What books are similar to Ungifted?

The 10 closest matches to Ungifted by Gordon Korman on ReadingList include Restart, Swindle, Fish in a Tree, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Ghost. Each is scored on shared themes (school, giftedness, and friendship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Ungifted reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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 Ungifted

If you liked Ungifted, read Restart, Swindle, or Fish in a Tree — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Restart by Gordon Korman

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Looking for books like Ungifted by Gordon Korman (Realistic Fiction · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of school, giftedness, and friendship. 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 5–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Restart730L: Is by Gordon Korman, the same author, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Swindlegrades 4–7: Is by Gordon Korman, the same author, shares themes of friendship, and both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list). Amazon → books like this →
Fish in a Tree550L: Shares themes of school and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Shares themes of school and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost730L: Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Frindle830L: Shares themes of school, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Roller Girl440L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Smile410L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost Boys360L: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Ungifted for younger readers (K–2)

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

Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian · grades K–3 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Cat Secrets by Jef Czekaj · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Zombies Don't Eat Veggies! by Jorge Lacera · grades K–2 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of school.

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

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

Schooled by Gordon Korman · grades 3–8 — Is by Gordon Korman, the same author, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The Superteacher Project by Gordon Korman · grades 3–6 — Is by Gordon Korman, the same author, shares themes of school and friendship, and overlapping grades (3–6).
Unplugged by Gordon Korman · grades 4–6 — Is by Gordon Korman, the same author, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–8 — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Schooled by Gordon Korman · grades 3–8 — Is by Gordon Korman, the same author, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The Superteacher Project by Gordon Korman · grades 3–6 — Is by Gordon Korman, the same author, shares themes of school and friendship, and overlapping grades (3–6).
Unplugged by Gordon Korman · grades 4–6 — Is by Gordon Korman, the same author, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–8 — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Girl, Stolen by April Henry · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Ungifted?: The 10 closest matches to Ungifted by Gordon Korman on ReadingList include Restart, Swindle, Fish in a Tree, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Ghost. Each is scored on shared themes (school, giftedness, and friendship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Ungifted reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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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