My Weird School Read Alikes
My Weird School by Dan Gutman follows A. J. and his friends as they get into hijinks at their ridiculous school with silly teachers, crazy principal, and more! This series is perfect for kids who have successfully mastered the easy reader and are looking for a bit more challenging book. Under 100 pages with illustrations, a specific vocabulary, and lots of white space these chapter books are the next step in raising a reader who loves books! And if your reader has read dozens of books in the My Weird School series and it’s subsequent series, than they might be on the lookout for even more great chapter books!
I always find this level of reader difficult to shop for because there is a wide array of options for elementary school age kids from ages 6-10 and because this age group can vary greatly in their reading abilities! But, I also know of some books that are absolute hits with this age group whether they’re reading them on their own or are listening to them as read alouds. A lot of the books below really push humor as a way to hook kids into the story, and for good reason! I read The Bad Guys out loud to my nephew and neice (ages 9-7) and I was literally laughing so hard I had trouble finishing sentences. Now, granted, the kiddos looked at me like I was losing my mind, but I figure if I’m enjoying the story, they may enjoy it even more!
And, now that I’ve reorganized my blog a bit, I can find additional resources much easier for you! Check out these book lists of Chapter Books for 1st-3rd Graders and Chapter Book Series for even more great suggestions! Keeping kids reading through every age and interest can be difficult, but stop by the local library and grab a bunch of different things to see what sticks. And if a librarian can help you out? Even better! Readers may be more likely to gravitate toward something recommended by someone who is not their parent/caregiver! You can always use this book list as a guide and ask a librarian for their thoughts (librarians love getting to talk about books!).
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My Weird School Read Alikes
Amelia Bedelia Means Business by Herman Parish
Amelia Bedelia’s parents say they’ll split the cost of a new bike with her, and that means Amelia Bedelia needs to put the pedal to the metal and earn some dough! With Amelia Bedelia anything can happen, and it usually does. Short, fast-paced chapters, tons of friends, silly situations, and funny wordplay and misunderstandings make the Amelia Bedelia chapter books an ideal choice for readers of the Ivy and Bean, Magic Tree House, and Judy Moody books. Features black-and-white pictures by Lynne Avril on every page!
The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut: Bowling Alley Bandit by Laurie Keller
As Mr. Bing’s new pet “doughnut dog,” Arnie couldn’t be happier. When Mr. Bing joins a bowling league, Arnie gets to go along to practices and competitions. But then Mr. Bing starts rolling gutter balls. Someone or something is behind the madness. Arnie, together with his team of goofball friends, must sort through the shenanigans and solve the mystery. Get ready for some sleuthing and even some magic.
The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
They sound like Bad Guys, they look like Bad Guys . . . and they even smell like Bad Guys. But Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark are about to change all of that… whether you want them to or not! Buckle up for the funniest, naughtiest and coolest series you’ll ever read–it’s time to meet the Bad Guys ―NOW IN FULL COLOR!
Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
From the creator of The New York Times bestseller Boing! comes the riotous story of a cat gone berserk — four times over an in alphabetical order each time. Kitty is not happy when she’s told that her favorite foods are all gone and all that’s left are Asparagus, Beets, Cauliflower, Dill…and 22 other equally unappealing vegetables. So she: Ate my homework, Bit grandma, Clawed the curtains, Damaged the dishes, and so on, through Z. Only when tastier things arrive (An Assortment of Anchovies, Buffalo Burritos, Chicken Cheesecake…) does she Apologize to Grandma.
Dragon Masters: Rise of the Earth Dragon by Tracey West
DRAGON MASTERS has it all! Dragons, a Dragon Stone, a king, a wizard, and magic! In the first book in this fully-illustrated series, 8-year old Drake is snatched up by King Roland’s soldier and taken to the castle. He is to be trained as a Dragon Master. At the castle, he is joined by three other young Dragon Masters-in-training: Ana, Rori, and Bo. The Dragon Masters must learn how to connect with and train their dragons–and they must also uncover their dragons’ special powers. Does Drake have what it takes to be a Dragon Master? What is his dragon’s special power?
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Is Nick Allen a troublemaker? He really just likes to liven things up at school — and he’s always had plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he’s got the inspiration for his best plan ever…the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesn’t belong to Nick anymore. The new word is spreading across the country, and there’s nothing Nick can do to stop it.
Lunch Lady: The Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Serving justice . . . and lunch!
Hector, Terrence, and Dee have always wondered about their school lunch lady. What does she do when she isn’t dishing out the daily special? Where does she live? Does she have a lot of cats at home? Little do they know, Lunch Lady doesn’t just serve sloppy joes—she serves justice! Whatever danger lies ahead, it’s no match for LUNCH LADY!
Pets Rule! My Kingdom of Darkness by Susan Tan
Meet Ember, a rescue Chihuahua who has just been adopted by the Chin family. Ember is no ordinary dog: he thinks he is an evil overlord, destined to rule the world. He enlists the help of the other pets in the house, like Smelly Steve the hamster and Neo the canary, to take over the neighborhood. Their first mission is defeating Masher, the mean squirrel who lives next door. But to his shock, Ember finds himself growing attached to his “minions”, the Chin family―especially Lucy. Does Ember still have what it takes to control of the neighborhood… and the world?
Princess Pink and the Land-of-Fake-Believe: Moldylocks and the Three Beards by Noah Z. Jones
In the Land of Fake Believe, Princess meets a strange girl named Moldylocks. When Princess’s stomach grumbles, Moldylocks takes her to the home of the Three Beards. The girls sit in the Beards’ chairs, eat their chili, and jump on their beds. The Three Beards are not happy when they get home–and they are very, very hungry! Will Moldylocks and Princess go into the chili pot? With easy-to-read text and engaging full-color artwork throughout, kids will be drawn right into this very funny land of fractured fairy tales!
Roscoe Riley Rules: Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs by Katherine Applegate
When his classmates can’t sit still for a big performance at school, Roscoe Riley takes matters into his own hands with a liberal dose of Super-Mega-Gonzo Glue—which his mom calls the don’t-you-dare glue because Roscoe isn’t supposed to use it.
Roscoe doesn’t mean to break the rules—he just can’t help himself! After all, his teacher’s job might be at stake and desperate times call for desperate measures.
Roscoe and his comical misadventures will appeal to fans of Megan McDonald’s Stink series; Nancy Krulik’s George Brown, Class Clown series; Rebecca Elliott’s Owl Diaries series; and Dan Gutman’s My Weirder School series.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Accidentally built sideways and standing thirty stories high (the builder said he was very sorry for the mistake), Wayside School has some of the wackiest classes in town, especially on the thirtieth floor. That’s where you’ll meet Bebe, the fastest draw in art class; John, who only reads upside down; Myron, the best class president ever; and Sammy, the new kid—he’s a real rat.
More than fifteen million readers have laughed at the clever and hilarious stories of Wayside School. So what are you waiting for? Come visit Wayside School! Kids 7 to 13 will zoom through these chapter books—laughing their way through the fast, funny, silly but relatable stories.
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths
Andy and Terry live in a treehouse. But it’s not just any old treehouse, it’s the most amazing treehouse in the world!
This treehouse has thirteen stories, a bowling alley, a see-through swimming pool, a secret underground laboratory, and a marshmallow machine that follows you around and automatically shoots marshmallows into your mouth whenever you are hungry.
Life would be perfect for Andy and Terry if it wasn’t for the fact that they have to write their next book, which is almost impossible because there are just so many distractions, including thirteen flying cats, giant bananas, mermaids, a sea monsters pretending to be mermaids, enormous gorillas, and dangerous burp gas-bubblegum bubbles!
