What books are similar to Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You?

The 10 closest matches to Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements on ReadingList include Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade, Fourth Grade Rats, Schooled, Shiloh, and The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. Each is scored on shared themes (dyslexia, teacher-student relationships, and schools), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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.

Books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You

If you liked Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You, read Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade, Fourth Grade Rats, or Schooled — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade by Barthe DeClements

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Looking for books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of dyslexia, teacher-student relationships, and schools. 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 3–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Nothing's Fair in Fifth Gradegrades 3–6: Is by Barthe DeClements, the same author, both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Fourth Grade Ratsgrades 4–6: Shares themes of schools and school stories, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Schooledgrades 3–8: Shares themes of school stories, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Shiloh890L: Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Strange Case of Origami Yodagrades 4–6: Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroomgrades 4–6: Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
Togogrades 2–8: Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Boys Start the Wargrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Daphne's Bookgrades 4–8: Shares themes of schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouthgrades 3–8: Shares themes of schools, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright · grades 4–7 — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1980s).
Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub by Jamie Gilson · grades 4–7 — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1980s).
Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (4–7).
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper · 700L — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright · grades 4–7 — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1980s).
Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub by Jamie Gilson · grades 4–7 — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1980s).
Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (4–7).
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper · 700L — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

After by Francine Prose · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of schools and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of schools and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of schools and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Tears of A Tiger by Sharon M. Draper · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of schools and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You?: The 10 closest matches to Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements on ReadingList include Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade, Fourth Grade Rats, Schooled, Shiloh, and The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. Each is scored on shared themes (dyslexia, teacher-student relationships, and schools), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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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