What books are similar to Smile?

The 10 closest matches to Smile by Raina Telgemeier on ReadingList include El Deafo, Roller Girl, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, and New Kid. Each is scored on shared themes (growing up, friendship, and self-acceptance), 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 Smile 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.

Books like Smile

If you liked Smile, read El Deafo, Roller Girl, or Diary of a Wimpy Kid — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: El Deafo by Cece Bell — shares growing up and friendship

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Looking for books like Smile by Raina Telgemeier (Middle Grade Graphic Novel · 410L · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of growing up, friendship, and self-acceptance. 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.

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Why each is a match

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El Deafo420L: Shares themes of growing up, friendship, and self-acceptance, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
Roller Girl440L: Shares themes of growing up and friendship, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+4 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Shares themes of growing up, friendship, and humor, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself500L: Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
New Kidgrades 4–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+6 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
Gutsgrades 4–8: Is by Raina Telgemeier, the same author, shares themes of growing up, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Dramagrades 5–9: 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 →
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobodygrades 4–8: Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
Dog Man390L: Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
Swim Teamgrades 3–7: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Smile for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle · 460L — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (460L vs 410L).
Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo · 450L — Shares themes of friendship and humor, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (450L vs 410L).
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff · 410L — Shares themes of humor, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (410L vs 410L).
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish · 380L — Shares themes of humor, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (380L vs 410L).
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of humor, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–8).

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

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

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · 1020L — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Sisters by Raina Telgemeier · grades 4–6 — Is by Raina Telgemeier, the same author, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).
Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Rascal by Sterling North · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8).

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

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

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · 1020L — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Sisters by Raina Telgemeier · grades 4–6 — Is by Raina Telgemeier, the same author, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).
Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Rascal by Sterling North · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8).

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

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

Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list (+2 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas · 590L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (590L vs 410L), and the same era (2010s).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky · 720L — Shares themes of growing up and friendship and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.

Common questions

What books are similar to Smile?: The 10 closest matches to Smile by Raina Telgemeier on ReadingList include El Deafo, Roller Girl, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, and New Kid. Each is scored on shared themes (growing up, friendship, and self-acceptance), 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 Smile 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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