Books like 'The Plain Janes'
Readers who enjoyed The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci & Jim Rugg also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary action / adventure realistic high-school friendship coming-of-age humor female-mc lgbtq terrorism
-
Wish You Were Eyre by Heather Vogel Frederick
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe book club says bon voyage to Concord and bonjour to France! It’s a dream come true for Megan, who’s jet-setting to Paris for Fashion Week with Gigi. Meanwhile, back in Concord, Mrs. Wong decides to run for mayor, so Emma and Stewart team up to make her campaign a success...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure -
![The Unteachables by Gordon Korman, Sarah Beth Goer]()
The Unteachables by Gordon Korman, Sarah Beth Goer
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA hilarious new middle grade novel from beloved and bestselling author Gordan Korman about what happens when the worst class of kids in school is paired with the worst teacher—perfect for fans of Ms. Bixby’s Last Day.The Unteachables are a notorious class of misfits, delinquents, and academic train wrecks...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure audiobook -
![Allie and Bea by Catherine Ryan Hyde]()
Allie and Bea by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsBea has barely been scraping by since her husband died. After falling for a telephone scam, she loses everything and is forced to abandon her trailer. With only two-thirds of a tank in her old van, she heads toward the Pacific Ocean with her cat—on a mission to reclaim what’s rightfully hers, even if it means making others pay for what she lost... -
![Pies & Prejudice by Heather Vogel Frederick]()
Pies & Prejudice by Heather Vogel Frederick
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsRight before the start of freshman year, Emma’s family unexpectedly moves to England. The book club members are stunned—but thanks to videoconferencing, they can still keep the club alive, and they decide to tackle Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice . And when the girls try to bring Emma home by starting a bake sale, it becomes a thriving business: Pies & Prejudice...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure -
-
![The Season of Dreams by Fiona Valpy]()
The Season of Dreams by Fiona Valpy
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn this romantic tale in the Escape to France collection from bestselling author Fiona Valpy, Sara has one summer to make wedding wishes come true... -
![Just The Way You Are: The perfect uplifting, feel-good read for 2022 by Beth Moran]()
Just The Way You Are: The perfect uplifting, feel-good read for 2022 by Beth Moran
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA novel about friendship, romance and learning to love yourself - just the way you are.When Olivia Tennyson – or Ollie to her friends – was sixteen, she wrote a Dream List of all the things she wanted for her life, including a happy marriage and a family... -
![Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith]()
Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFor Charli Blake, being seventeen is a tough gig.She's been branded a troublemaker, her reputation is in tatters and she's stuck in Pipers Cove, a speck of a town on the coast of Tasmania. Thankfully, it's temporary. Her lifelong dream of travelling the world is just months away from becoming reality... -
![The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman by Julietta Henderson]()
The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman by Julietta Henderson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA triumphant and touching debut about the unlikeliest superstar you’ll ever meet.Twelve-year-old Norman Foreman and his best friend, Jax, are a legendary comedic duo in waiting, with a plan to take their act all the way to the Edinburgh Fringe. But when Jax dies, Norman decides the only fitting tribute is to perform at the festival himself. The problem is, Norman’s not the funny one. Jax was... -
![My Best Friend by Julie Fogliano]()
My Best Friend by Julie Fogliano
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA story of first friendship.she is my best friend i think i never had a best friend so i’m not sure but i think she is a really good best friend because when we were drawing she drew me and i drew her... -
![Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London]()
Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFroggy's mother knows that everyone's nervous on the first day of school. "Not me!" says Froggy, and together they leapfrog to the bus stop -- flop flop flop. Froggy's exuberant antics, complete with sound effects, will delight his many fans and reassure them that school can be fun."This is a great read-aloud with sounds and words that encourage active participation... -
![Thirteen Plus One by Lauren Myracle]()
Thirteen Plus One by Lauren Myracle
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWinnie has finally gotten the hang of junior highÑ gaining two fabulous BFFs and a perfect (OK, sometimes perfect) boyfriend in the process. And with graduation just around the corner, the countdown to high school has begun. Not that Winnie is obsessing about it, since she has a whole bunch of things to check off her To-Do-Before-High-School list... -
![Bound to be Bad by Annie Barrows]()
Bound to be Bad by Annie Barrows
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe adventures of Ivy and Bean continue in the latest installment from series creators Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall. In Ivy and Bean Bound to Be Bad the two girls decide to be so good and kind and pure of thought that wild animals will befriend them. When this doesn't work, they decide that perhaps a little badness can be good... -
![Clementine's Letter by Sara Pennypacker]()
Clementine's Letter by Sara Pennypacker
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsClementine can't believe her ears her beloved teacher, Mr. D'Matz, might be leaving them for the rest of the year to go on a research trip to Egypt! No other teacher has ever understood her impulsiveness, her itch to draw constantly, or her need to play "Beat the Clock" when the day feels too long... -
![The Lost Girls of Ireland by Susanne O'Leary]()
The Lost Girls of Ireland by Susanne O'Leary
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA heart-warming story about family secrets and one woman’s escape to dreamy Sandy Cove on the stunning west coast of Ireland.The picturesque beach of Wild Rose Bay is the last place Lydia Butler thought she’d be. But having just lost everything, the run-down cottage she inherited from her Great Aunt Nellie is the only place she can take her daughter, Sunny... -
-
![Guitar Notes by Mary Amato]()
Guitar Notes by Mary Amato
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsA "sweet story of two different loners finding their counterpoint" (School Library Journal) from a star of state master and children's choice lists making her YA debut. Clean YA with the emotional resonancy of John Green and Sarah Dessen.On odd days, Tripp Broody uses a school practice room to let loose on a borrowed guitar...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure -
![Bloomability by Sharon Creech]()
Bloomability by Sharon Creech
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsKidnapped!The kidnappers are actually her Aunt Sandy and Uncle Max, but that doesn't matter to Domenica Santolina Doone, better known as Dinnie. She feels as if she's being taken out of the country against her will. Certainly no one asked her opinion. Dinnie is used to change-with her family constantly moving from state to state while her father searches for one new "opportunity" after another...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure -
![Break Us by Jennifer Brown]()
Break Us by Jennifer Brown
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNikki Kill doesn’t see the world in black and white. Her synesthesia shades everything in view, transforming numbers, words, and emotions into colorful clues. Which means she’s a dangerous commodity to anyone with something to hide.Nikki has already taken on the Hollises—one of L.A.’s most powerful families—for murdering her half sister, Peyton... -
![Open for Business (The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse) by Cressida McLaughlin]()
Open for Business (The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse) by Cressida McLaughlin
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA warm welcome awaits…the charming new arrival from the No.1 bestselling author of The Canal Boat Cafe. Robin Brennan has come home to Campion Bay. Now her parents have retired, she’s set to become the new landlady of The Campion Bay Guesthouse.Bookings have been as thin as the hand towels, and it doesn’t take long for Robin to realise that the place needs a serious makeover... -
![Rescuing Single Mom by Suzanne Hart]()
Rescuing Single Mom by Suzanne Hart
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI almost gave in... He was too tempting to resist... Until I found out who he was. All I want is to give back to society, to the neighborhood that needs my help. That, and raise my kid right. I sure don't need Silas Denton, with his perfect chiseled body and his Roman nose, dripping sensuality... -
![I'm With Stupid by Geoff Herbach, Nick Podehl]()
I'm With Stupid by Geoff Herbach, Nick Podehl
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“Deep, moving, LOL funny, and completely original.” – School Library Journal on Nothing SpecialFelton Reinstein has never been good with stress. Which is why he's seriously freaking out. Revealing his college choice on national TV? It's a heart attack waiting to happen. Deciding on a major for the next four years of his life? Ridiculous. He barely even knows who he is outside of football. And so.Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure audiobook -
![The Boys Return by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor]()
The Boys Return by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt’s spring break and the only assignment Wally Hatford and Caroline Malloy have is to do something that they have never done before. Wally’s sure that will be a cinch once he hears the great news about the mighty Benson brothers coming to stay for vacation. It will be nonstop action all the way... -
![It's a Wonderful Wife by Janet Chapman]()
It's a Wonderful Wife by Janet Chapman
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of the Spellbound Falls novels comes a delightful new romance set on the coast of Maine… Jesse Sinclair and his two brothers spent years dodging the women his grandfather threw in their path. But then the matchmaking old wolf died, and his brothers did the unthinkable: they ran off to Maine to get married. Now Jesse wants to join them... -
![The Girls Take Over by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor]()
The Girls Take Over by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe race is on! The Hatford boys and the Malloy girls are ready to outdo one another again. Eddie is the first girl to ever try out for the school baseball team. Now she and Jake are competing for the same position, while Caroline and Wally compete for class spelling bee champ. Wally is itching to win, but Caroline the show-off plans to be number one... -
![The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh]()
The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThere's something about asking for Impossible Things. For one little second, they feel Possible. Take two sisters making it on their own: brainy twelve-year-old GiGi and junior-high-dropout-turned-hairstylist DiDi. Add a million dollars in prize money from a national cooking contest and a move from the trailer parks of South Carolina to the North Shore of Long Island... -
-
![Millionaires for the Month by Stacy McAnulty]()
Millionaires for the Month by Stacy McAnulty
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHow would you spend five million dollars in 30 days? A billionaire's wallet, a bizarre challenge, and an unlikely friendship send two kids on a wild adventure. From the author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl .Felix Rannells and Benji Porter were never supposed to be field-trip partners. Felix is a rule follower. Benji is a rule bender. They're not friends... -
