Books like 'The Dirt Diary'
Readers who enjoyed The Dirt Diary by Anna Staniszewski also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance realistic humor family friendship children high-school teens coming-of-age
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Saving Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe kids and their favorite teacher from Because of Mr. Terupt and Mr. Terupt Falls Again return for a third book in the funny, warmhearted series for fans of Wonder. Seventh grade was going to be awesome. The only thing missing was Mr. Terupt.The kids from Mr. Terupt’s fifth- and sixth-grade classes are entering their first year of junior high school... -
You're Bacon Me Crazy by Suzanne Nelson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTessa loves working at the trendy food truck her aunt runs in their native San Francisco. Whipping up creative treats, serving yummy BLTs to her classmates after school… Tessa feels like she’s living the dream. Then the dream turns into a nightmare. Popular, arrogant Asher starts working at the truck! He can’t make a sandwich to save his life, and on top of it all, he’s frustratingly cute... -
Save the Cupcake! by Lisa Papademetriou
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis delicious new series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Papademetriou is a real treat -- full of humor and heart and cupcakes!Confession: My life is soooo not sprinkles and sunshine . . . Hayley's world is far from perfect: her parents have divorced, her mom has lost her job, and she and her sister Chloe are stuck sharing a bedroom in their grandmother's apartment... -
Tremendous Things by Susin Nielsen
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA funny and heartfelt story about learning how to rise above your most embarrassing moment while staying true to yourself--with the help of old friends, new friends, and some cheesy poetry.At the start of ninth grade, Wilbur Nuez-Knopf is hoping for a fresh start. But he just can't live down a deeply humiliating moment from two years ago that's followed him to high school... -
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Accidentally Friends by Lisa Papademetriou
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe fourth book in our first Candy Apple mini-series from New York Times-bestselling author Lisa Papademetriou! Seventh grader Amy Flowers is at it again in her fourth fish-out-of-water adventure at super-snooty Allington Academy... -
Times Squared by Julia DeVillers, Jennifer Roy
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIdentical twin sisters Payton and Emma Mills have “traded faces” and created “twin-dentical chaos” at school and at home. But you haven’t seen anything yet. Payton and Emma are off to “twin-vade” New York City! Payton’s drama club plans a field trip to see an off-Broadway show, and Emma’s mathletes team will compete in an elite competition... -
Everybody Bugs Out by Leslie Margolis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAnnabelle has tamed the wild boys and catty girls of middle school. Now it's time for her first school dance! A couple of Annabelle's friends already have dates and she would like one, too. Better yet, she finally has a crush on someone-Oliver. The problem? Claire also likes him, and she's called dibs... -
Fake Me a Match by Lauren Barnholdt
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAvery LaDuke is in the market for a new best friend. Her former BFF, Sophie Burns, dumped her to hang out with the popular crowd at school. But the good news Avery's getting a new sister who's bound to be her new BFF too! Blake is her age and she's from New York. How cool is that? But things don't go quite as smoothly as Avery hoped... -
Carter's Unfocused, One-Track Mind by Brent Crawford
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAfter an eventful freshman year and disastrous summer, fifteen-year-old Will Carter returns to Merrian High none the wiser. His sophomore year will present a host of new problems: the return of Scary Terry from juvie, the pregnant presence of Amber Lee, friends-with-benefits negotiations with Abby, prom night expectations, and the ever-constant harassment from his boys... -
How to Convince a Boy to Kiss You by Tara Eglington
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe course of true love never did run smooth. For a girl who shares her name with a princess (a.k.a Aurora from Sleeping Beauty) Aurora Skye’s life seem fathoms away from a fairytale. Sure, she’s landed Hayden Paris, Potential Prince extraordinaire. And she got her wish -- one first kiss with all the knee-trembling, butterfly-inducing gloriousness she’d hoped for... -
Accidentally Fooled by Lisa Papademetriou
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSeventh grader Amy Flowers is finally making her mark at ultra-exclusive Allington Academy, but there's always one thing standing in her way: the League. They rule the school, and their queen is oh-so-mean Fiona, who doesn't exactly appreciate a new girl invading her turf. This time, Amy's stuck working on a service project with Fiona and preppie know-it-all Preston... -
The Good Girl & the Bad Boy by M.L. Collins
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhat happens when Jackson High’s Good Girl and Bad Boy are forced to work together? I’ll tell you:I destroy his guitar. (Accidentally!)He uses my guilt to trick me into doing his work.For three weeks!Until I find out he lied. Oh, heck no. This bad boy has crossed the wrong girl.I call him out on it. In front of the whole school.Check mate, bad boy. “It feels good to be bad,” he whispers... -
The Gossip File by Anna Staniszewski
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Gossip File:-Chandra lets little kids pee in the pool.-Melody stole $ from the cafe register.-Ava isn’t who she says she is…Ava is cool. Ava is confident. Ava is really Rachel Lee who is lying her butt off.Rachel is visiting her dad at a resort in sunny Florida and is ready for two weeks of relaxing poolside, trips to Disney World and NOT scrubbing toilets... -
The Summer I Saved the World . . . in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt's the summer before freshman year in high school and Nina decides to follow what someone said at her middle-school graduation: "Be unnoticed, but be remarkable." Her best friend Jorie is focusing on boys, clothes, and popularity, her lawyer parents are diving into a new case, and this is the first summer without her beloved Grandma, so she's is feeling a little lost... -
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Now I'll Tell You Everything by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt's Alice—for the rest of her life! Yes, the very last Alice book, and it reveals every last bit you'd want to know about Alice, including whether she spends the rest of her life with Patrick! "This is the book where Alice, every girl’s girl, turns into every lady’s lady" (VOYA).Alice McKinley is going to college! And everything, from her room to her classes to her friends, is about to change... -
The Princess Diaries Collection by Meg Cabot
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe set of books is noted for containing many popular culture references, which include singers, movies, and fads in modern culture. Many critics have taken unkindly to this form of storytelling. In response, Cabot wrote an English teacher into the book Princess In Training who criticizes Mia's writing, telling her that it relies too much on "slick pop culture references... -
Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsScarlett's in trouble at school. Again. With black fingernails and dyed ketchup-red hair, she's not your average twelve-year-old Londoner. So her mum sick of trying to get her into "another" school ships Scarlett to her father's cottage in Ireland. Having to learn Gaelic in a one-room schoolhouse and enduring a new stepmum and younger stepsister is just too much... -
Thirteen by Lauren Myracle
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWinnie Perry is a teenager at last! And it s a really big deal. A ginormous deal, which, wouldn t you know it, brings ginormous problems along with it. Winnie s bff #1 is growing up too slowly, while her bff #2 is growing up too fast, leaving Winnie stuck in the middle. Winnie s boyfriend, Lars, is fabulous except when he s not. And as for Winnie s family, well, BIG changes are in the air... -
Take Two by Julia DeVillers
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPayton and Emma left a trail of chaos in their wake when they “traded faces” just for fun. This time they’ll switch places to help each other and their friends out of a ginormous mess! Payton is helping out on the middle school musical while Emma puts her brains to use by tutoring—more like “twotoring”—identical twin boys... -
The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMom says karma always comes around to get you, and I guess it's true. Because last summer I was a total liar, and now, right in the middle of Mr. Pritchard's third-period math class, my whole world is about to come crashing down... -
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now...A Love Story by Jason Reynolds
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJason Reynolds tackles it—you know…it—from the guy’s perspective in this stream of consciousness story of a teen boy about to experience a huge first.Twenty-four months ago: Neon gets chased by a dog all around the parking lot of a church. Not his finest moment. And definitely one he would have loved to forget if it weren’t for the dog’s owner: Aria... -
Almost Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIs it possible to be too good a friend -- too understanding, too always there, too much like a doormat? Alice has always been a good friend to Pamela and Liz, a best friend to Pamela and Liz...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship high-school humor realistic book contemporary female-author -
The Swift Boys & Me by Kody Keplinger
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNola Sutton has been best friends and neighbors with the Swift boys for practically her whole life. There’s the youngest, Kevin, who never stops talking; the oldest, Brian, who’s always kind and calm; and then there’s Canaan, the ringleader and Nola’s best-best friend. Nola can’t imagine her life without the Swift boys — they’ll always be like this, always be friends... -
Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThere Are No Cheat Codes for ShowmanceSeventeen-year-old gaymer Noah Mitchell only has one friend the wonderful, funny, strictly online-only MagePants69. After years playing RPGs together, they know everything about each other, except anything that would give away their real life identities. And Noah is certain that if they could just meet in person, they would be soulmates... -
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Access Denied: And Other Eighth Grade Error Messages by Denise Vega
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsComputer whiz Erin Swift is ready to start eighth grade. The Year of Humiliating Events (aka, seventh grade) is behind her and she's ready to rule the school. But eight grade comes with its own set of problems for Erin to navigate, including her first boyfriend, her first break-up, and the fact that her mom has been treating her more like an eight year old than an eighth grader... -
Dessert First by Dean Gloster
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsUpbeat--that's Kat, the girl in the family who everyone turns to when things get difficult. Especially now, when her beloved younger brother Beep is in his second leukemia relapse, and a bone marrow transplant from Kat may be his only chance... -
The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsDeaf teen Maya moves across the country and must attend a hearing school for the first time. As if that wasn’t hard enough, she also has to adjust to the hearing culture, which she finds frustrating—and also surprising when some classmates, including Beau Watson, take time to learn ASL... -
Angel Cake by Cathy Cassidy
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAnya used to dream of moving to Britain to start a brand-new life. But as she sits in a school where nobody understands her, she dreams of Polish summer skies and the place where she once belonged.Then Anya meets bad boy Dan. He’s no angel, but she’s sure there’s a sweeter side to him... -
Alice in Rapture, Sort Of by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAccording to Pamela's cousin in New Jersey, the worst thing that can happen to a girl is to start seventh grade without a boyfriend. So Alice is glad that she and Patrick are going together. But Patrick the boyfriend is a lot more complicated than Patrick the friend... -
All But Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe key to surviving seventh grade, Alice figures, is fitting in -- getting her ears pierced like everyone else, dressing like everyone else, joining clubs like everyone else.Suddenly, Alice finds herself part of the "in" group: a member of the All-Stars Fan Club and the earring club, and one of the Famous Eight. The trouble is, some of the stuff the "in" crowd does seems pretty dumb to Alice... -
Alice in Lace by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAlice suddenly finds herself married! Well, sort of. In an eighth grade health class, she and her friends are each given a hypothetical situation to help them learn to make good decisions. It's all great fun until one of the students creates a problem that could have serious consequences for the whole class... -
Caddy Ever After by Hilary McKay
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLove is in the air for the Casson family! Four hilarious, endearing tales unfold as Rose, Indigo, Saffy, and Caddy each tell their intertwining stories. Rose begins by showing how she does special with her Valentine's card for Tom in New York. Not to be outdone, Indigo has his own surprise in store for the Valentine,s Day disco at school... -
Living with Jackie Chan by Jo Knowles
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAfter fathering a baby, a teenager moves in with his karate-loving uncle and tries to come to terms with his guilt — and find a way to forgive. This isn’t how Josh expected to spend senior year. He thought he’d be hanging out with his best friends, Dave and Caleb, driving around, partying, just like always... -
Beat the Band by Don Calame
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsGet ready for riffs on hot girls, health class, and social hell! The outrageously funny boys from Swim the Fly return to rock their sophomore year. In this hilarious sequel to Swim the Fly, told from Coop’s point of view, it’s the beginning of the school year, and the tenth-grade health class must work in pairs on semester-long projects... -
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No Big Deal by Bethany Rutter
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratings'It's not my body that's holding me back. I think it's more of a problem that people tell me my body should hold me back.'Meet Emily Daly, a stylish, cute, intelligent and hilarious seventeen-year-old about to start her last year at school. Emily is also fat. She likes herself and her body. When she meets Joe at a house party, he instantly becomes The Crush of Her Life. Everything changes... -
Star-Crossed by Mimi McCoy
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA sweet new addition to the hit Candy Apple line! Will Abby's horoscope make her superstitious, or will she take fate into her own hands?A fabulous new title from Mimi McCoy, author of Candy Apple's debut title!Abby has it all together: she gets straight A's, she's a star on her junior high track team, and she's 7th grade class vice president... -
Carter's Big Break by Brent Crawford
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter surviving freshman year (just barely), Carter is craving his summer break. Unfortunately, when he and his girlfriend, Abby, part ways, it looks as though summer just might break him. Things start to look up when he's unexpectedly cast in an independent film opposite the world's biggest tween sensation, Hilary Idaho. With Hollywood knocking on his door, Carter gets a taste of the good life... -
The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrankie Towers has always looked up to his older brother, Steve, and with good reason. Steve is a popular senior who always gets what he wants: girls, a soccer scholarship, and--lately--street cred. Frankie, on the other hand, spends his time shooting off fireworks with his best friend Zach, working at his parents' restaurant, and obsessing about his longtime crush, Rebecca Sanchez... -
Call the Shots by Don Calame
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAnd . . . action! As the uproarious trio returns, sensitive Sean takes the spotlight — scripting a low-low-budget film while fielding unexpected female fans. Coop is cooking up another sure-misfire scheme (big surprise), and this time the comedy plays out from Sean’s point of view... -
Seventeen and In-Between by Barthe DeClements
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAnother story about Barthe DeClements's bestselling heroine, Elsie Edwards... -
Pwned by Shannen Crane Camp
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsReagan West has a perfect life. She’s at the top of the high school food chain as co-captain of the cheerleading squad and she’s best friends with the most evil girl in Albany, Tawny Perez, which means she’s never on the receiving end of her wrath... -
Unfriend You: Masihkah Kau Temanku? by Dyah Rinni, Nico Rosady
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAku adalah noda untuk dosa yang tak kulakukan.Aku mencoba bertahan, berusaha mengerti;mungkin ada bagian dari dirimu yang tak bisa kuraih... -
Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies by Erin Dionne
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThirteen-year-old Celeste Harris is no string bean, but comfy sweatpants and a daily chocolate cookie suit her just fine. Her under-the-radar lifestyle could have continued too, if her aunt hadn?t entered her in the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge... -
The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHamlet Kennedy just wants to be your average, happy, vanilla eighth grader. But with Shakespearean scholar parents who dress in Elizabethan regalia and generally go about in public as if it were the sixteenth century, that’s not terribly easy... -
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Save the Date by Tamara Summers
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsVictoria Finnegan to marry Kevin Ork in the Rose Bower of Cynthia Flair Botanical GardensSunday, June 17, 3 p.m.Dress: very flowery.Yay.Paris Finnegan is marrying Jiro Kuan on the beach at Huntsville National ParkSaturday, August 11, 1 p.m.Dress: Um . . -
Swim the Fly by Don Calame
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThree adolescent boys with a single goal: see a reallive naked girl. The result? Razor-sharp, rapid-fi re, and raunchy, of course. And beyond hilarious. Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal... -
7 Clues to Winning You by Kristin Walker
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen a humiliating picture of Blythe goes viral, she's instantly the target of ridicule at her new school. To salvage her reputation, Blythe teams up with Luke to win the Senior Scramble scavenger hunt. But Luke is an unlikely ally and potentially can't be trusted. Perhaps it's his Shakespearean witticisms that reel Blythe in despite her better judgment . . -
Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom by Susin Nielsen
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsViolet's TV-director dad has traded a job in Vancouver for one in Los Angeles, their run-down house for a sleek ranch-style home complete with a pool, and, worst of all, Violet's mother for a trophy wife, a blonde actress named Jennica. Violet's younger sister reacts by bed-wetting, and her mother ping-pongs from one loser to another, searching for love... -
Amazing Grace by Megan Shull
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsGrace Ace Kincaid has it all. She's a teen sports sensation. Her face and body are on the cover of every magazine. She's front and center on the red carpet. She has the world at her feet, as long as she toes the line. But then she says three little words. Three words that take her out of the spotlight to Medicine Hat, Alaska. Population 272.Grace has the chance to start all over again... -
Incredibly Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsGet ready to start your own incredible, amazing life…right? Alice McKinley is standing on the edge of something new—and half afraid she might fall off. Graduation is a big deal—that gauntlet of growing up that requires everyone she’s known since forever to make huge decisions that will fling them here and there and far from home...
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