Sometimes kids finish a great book and start looking for another read that has a similar writing style– not a similar plot line. My 4th graders sniffed out some great “style-alikes” last year, and I came up with a few in my own reading. I’ve tried to put together a list with some of the favorites from my class this past year. The books on the list are roughly 4th through 6th grade reading level. As always, please add a title if you have a suggestion. I am always wanting to expand the library!
Epistolary Novels
Epistolary was a new word for me this year. These are the books that are told through letters or journal entries.
- 43 Old Cemetery Road series by Klise
- Regarding The series by Klise
- Letters from Camp by Klise
- Love That Dog by Creech
- Hate That Cat by Creech
- The Naked Mole-Rat Letters by Amato
Scavenger Hunts
These books contain riddles or puzzles that the reader is trying to solve along with the main characters.
- Gollywhopper Games by Feldman
- 7th Level by Feldman
- Floors by Carmen
- Red Blazer Girls series by Beil
- 13th Reality series by Dashner
- Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School series by Clements
Shift in Point of View
In each chapter or section of the book, the narrator changes, so you get different viewpoints of the same story.
- The View from Saturday by Konigsburg
- Because of Mr. Terupt by Buyea
- Candymakers by Mass
- Kane Chronicles by Riordan
Vocabulary Focus
The authors of these books insert unusual vocabulary with definitions as part of the storyline. The authors may also create crazy words to support the story.
- The Lemonade War and sequels by Davies
- A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Snicket
- How to Train Your Dragon series by Cowell
- Almost all Roald Dahl books
Orphan (or child with one parent) Who Triumphs
The protagonist is the smart, daring, resourceful character in these books and always comes out ahead of any adults or bad guys.
- The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Selznick
- Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Auxier
- A Little Princess by Burnett
- The Million Dollar Putt by Gutman
- Mandy by Edwards
- The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Stewart
- Almost all Roald Dahl books