![Onwards and Upwards by Celia Anderson]()
Onwards and Upwards by Celia Anderson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA retitled alternate cover edition of this ASIN B0D2JFP3WH can be found here A New Lease of LifeA laugh-out-loud story of fun and friendship, for women of a certain age! Ingrid is desperate to sell up and move on. Recently widowed, she no longer needs the large house or the treasures (and tat) collected by her late husband, Tommy, an auctioneer. Then there’s the debt he left her with, too... -
![Lost Luggage by Samantha Tonge]()
Lost Luggage by Samantha Tonge
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOne lost suitcase. Two strangers. And a notebook that will change lives.For almost fifty years, sisters Dolly and Greta have lived together – getting each other through the good times and the bad.Except this year, Greta isn’t there and Dolly is feeling lost and alone. In memory of her sister, Dolly heads to the lost luggage auction where she and Greta go each Christmas... -
![Break the Rules by Joanna Philbin]()
Break the Rules by Joanna Philbin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe only daughter of supermodel Katia Summers, witty and thoughtful Lizzie Summers likes to stick to the sidelines. The sole heir to Metronome Media and daughter of billionaire Karl Jurgensen, outspoken Carina Jurgensen would rather climb mountains than social ladders. Daughter of chart-topping pop icon Holla Jones, stylish and sensitive Hudson Jones is on the brink of her own music breakthrough...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc friendship high-school realistic action-adventure book -
![The Great Treehouse War by Lisa Graff, Ariana Delawari]()
The Great Treehouse War by Lisa Graff, Ariana Delawari
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratings4 hoursKids vs. parents! An epic treehouse sleepover! An awesome group of friends! An exciting new book from National Book Award finalist Lisa Graff. Winnie's last day of fourth grade ended with a pretty life-changing surprise... -
![Nerd Camp by Elissa Brent Weissman]()
Nerd Camp by Elissa Brent Weissman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTen-year-old Gabe has just been accepted to the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment. That means he’ll be spending six weeks at sleepaway camp, writing poetry and perfecting logic proofs. SCGE has been a summer home of some legendary middle-school smarty-pants (and future Jeopardy! contestants), but it also has a reputation for being, well, a nerd camp. Gabe isn’t a nerd... -
![Seducing Summer by Serenity Woods]()
Seducing Summer by Serenity Woods
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFour friends. Four seasons. Four ways to fall in love. Book 1: Seducing Summer When a CEO falls in love with her PA, it can only lead to trouble… Callie Summer, CEO of The Four Seasons lingerie business, is in shock. She’d expected her new PA to be a middle-aged frump, but Jean turns out to be Gene, and he’s neither middle-aged, nor anything like a frump... -
![The Girls Get Even by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor]()
The Girls Get Even by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAs Halloween approaches, the three Malloy sisters find themselves continually trying to get even with the four Hatford brothers, who have been playing tricks on them since the Malloys moved from Ohio to West Virginia... -
![Gimme Some Sugar by Kimberly Kincaid]()
Gimme Some Sugar by Kimberly Kincaid
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOut of the frying pan. . .and into the fire!Desperate to escape the spotlight of her failed marriage to a fellow celebrity-chef, Carly di Matisse left New York City for a tiny town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The restaurant she's running these days may not be chic, but in Pine Mountain she can pretend to be the tough cookie everybody knows and loves... -
![Painting the Black by Carl Deuker]()
Painting the Black by Carl Deuker
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen a hard ball is coming at you fast, and when it's dancing, too, every single nerve in your body is alert and ready. Your eyes are wide open, and the adrenaline is pumping. It's not a feeling you want to give up, any more than you want to get off a roller coaster...Categorized as:
family friendship high-school realistic action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
-
![Boys in Control by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor]()
Boys in Control by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPlay ball! That’s what the sixth-grade Buckman Badgers baseball team plans on doing. Eddie Malloy and Jake Hatford hope to lead their team to the championship game the last Saturday in May. But due to a mix-up, Mrs... -
![Alone in the Woods by Rebecca Behrens]()
Alone in the Woods by Rebecca Behrens
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwo former best friends must work together to stay alive after getting lost in a remote national forest.Jocelyn and Alex have always been best friends...until they aren't. Jocelyn's not sure what happened, but she hopes the annual joint-family vacation in the isolated north woods will be the perfect spot to rekindle their friendship.But Alex still isn't herself when they get to the cabin... -
![Road Rash by Mark Huntley Parsons]()
Road Rash by Mark Huntley Parsons
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA teenage drummer finds out what life is really like on tour with a rock band in this funny and bittersweet YA novel. For anyone who loved Almost Famous or This Is Spinal Tap. After being dropped from one band, sixteen-year-old drummer Zach gets a chance to go on tour with a much better band... -
![How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles]()
How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMoshav? What’s a moshav? Is it “shopping mall” in Hebrew? I mean, from what Jessica was telling me, Israeli stores have the latest fashions from Europe. That black dress Jessica has is really awesome. I know I’d be selling out if I go with the Sperm Donor to a mall, but I keep thinking about all the great stuff I could bring back home...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure -
![Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman]()
Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAnise Sawyer plans to spend every minute of summer with her friends: surfing, chowing down on fish tacos drizzled with wasabi balsamic vinegar, and throwing bonfires that blaze until dawn...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc friendship high-school lgbtq realistic action-adventure -
![The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder]()
The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOne moment can change everything.Amber’s life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he’s also looking for an escape...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc friendship high-school realistic action-adventure adaptations -
![Paper Hearts by Ali Novak]()
Paper Hearts by Ali Novak
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratings“I’m sorry,” he said, slowly untying the ribbon that held his mask in place. “It’s just…I didn’t want you to think of me any differently.”Somehow I kept my mouth from falling open. I knew his face, but my mind couldn’t accept that he was the person looking down at me.“My real name is Alec.”Felicity has her entire future planned...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure audiobook -
![Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes]()
Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsGaby daydreams to tune out her parents’ arguments, but when her parents divorce and she begins a new school, daydreaming gets her into trouble. Her mother scolds her for it, her teacher keeps telling her to pay attention, and the other kids tease her...until she finds a friend who also daydreams and her teacher decides to work a daydreaming-writing session into every school day...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc friendship humor realistic action-adventure audiobook -
![Up to This Pointe by Jennifer Longo]()
Up to This Pointe by Jennifer Longo
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHand this utterly unique contemporary YA to anyone who loves ballet or is a little too wrapped up in their Plan A. (It's okay to fail, people!) Harper had a plan. It went south. Harper Scott is a dancer. She and her best friend, Kate, have one goal: becoming professional ballerinas...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure -
![Dead Ends by Erin Jade Lange]()
Dead Ends by Erin Jade Lange
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDane Washington is one suspension away from expulsion. In a high school full of “haves,” being a “have not” makes Dane feel like life is hurtling toward one big dead end. Billy D. spends his high school days in Special Ed and he’s not exactly a “have” himself. The biggest thing Billy’s missing? His dad... -
-
![One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank]()
One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMost teens dream of visiting the City of Lights, but it feels more like a nightmare for Sophie Brooks. She and her brother are sent to Paris to spend the summer with their father, who left home a year ago without any explanation. As if his sudden abandonment weren't betrayal enough, he's about to remarry, and they’re expected to play nice with his soon-to-be wife and stepdaughter...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc friendship high-school realistic action-adventure audiobook -
![Leaving Unknown by Kerry Reichs]()
Leaving Unknown by Kerry Reichs
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMaeve Connolly is tired of being labelled as irresponsible. Yes, she may spend unhealthy amounts of time on Facebook and watch marathon sessions of America's Next Top Model, but Maeve isn't a typical post-college slacker. Determined to change her life and make her own luck, Maeve impulsively decides on a grand adventure - driving cross country to LA...Categorized as:
coming-of-age female-mc friendship humor realistic action-adventure book contemporary -
![Over & Out by Melissa J. Morgan]()
Over & Out by Melissa J. Morgan
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsJenna Bloom swore she’d behave herself this summer. She knows that one more practical joke and even her friends won’t be so friendly anymore... -
![Start Here by Trish Doller]()
Start Here by Trish Doller
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTwo teens go on a life-changing sailing trip as they deal with the grief of losing their best friend in this heartwrenching, hopeful novel from the author of Something Like Normal and In a Perfect World .Willa and Taylor were supposed to spend the summer after high school sailing from Ohio to Key West with their best friend, Finley... -
![Lulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity by Angela Velez]()
Lulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity by Angela Velez
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBooksmart meets Never Have I Ever in this Latinx road trip adventure—a big-hearted, voice-driven YA about two sisters who couldn’t be more different, but become begrudging partners on their school’s cross-country college trip—from debut author Angela Velez. Overachiever Luz “Lulu” Zavala has straight As, perfect attendance, and a solid ten-year plan... -
![Not Suitable for Family Viewing by Vicki Grant]()
Not Suitable for Family Viewing by Vicki Grant
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRobin has everything a girl could want. Thanks to her mother—the internationally beloved talk show host Mimi Schwartz—Robin’s got the money, the means and the connections to make even her wildest dreams come true. So why, then, does she choose to sit alone in a dark room watching endless reruns of you, you and Mimi?Don’t ask Robin...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.
