Books like 'Pilfer Academy: A School So Bad It's Criminal'
Readers who enjoyed Pilfer Academy: A School So Bad It's Criminal by Lauren Magaziner also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
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Legacy by Shannon Messenger
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsIllusions shatter—and Sophie and her friends face impossible choices—in this astonishing eighth book in the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series.Sophie Foster wants answers. But after a lifetime of lies, sometimes the truth is the most dangerous discovery. Even the smallest secret comes with terrifying new responsibilities... -
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart, Del Roy
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIF YOU FAIL,ALL IS LOST.Join the Mysterious Benedict Society as Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance embark on a daring new adventure that threatens to force them apart from their families, friends, and even each other... -
The Midnight Gang by David Walliams
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWelcome to the Midnight Gang! Midnight is the time when all children are fast asleep, except of course for… the Midnight Gang. That is when their adventures are just beginning…When Tom gets hit on the head by a cricket ball, he finds himself at Lord Funt Hospital, and is greeted by a terrifying-looking porter... -
Spy School Project X by Stuart Gibbs
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn the tenth book in the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley races against time and across state lines—by car, train, boat, and plane—to avoid his new cyber enemies and track down Murray Hill.Ben Ripley’s longtime nemesis, Murray Hill, has put a price on Ben’s head and accused him of being at the center of a conspiracy on the internet... -
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City of the Dead by James Ponti
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti, the young group of spies go codebreaking in Cairo in another international adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls.Codename Kathmandu, better known as Kat, loves logic and order, has a favorite eight-digit number, and can spot a pattern from a mile away...Categorized as:
realistic children friendship law-enforcement middle-grade mystery action-adventure fiction -
Forbidden City by James Ponti
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this third “thrilling” (Kirkus Reviews) installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti, the young group of spies help a fellow agent in another international adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls...Categorized as:
realistic children friendship law-enforcement middle-grade mystery action-adventure fiction -
The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart, Diana Sudyka
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBefore there was a Mysterious Benedict Society, there was simply a boy named Nicholas Benedict. Meet the boy who started it all....Nine-year-old Nicholas Benedict has more problems than most children his age. Not only is he an orphan with an unfortunate nose, but he also has narcolepsy, a condition that gives him terrible nightmares and makes him fall asleep at the worst possible moments... -
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsChildrenYou must not comeSTOPDangerousThe Mysterious Benedict Society is back with a new mission: to go on a mind-bending international scavenger hunt designed to engage their individual talents. As they search for all the clues and riddles Mr... -
The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFour children have been chosen to compete in a national competition to find the tastiest confection in the country... -
The Last Present by Wendy Mass
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDon't miss the latest entry in the incredible Willow Falls series by Wendy Mass!Amanda and Leo have a history with birthdays. Now their friend's little sister, Grace, has fallen into a strange frozen state on her birthday, and Amanda and Leo must travel in time in order to fix whatever's wrong. As they journey back to each of Grace's birthdays, they start seeing all sorts of patterns . . -
The Falcon's Feather by Trudi Trueit
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCruz, Sailor, and Emmett, along with their new ally Bryndis, embark on their first globe-trotting mission aboard the ship Orion. Cruz jumps right back into school and starts using the latest technology in submersible underwater dives, but is soon reminded of the dangers of exploration when his equipment fails and he almost drowns...Categorized as:
children friendship law-enforcement action-adventure book children-books contemporary fiction -
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 46 ratings"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed...Categorized as:
boarding-school children friendship humor law-enforcement realistic 21st-century action-adventure -
Thea Stilton and the Legend of the Fire Flowers by Thea Stilton
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJoin Thea Stilton and the Thea Sisters in this adventure packed with mystery and friendship!The Thea Sisters are in Hawaii to compete in an international hula festival. The mouselets are having a great time -- until they learn that the festival is located on the side of a volcano that is about to erupt! No one else seems know about the danger...Categorized as:
children friendship humor law-enforcement action-adventure animals anthropomorphism book -
You Have to Stop This by Pseudonymous Bosch
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThe finale to the New York Times bestselling Secret Series! I always feared this day would come. A secret is meant to stay secret, after all. And now we've come to this: the fifth and final (I swear!) book in my saga of secrets... -
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Big Trouble in the Big Apple by Thea Stilton, Tea Stilton
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGeronimo's adventurous sister Thea narrates this fabulous adventure that's packed with action, mystery, and friendship! The Thea Sisters are off to New York City for another fabumouse adventure! Nicky has been training to run the Big Apple Marathon, and her friends are there to support her. While in the city, they all visit Pamela's family and have a delicious dinner at the family's pizzeria...Categorized as:
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This Book Is Not Good for You by Pseudonymous Bosch
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsBetween the pages of this book lies the secret to the best-tasting chocolate in all the world. I promise, your taste buds will tingle. Your palette will sing! Oh no, have I accidentally tempted you to read this book? I will warn you, however, the most delicious things are never good for you..Categorized as:
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Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAna Dakkar is a freshman at Harding-Pencroft Academy, a five-year high school that graduates the best marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers in the world. Ana's parents died while on a scientific expedition two years ago, and the only family's she's got left is her older brother, Dev, also a student at HP...Categorized as:
boarding-school children friendship humor law-enforcement action-adventure animals asian-mc -
Rebels with a Cause by James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMax Einstein is the first and only children's adventure series officially approved by the Albert Einstein Archives. Max Einstein's typical day is not your average 12-year-old's. She..Categorized as:
children friendship action-adventure audiobook book children-books contemporary exploration -
A Mind Full of Murder by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA bone-shaking new trilogy begins – the latest adventure in the bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant seriesSIX YEARS AGO, THE UNIVERSE ENDED.When it restarted, blinking back into existence, it brought with it a darkness that remains hidden from the mortal population.A week ago – fuelled by unimaginable hatred and unstoppable rage – a masked sorcerer killed one of those mortals. Then he killed another... -
Thea Stilton and the Missing Myth by Thea Stilton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJoin Thea Stilton and the Thea Sisters on an adventure packed with mystery and friendship! While on vacation in Greece, the Thea Sisters make friends with a company of actors. They are rehearsing for a show that's about to open--and Colette ends up standing in for an actress who falls ill! Suddenly, right before the performance, the lead actor goes missing...Categorized as:
children law-enforcement action-adventure book children-books contemporary fiction middle-grade -
13 Gifts by Wendy Mass
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWendy Mass turns to another magical birthday: 13!When Tara, a self-proclaimed shrinking violet, steals the school mascot, a goat, in order to make some friends with the popular crowd and gets caught, she gets herself in a heap of trouble... -
Trust No One by Linda Sue Park
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhen seven members of their family were kidnapped, thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, got ready for the fight of their lives. But their enemy, a terrifying group known as the Vespers, remained frustratingly elusive. They stay in the shadows, picking off Cahills one by one... -
This Isn't What It Looks Like by Pseudonymous Bosch, Robert Petkoff
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThe Secret Series continues in this dangerous and daring fourth adventure. Cass finds herself alone and disoriented, a stranger in a dream-like, medieval world. Where is she? Who is she? With the help of a long-lost relative, she begins to uncover clues and secrets--piecing together her family's history as she fights her way back to the present world... -
Deep and Dark and Dangerous (A Ghost Story) by Mary Downing Hahn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsJust before summer begins, 13-year-old Ali finds an odd photograph in the attic. She knows the two children in it are her mother, Claire, and her aunt Dulcie...Categorized as:
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Shatterproof by Roland Smith
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAfter pulling some spectacular heists, Amy and Dan have become two of Interpol's most wanted criminals. So when Vesper One orders them to steal the world's largest diamond, they know they're facing life in prison...or worse. But with the Cahill hostages still in peril, Amy and Dan have no choice but to launch a mission that leads them to an ancient city full of dangerous secrets...Categorized as:
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The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase by Wendy Mass, Mark Turetsky
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe highly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Candymakers by beloved author Wendy MassIt has been a few months since the nationwide New Candy Contest, and Logan, Miles, Philip, and Daisy have returned to their regular lives. But when the winning candy bar comes down the conveyor belt at the Life is Sweet candy factory, Logan realizes something's very wrong... -
