Books like My Explosive Diary

If you liked My Explosive Diary, read Lulu's Mysterious Mission, Fish in a Tree, or Wonder — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst — shares spies

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 My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale (Realistic Fiction · grades 2–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of bullying, spies, and bullies. 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 2–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to My Explosive Diary

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.

Lulu's Mysterious Missiongrades 2–8
Shares themes of spies, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Fish in a Tree550L
Shares themes of bullying, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L
Shares themes of bullying, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
A Boy Named Queengrades 3–8
Shares themes of bullying, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Jake and Lilygrades 3–6
Shares themes of bullies, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Save Me a Seat780L
Shares themes of bullying, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Blubbergrades 4–7
Shares themes of bullying, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Hoot760L
Shares themes of bullying, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Mr. Lincoln's Waygrades 3–8
Shares themes of bullies, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Trading Places with Tank Talbottgrades 4–6
Shares themes of bullies, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like My Explosive Diary for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly · 690L — Shares themes of bullying and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Front Desk by Kelly Yang · 640L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes · 360L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like My Explosive Diary for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly · 690L — Shares themes of bullying and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Front Desk by Kelly Yang · 640L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes · 360L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).

Common questions

What books are similar to My Explosive Diary?
The 10 closest matches to My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale on ReadingList include Lulu's Mysterious Mission, Fish in a Tree, Wonder, A Boy Named Queen, and Jake and Lily. Each is scored on shared themes (bullying, spies, and bullies), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like My Explosive Diary reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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 My Explosive Diary

Browse by another angle

Find ReadingList in your Google results more often: