If your kids are like ours and love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series, you’re in luck. We’ve rounded up eleven different books or series that are like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Some of them are confessional diaries, others are just heavily illustrated chapter books with topics that are relatable to kids: school, anxiety, anxiety about school, imagination, invention, and overcoming obstacles. Enjoy this list and happy reading.
Alvin Ho
$7 BUY NOWThis wonderful six-book series from author Lenore Look and illustrator LeUyen Pham starts with Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things which introduces readers to Alvin Ho, an anxious second grader who doesn’t even like to talk at school. But at home, Alvin has a loud alter-ego: Firecracker Man. Each book in the series focuses on Alvin’s other fears, such as birthday parties and camping, and teaches children that anxiety is normal and that you can overcome your greatest fears. Ages 7 to 9.
Middle School Cool
$6 BUY NOWAlthough this book is not as heavily illustrated as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, this book by Maiya Williams reimagines a middle school unlike any you’ve ever seen. Meet the Kaboom Academy in Horsemouth, New Hampshire, a school for kids who don’t always fit in and who are tired or bored of learning the traditional way. It’s a place where the bells are replaced by cannons and there’s a multiplication table, activated by a button on the side, which literally multiplies any object on top. Be careful, though, because it will multiply you! Ages 9 to 12.
Diary of a 5th Grade Outlaw
$14 BUY NOWA three-book series by Gina Loveless and illustrated by Andrea Bell, it’s Robin Hood meets elementary school justice. Robin Loxley, a 5th-grade outlaw at Nottingham Elementary is on a quest. She’s seeking justice against the school bully and she wants to repair her friendship with Mary Ann, her bestie that she argued with over the summer. At Nottingham Elementary kids can earn Bonus Bucks for doing good deeds, getting good grades, and other helpful things. Nadia, the bully, imposes a playground tax for the Bonus Bucks and Robin is going to stand up against her and win Mary Ann back. This hilarious series plays with all of the key characters from Robin Hood and teaches kids that standing up for others is the right thing to do. Ages 8 to 12.
Stuntboy, in the Meantime
$11 BUY NOWBy beloved Newbery Medal honoree and bestselling author Jason Reynolds and one of our favorite illustrators, Raúl the Third, this book is a home run for kids who loved Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Meet Stuntboy, a superhero alter-ego of Portico Reeves. Stuntboy’s superpower? Keeping his friends and family safe, including a wise cat. He even has to face his nemesis, the bullying Herber Singletary the Worst. But Portico has what his mom calls “the worry wiggles” a kind of anxiety, made worse by the fact that his parents fight all the time. Stuntboy wants to figure out how to stop it, but that’s not going to be easy. This is the first in what we hope will be a long series! Ages 7 to 11.
Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja
$9 BUY NOWAuthored by Marcus Emerson, Sal Hunter, and Noah Child with illustrations by David Lee, this is another great 12-book series for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Chase Cooper is a 6th-grade ninja entering a whole new school where he doesn’t know anyone except his cousin, Zoe. For kids that can relate to the anxiety of starting a new middle school or any new school and not quite fitting in, this adventure-packed series is full of humor and intrigue, perfect for reluctant readers especially. Ages 9 and up.
The Dork Diaries
$8 BUY NOWWith 14 books in this fantastic series by Rachel Renee Russell, give them the first book in the series and they’ll be thrilled to learn there are 13 more! Kids will fall in love with Nikki Maxwell and her tell-all diaries as she starts 8th grade at a new school. Her confessions of crushes and clashes, friendships and foes. Ages 8 to 14
Frank Einstein
$7An unforgettable series by author Jon Scieszka and illustrator Brian Biggs introduces readers to Frank Einstein, kid genius and inventor, and his pal Watson. With a nod to Frankenstein, Frank and Watson endeavor to create robots. The robots actually (mostly) assemble themselves and develop “minds” of their own. Klink and Klank then appear throughout the book series as hilarious sidekicks. This is the kind of clever book series that you wish was more than six books. Ages 7 to 11.
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My Weird School
$5 BUY NOWThere are 21 books in the My Weird School collection, all of them quirky and funny. By author Dan Gutman and illustrator Jim Pailliot, these are great, shorter chapter books for kids who are feeling intimidated by longer books. They’ll devour book after book about strange teachers, librarians, and principals. Ages 6 to 8.
Captain Underpants
$7 BUY NOWFor kids who like Diary of a Wimpy Kid or just any kids, no illustrated chapter book or graphic novel book list is complete without mentioning Dav Pilkey’s hilarious Captain Underpants series. Full of potty humor and school jokes, George and Harold are forever in trouble with Principal Krupp who also happens to transform into an underwear-clad superhero. If you want to instill an absolute love of reading and hear your kids giggle while they clutch a book, buy them the first installment of this 12-book series and they’ll beg you to get them the rest. Ages 6 and up.
Secret Agent 6th Grader
$7 BUY NOWIn the four books in this collection from authors Marcus Emerson and Noah Child with fantastic illustrations by David Lee, kids will be introduced to Brody Valentine, an accidental sixth-grade secret agent. Excellent books for reluctant readers as well as kids experiencing anxiety about the transition to middle school. Ages 9 to 11.
Confessions of a Nerdy Girl Diaries
$10 BUY NOWIn a nod to Diary of a Wimpy Kid and for fans of Dork Diaries, author Linda Rey celebrates the beautiful nerd in all of us with her four-book Confessions of a Nerdy Girl Diaries series. Eleven-year-old Willa wonders why her birth mom has missed so many of her important life events. She decides to write down everything in her diaries: fears, anxieties, hopes, and significant events, in the hopes that one day her birth mom will read them. Ages 8 to 12.
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