Snoop
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 720L · 2025
Korman's reliable formula — fast-paced, funny, and genuinely clever mystery plotting that makes reluctant readers want to keep up with the clues.
For a reader who just finished
Books like Who Is Shaquille O'Neal?
after Who Is Shaquille O'Neal? by Ellen Labrecque · ages 7–12
Middle grade · grades 2–7 · 650L
A fun, accessible entry point for young sports fans who want to know the story behind the biggest name in basketball.
Same style
Operation Cupcake
by Bambi Edlund
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 750L · 2023
A lighthearted, low-stakes adventure that works well for reluctant readers who prefer humor over heavy emotional arcs.
How to Write Really Badly
by Anne Fine
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 720L
A genuinely clever premise (kid tries to write badly, accidentally learns to write well) that keeps the humor sharp without slowing down; rewarding for kids who feel self-conscious about writing.
Stretch them up
Everything on a Waffle
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 750L · 2001
A quiet masterpiece with a 10-year-old narrator whose voice is so clear and idiosyncratic that kids want to reread it—the humor sneaks up on you, and the grief is genuine without being heavy.
We Are Totally Normal
Middle grade · ages 9–12 · grades 4–7 · 820L · 2020
A genuinely funny, unsentimental book about two boys figuring out that 'normal' is a lie — reads like a conversation with a smart friend, not a after-school-special.
Tunneling to the Center of the Earth
by Kevin Wilson
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 720L · 2009
A funny, earnest adventure about nerdy kids with an elaborate, ridiculous plan — genuinely inventive and unafraid to celebrate weirdness, though the pacing slumps in the middle.
Complementing on biography science
Benjamin Banneker
Nonfiction · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 720L · 1978
A solid, straightforward biography that centers Black intellectual achievement in early America—less flashy than modern illustrated biographies but substantive and age-appropriate for curious 8–10-year-olds.
Untold Story of Michael Collins
by Marcia Amidon Lusted
Middle grade · ages 9–12 · grades 4–7 · 850L · 2023
A solid, fact-based biography that captures the thrill of early space exploration without getting bogged down in dry dates.
Who is Ken Jennings
by Kirsten Anderson
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 750L · 2021
A fun and engaging biography that highlights the joy of learning and trivia without being dry.
We'd skip — for now
Monster
by Walter Dean Myers
A step up — ages 12–18 · grades 7–12
Skip it if your teen is not ready to sit with moral ambiguity about guilt, or if depictions of jail and systemic racism will be overwhelming without a trusted adult to debrief with.