Eleven Birthdays by Wendy Mass
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsGROUNDHOG DAY meets FLIPPED in this tale of a girl stuck in her birthday.It's Amanda's 11th birthday and she is super excited -- after all, 11 is so different from 10. But from the start, everything goes wrong. The worst part of it all is that she and her best friend, Leo, with whom she's shared every birthday, are on the outs and this will be the first birthday they haven't shared together... -
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsA New York Times BestsellerKyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library... -
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages by Trenton Lee Stewart, Eric Pollins
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThe brilliant and beloved gang from the New York Times bestselling series is back! Since The Mysterious Benedict Society debuted twelve years ago, the series has become a modern classic, drawing comparisons to J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl and selling over three million copies. Some time has passed since the inimitable quartet of Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance have had a mission together... -
Charlie Thorne and the Curse of Cleopatra by Stuart Gibbs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn this third book in the Charlie Thorne series from bestselling author Stuart Gibbs, Charlie tracks down Cleopatra’s greatest treasure in Egypt.Charlie Thorne is a genius. Charlie Thorne is a renegade. Charlie Thorne isn’t going down without a fight.After tracking down incredible discoveries by Einstein and Darwin, Charlie is back... -
Finally by Wendy Mass
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA humorous look at what it means to FINALLY turn twelve years old.NARRATOR: TBAFORMAT: 5 CDs, UnabridgedYou can pierce your ears when you're twelve. You can go to the mall with your friends when you're twelve. You can babysit little Timmy next door when you're twelve. You can get a cell phone when you're twelve. Hey, you can even ride in the front passenger-side seat when you're twelve... -
The Dead of Night by Peter Lerangis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA LIFE ON THE LINEWhen seven members of his family were kidnapped by the Vespers, thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill knew he was in for the fight of his life. He knew he was up against an impossibly powerful enemy. And Dan knew the odds were that some of his family members wouldn't make it.But even as Dan steels himself to accept these facts, the unthinkable happens...Categorized as:
children friendship law-enforcement realistic action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
Smells Like Treasure by Suzanne Selfors
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Homer Pudding receives a mysterious note emblazoned with the letters L.O.S.T., he knows the moment he has been waiting for has arrived. It is time to meet the society of Legends, Objects, Secrets, and Treasures, take his Uncle's place, and become a true adventurer. With his best friend, Dog, at his side, everything seems to be going as planned..Categorized as:
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The Creakers by Tom Fletcher
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAt night, this mischievous bunch peeks out from under your bed. When you hear that creak . . . creak . . . THE CREAKERS are there! Discover a hilarious and eerie middle-grade story by a UK star...Categorized as:
children friendship humor action-adventure audiobook book children-books contemporary -
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If You're Reading This, It's Too Late by Pseudonymous Bosch
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsBeware!Dangerous secrets lie between the pages of this book.OK, I warned you. But if you think I'll give anything away, or tell you that this is the sequel to my first literary endeavor, The Name of This Book is Secret, you're wrong... -
The Second Story by Neil Patrick Harris
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGrowing up in an orphanage, Leila was bullied for being different. But she turned her hardship into skill by becoming an escape artist—a valuable trait when belonging to a group of magical best friends. When a famous psychic comes to town, however, Leila and her pals won't be able to escape the big mystery heading their way... -
Princess in Practice by Connie Glynn
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLottie and Ellie are back! Return to Rosewood Hall with your two favourite princesses in the sequel to Undercover Princess!----------As they return to Rosewood after the dramatic events of their first year, Lottie and Ellie are hoping for a peaceful term.But strange things are happening at Rosewood. Pupils are being poisoned...Categorized as:
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Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe chilling second book in the innovative series from bestselling author Patrick Carman. Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek...and Ryan and Sarah are trying to find out why. Ryan writes down everything in his journal, and Sarah records everything on her videocam...Categorized as:
children friendship law-enforcement realistic action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums by Trenton Lee Stewart, Diana Sudyka
