Books like Frindle
If you liked Frindle, read The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Matilda, or Out of My Mind — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.
Closest match: The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey — shares school and imagination
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Looking for books like Frindle by Andrew Clements (Middle Grade Fiction · 830L · grades 3–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of creativity, language and thought, and intelligence. 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 3–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to Frindle
The Adventures of Captain UnderpantsDav Pilkey · 720L
MatildaRoald Dahl · 840L
Out of My MindSharon M. Draper · 700L
Diary of a Wimpy KidJeff Kinney · 950L
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMHRobert C. O'Brien · 790L
Maniac MageeJerry Spinelli · 820L
Ramona Quimby, Age 8Beverly Cleary · 860L
Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryRoald Dahl · 810L
Fish in a TreeLynda Mullaly Hunt · 550L
WonderR.J. Palacio · 790L
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Why each is a match
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- The Adventures of Captain Underpants720L
- Shares themes of school and imagination, both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Matilda840L
- Shares themes of intelligence, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Out of My Mind700L
- Shares themes of intelligence, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L
- Shares themes of school, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH790L
- Shares themes of intelligence, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Maniac Magee820L
- Both on the Massachusetts Children's Book Award list (+7 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (820L vs 830L). Amazon → books like this →
- Ramona Quimby, Age 8860L
- Shares themes of school, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory810L
- Shares themes of imagination, both on the North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Fish in a Tree550L
- Shares themes of school, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Wonder790L
- Both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+8 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (790L vs 830L). Amazon → books like this →
Books like Frindle for younger readers (K–2)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.
- The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of creativity and imagination, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5).
- The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (860L vs 830L).
- Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of school, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5).
- A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon · grades 2–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (1990s).
Books like Frindle for elementary readers (grades 3–5)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.
- Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (760L vs 830L).
- The Report Card by Andrew Clements · grades 3–8 — Is by Andrew Clements, the same author, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–8).
- No Talking by Andrew Clements · grades 3–8 — Is by Andrew Clements, the same author, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–8).
- Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater · Florence Atwater · 910L — Shares themes of imagination, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
- Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of school, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (820L vs 830L).
Books like Frindle for middle school (grades 6–8)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.
- Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (760L vs 830L).
- The Report Card by Andrew Clements · grades 3–8 — Is by Andrew Clements, the same author, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–8).
- No Talking by Andrew Clements · grades 3–8 — Is by Andrew Clements, the same author, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–8).
- Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of school, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (820L vs 830L).
- Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (660L vs 830L).
Books like Frindle for high school & teens (grades 9–12)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (850L vs 830L).
- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes · 910L — Shares themes of intelligence and a close reading level (910L vs 830L).
- The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney · grades 9–12 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (1990s).
- Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+4 more shared lists) and a close reading level (800L vs 830L).
- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+2 more shared lists).
Common questions
- What books are similar to Frindle?
- The 10 closest matches to Frindle by Andrew Clements on ReadingList include The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Matilda, Out of My Mind, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Each is scored on shared themes (creativity, language and thought, and intelligence), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
- Are books like Frindle reading-level appropriate?
- Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), 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.