Books like Not Nothing

If you liked Not Nothing, read Wonder, The Partition Project, or Diary of a Wimpy Kid — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Wonder by R.J. Palacio — shares friendship and empathy

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Looking for books like Not Nothing by Gayle Forman (Middle Grade Fiction · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of redemption, friendship, and history. 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Not Nothing

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Why each is a match

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Wonder790L
Shares themes of friendship and empathy, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Partition Projectgrades 4–8
Shares themes of history, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Mid-Airgrades 5–8
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Simon Sort of Saysgrades 6–8
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Heroesgrades 6–8
Shares themes of friendship and history, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkiengrades 4–8
Shares themes of friendship and history, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
All the Ways to Gogrades 6–8
Both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Between Two Brothersgrades 4–8
Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Boy 2.0grades 4–8
Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Not Nothing for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Time to Make Art by Jeff Mack · grades K–3 — Shares themes of history.
  • 100 Chapatis by Derek Mascarenhas · grades K–2 — Both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
  • Avocado Magic by Taltal Levi · grades K–2 — Both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
  • Brave Baby Hummingbird by Sy Montgomery · grades K–2 — Both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
  • Daughter of the Light-Footed People by Belen Medina · grades K–2 — Both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list and the same era (2020s).

Books like Not Nothing for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Popcorn by Rob Harrell · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Restart by Gordon Korman · 730L — Shares themes of redemption, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 3–7 — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • The Wrong Way Home by Kate O'Shaughnessy · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like Not Nothing for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Breaking into Sunlight by John Cochran · grades 6–8 — Both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
  • Popcorn by Rob Harrell · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Restart by Gordon Korman · 730L — Shares themes of redemption, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 3–7 — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like Not Nothing for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Shares themes of empathy, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
  • Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of history.
  • Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard by Ronald Wimberly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of history.
  • Torch by Lyn Miller-Lachmann · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of history.
  • Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list and the same era (2020s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Not Nothing?
The 10 closest matches to Not Nothing by Gayle Forman on ReadingList include Wonder, The Partition Project, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Mid-Air, and Simon Sort of Says. Each is scored on shared themes (redemption, friendship, and history), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Not Nothing reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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.

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