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThis exclusive companion book to the bestselling Mysterious Benedict Society series is a mind-bending collection that will put YOU to the test! With full-color artwork throughout, this companion features ingenious new puzzles, riddles, and brainteasers compiled by Mr. Benedict himself, with the help of Reynie, Kate, Sticky, Constance, and other Society associates...Categorized as:
children friendship law-enforcement realistic action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
The Midnight Children by Dan Gemeinhart
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAn extraordinary story about a family of runaways who take up residence in a small town, and the outcast boy who finds his voice and his people.In the dead of night, a truck arrives in Slaughterville, a small town curiously named after its windowless slaughterhouse...Categorized as:
realistic children friendship law-enforcement middle-grade mystery fiction children-books -
Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School by Mark Teague
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsA dog laments his fate at obedience school through a series of hilarious letters home.When Ike LaRue is "imprisoned" at the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy, he tries everything to get sent home -- from weepy letters to his owner to illness. In reality, Brotweiler is more like camp than prison, but still, Ike's not cut out for life without Mrs. LaRue...Categorized as:
children friendship humor action-adventure animals anthropomorphism book children-books -
"Shouldn't You Be in School?" by Lemony Snicket
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIs Lemony Snicket a detective or a smoke detector? Do you smell smoke? Young apprentice Lemony Snicket is investigating a case of arson but soon finds himself enveloped in the ever-increasing mystery that haunts the town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea... -
Shell Game by Ridley Pearson
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsAs the Disney Fantasy joins the cruise fleet, a special treat is in store for guests aboard its inaugural sail from Cape Canaveral to Los Angeles: the Disney Host Interactive teenage guides will be part of the Fantasy crew.Finn, Maybeck, Charlene, Willa, and Philby are to attend the cruise as celebrity guests, and to perform a ribbon cutting for the DHI server to go live... -
Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins? by Liz Kessler
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsJessica Jenkins has always been a perfectly ordinary girl—until one day part of her arm vanishes in the middle of geography class! Jessica’s friends Izzy and Tom are determined to help her develop her newfound invisibility, though Jessica is more concerned with discovering where the ability came from... -
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The Darkness Dwellers by Kirsten Miller
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDon’t miss Strike three!First they ventured deep under New York to save the city itself.Then things got personal as the Irregulars ventured into a haunted mansion in Chinatown to uncover an evil twin...Categorized as:
children friendship law-enforcement action-adventure book contemporary crime espionage -
The Light Jar by Lisa Thompson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA story of fear and hope, loneliness and friendship -- full of the heart, engaging characters, and propulsive, page-turning mystery that made The Goldfish Boy so beloved.Nate and his mother are running away. Fleeing from an emotionally abusive situation, they hide out in an abandoned cottage in the middle of a forest. Though it's old and run-down, at least it's a place of their own...Categorized as:
children friendship law-enforcement realistic abuse action-adventure book children-books -
The Elephant's Girl by Celesta Rimington
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA magical adventure for fans of Katherine Applegate and Jennifer Holm about a girl with a mysterious connection to the elephant who saved her life.An elephant never forgets, but Lexington Willow can't remember her past. Swept away by a tornado as a toddler, she was dropped in a nearby Nebraska zoo, where an elephant named Nyah protected her from the storm...Categorized as:
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Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe glorious start to a middle-grade trilogy about a brilliant boy, his loyal friends, and some amazingly intelligent beetles that brings together adventure, humor, and real science! Darkus Cuttle's dad mysteriously goes missing from his job as Director of Science at the Natural History Museum... -
What Not to Do If You Turn Invisible by Ross Welford
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA surprising, stunningly beautiful, and funny novel about a girl who turns invisible and, in the process, discovers who she really is, from the author of TIME TRAVELING WITH A HAMSTER Twelve-year-old Ethel Leatherhead only meant to cure her acne, not turn herself invisible. But that's exactly what happens when she combines herbs bought on the Internet with time spent in a secondhand tanning bed... -
Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“A fast-paced thrill ride of a book. . . it’s Batman meets Annie.” —Stuart Gibbs, New York Times best-selling author of the Spy School series “An adventure-filled read with a twisty mystery and spunky friendships. I loved it!” –Melissa de la Cruz, New York Times best-selling author of The Descendants series April didn't mean to start the fire. She wasn’t the one who broke the vase...Categorized as:
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