–6
Shares themes of friendship, humor, and courage and overlapping grades (3–6).

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