What books are similar to Drama?

The 10 closest matches to Drama by Raina Telgemeier on ReadingList include Smile, Guts, New Kid, The Great Pet Escape, and The False Prince. Each is scored on shared themes (theater, friendship, and identity), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Drama reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–9), 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 Drama

If you liked Drama, read Smile, Guts, or New Kid — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Smile by Raina Telgemeier — shares friendship

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Looking for books like Drama by Raina Telgemeier (Graphic Novel · grades 5–9)? It’s most often read for its themes of theater, friendship, and identity. 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 5–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Smile410L: Is by Raina Telgemeier, the same author, shares themes of friendship, and both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list. Amazon → books like this →
Gutsgrades 4–8: Is by Raina Telgemeier, the same author, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
New Kidgrades 4–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Great Pet Escapegrades 3–8: Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list, same genre (Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The False Princegrades 5–9: Shares themes of identity, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
Refugee800L: Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
When Stars Are Scatteredgrades 5–8: Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, same genre (Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
All's Faire in Middle Schoolgrades 4–8: Same genre (Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Crushgrades 4–8: Same genre (Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Sidekicksgrades 4–8: Same genre (Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Drama for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier · grades 4–6 — Is by Raina Telgemeier, the same author, same genre (Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex · grades K–3 — Same genre (Graphic Novel) and the same era (2010s).
Sparks! by Ian Boothby · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2010s).
The Witch Boy by Lee Knox Ostertag · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2010s).
Class Act by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8).

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

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

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier · grades 4–6 — Is by Raina Telgemeier, the same author, same genre (Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Sparks! by Ian Boothby · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2010s).
The Witch Boy by Lee Knox Ostertag · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2010s).
Class Act by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).

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

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

Eragon by Christopher Paolini · grades 6–9 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (6–9).
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Drama?: The 10 closest matches to Drama by Raina Telgemeier on ReadingList include Smile, Guts, New Kid, The Great Pet Escape, and The False Prince. Each is scored on shared themes (theater, friendship, and identity), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Drama reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–9), 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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