What books are similar to The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks?

The 10 closest matches to The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks by Joanna Cole on ReadingList include The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth, Dewey: There’s a Cat in the Library!, Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream, A Friend for Lakota: The Incredible True Story of a Wolf Who Braved Bullying, and Good Dog. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–3), 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 Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks

If you liked The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks, read The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth or Dewey: There’s a Cat in the Library! — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth by Joanna Cole

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 Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks by Joanna Cole (Nonfiction · grades K–3)? 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 K–3 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 Magic School Bus Inside the Earthgrades K–3: Is by Joanna Cole, the same author and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Dewey: There’s a Cat in the Library!grades K–3: Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Nonfiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dreamgrades K–3: Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Nonfiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
A Friend for Lakota: The Incredible True Story of a Wolf Who Braved Bullyinggrades K–3: Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Good Doggrades K–3: Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Honey, the Dog Who Saved Abe Lincolngrades K–2: Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
I'm Trying to Love Spidersgrades K–2: Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
Yoshi and the Ocean: A Sea Turtle's Incredible Journey Homegrades K–3: Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Exploring the Titanicgrades 3–5: Same genre (Nonfiction), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
Don’t Touch My Roomgrades K–3: Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Ancestory: The Mystery and Majesty of Ancient Cave Art by Hannah Salyer · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Nonfiction).
Brother Eagle, Sister Sky by Susan Jeffers · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Nonfiction).
Lion Dancers by Cai Tse · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Nonfiction).
Lost Trail: Nine Days Alone in the Wilderness by Donn Fendler · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Nonfiction).
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Nonfiction).

Books like The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Ancestory: The Mystery and Majesty of Ancient Cave Art by Hannah Salyer · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Nonfiction).
Brother Eagle, Sister Sky by Susan Jeffers · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Nonfiction).
Lion Dancers by Cai Tse · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Nonfiction).
Lost Trail: Nine Days Alone in the Wilderness by Donn Fendler · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Nonfiction).
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Nonfiction).

Books like The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend by Karen Blumenthal · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Nonfiction).
Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Nonfiction).
The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Nonfiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks?: The 10 closest matches to The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks by Joanna Cole on ReadingList include The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth, Dewey: There’s a Cat in the Library!, Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream, A Friend for Lakota: The Incredible True Story of a Wolf Who Braved Bullying, and Good Dog. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–3), 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 Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks