What books are similar to The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors?

The 10 closest matches to The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt on ReadingList include The Best School Year Ever, No More Dead Dogs, How to Eat Fried Worms, Dog Breath, and Wayside School Is Falling Down. Each is scored on shared themes (humor, adventure, and rock-paper-scissors (game)), 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 The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors 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.

Books like The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

If you liked The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors, read The Best School Year Ever, No More Dead Dogs, or How to Eat Fried Worms — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson — shares humor

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 The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt (Humor · grades 2–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of humor, adventure, and rock-paper-scissors (game). 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.

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.

The Best School Year Evergrades 3–6: Shares themes of humor, both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
No More Dead Dogsgrades 2–8: Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
How to Eat Fried Wormsgrades 3–6: Shares themes of humor, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
Dog Breathgrades 2–8: Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
Wayside School Is Falling Downgrades 3–5: Shares themes of humor, both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
When the Boys Ran the Housegrades 3–6: Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
The Day the Crayons Quitgrades K–3: Is by Drew Daywalt, the same author, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
Arnie, the Doughnutgrades 2–8: Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dudegrades 3–5: Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
Piggie Pie!grades 3–5: Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors for younger readers (K–2)

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

A Lion is a Lion by Polly Dunbar · grades K–0 — Shares themes of humorous stories and same genre (Humor).
Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins · grades K–0 — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list, same genre (Humor), and the same era (2010s).
A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold · grades K–1 — Shares themes of humorous stories and same genre (Humor).
Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Sixth Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Humor).
Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break If You Want to Survive the School Bus by John Grandits · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days by Stephen Manes · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Humor).
Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of humor, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–7).
The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of humor, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Sixth Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Humor).
Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days by Stephen Manes · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Humor).
Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of humor, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–7).
The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of humor, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Max and the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of humor and adventure and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Humor).
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+2 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).
A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Humor).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors?: The 10 closest matches to The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt on ReadingList include The Best School Year Ever, No More Dead Dogs, How to Eat Fried Worms, Dog Breath, and Wayside School Is Falling Down. Each is scored on shared themes (humor, adventure, and rock-paper-scissors (game)), 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 The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors 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 The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors