Books like 'Ms. Bixby's Last Day'
Readers who enjoyed Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary action / adventure realistic humor friendship children family grief coming-of-age sad
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The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf, اونجلی رئوف
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsTold with humor and heart, 'THE BOY AT THE BACK OF THE CLASS' offers a child's perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn't always make sense.There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a new boy called Ahmet is sitting in it.He's eight years old (just like me), but he's very strange... -
내 토끼가 또 사라졌어! by Mo Willems
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsKorean edition of the last story of Knuffle Bunny series, KNUFFLE BUNNY FREE: An Unexpected Diversion by Mo Willems, the author of a three-time Caldecott Honor winner (for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny, and Knuffle Bunny Too)... -
Always You by Belle Brooks, Karen Harper
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“I will breathe for you.” Some people’s bodies are built to run marathons. Others to lift and labour. And some are made so graceful their footsteps are barely heard. My body was built to be a vessel. It was Always You. Maybelline Connors knows stars are not always as faultless as they appear... -
Islandborn by Junot Díaz
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEvery kid in Lola's school was from somewhere else. Hers was a school of faraway places. So when Lola's teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families immigrated from, all the kids are excited. Except Lola. She can't remember The Island—she left when she was just a baby... -
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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... -
The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden by Karina Yan Glaser
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA New York Times bestseller! Return to Harlem's "wildly entertaining" family in this funny, heartwarming sequel. When catastrophe strikes their beloved upstairs neighbors, the Vanderbeeker children set out to build the best, most magical healing garden in Harlem—in spite of a locked fence, thistles and trash, and the conflicting plans of a wealthy real estate developer... -
Jabari salta by Gaia Cornwall
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He's finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he's a great jumper, so he's not scared at all. "Looks easy," says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back... -
If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe much-anticipated follow-up to the E. B. White Award-winning picture book If I Built a CarIn If I Built a Car, imaginative Jack dreamed up a whimsical fantasy ride that could do just about anything. Now he's back and ready to build the house of his dreams, complete with a racetrack, flying room, and gigantic slide... -
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 20 ratings-Readers, librarians, and all those books that have drawn a challenge have a brand new hero.... Stand up and cheer, book lovers. This one's for you... -
If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIf I built a car, it'd be totally new!Here are a few of the things that I'd do. . . .Young Jack is giving an eye-opening tour of the car he'd like to build. There's a snack bar, a pool, and even a robot named Robert to act as chauffeur... -
The Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsPublished in Indonesia in 2005, "The Rainbow Troops," Andrea Hirata's closely autobiographical debut novel, sold more than five million copies, shattering records. Now it promises to captivate audiences around the globe.Ikal is a student at the poorest village school on the Indonesian island of Belitong, where graduating from sixth grade is considered a remarkable achievement...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age family friendship humor poc-mc action-adventure bildungsroman -
Much Ado About Anne by Heather Vogel Frederick
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe mother-daughter book club is back! This year the mothers have a big surprise in store for Emma, Jess, Cassidy, and Megan: They've invited snooty Becca Chadwick and her mother to join the book club! But there are bigger problems when Jess finds out that her family may have to give up Half Moon Farm... -
Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWelcome, boys and girls, readers of all ages, to the first-ever Library Olympiad! Kyle and his teammates are back, and the world-famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, is at it again! This time Mr. Lemoncello has invited teams from all across America to compete in the first ever LIBRARY OLYMPICS. Will it be fun? Like the commercials say. . -
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant, Stephen Gammell
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe relatives' station wagon: it smelled like a real car, looked like a rainbow, and was roomy enough for a crowd. Lucky! Because a big crowd in all shapes and sizes piled into that old wagon at four o'clock one summer morning and piled out of it the next day at their relatives' place on the north side of the mountains. All in good moods... -
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Make the Rules by Annie Barrows
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBean's older sister, Nancy, is going to Girl Power 4-Ever Camp, where she will do Crafts and Music and First Aid and other secret things that Bean will never know about because girls have to be eleven to go to Girl Power 4-Ever Camp. Bean doesn't care. She doesn't want to go to camp. She wouldn't go even if they begged her. So ha. So ha ha...Categorized as:
children friendship humor realistic action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom #1 New York Times-bestselling author Dan Gemeinhart comes a standalone companion to the critically-acclaimed The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise about a father and daughter who venture on a moving, uplifting, and rollicking cross-country road trip. It's been almost a year since Coyote and her dad left the road behind and settled down in a small Oregon town. . -
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsRevered teacher, librarian, and story ambassador John Schu explores anorexia—and self-expression as an act of survival—in a wrenching and transformative novel-in-verse. But another voice inside me says, We need help. We’re going to die. Jake volunteers at a nursing home because he likes helping people... -
Out of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMelody faces her fears to follow her passion in this stunning sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Out of My Mind.Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is now a year older and a year braver. But not as brave as she wants to be, as she’s terrified of horses. Even though she loves horses—loves loves loves them—from afar... -
The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAn extraordinary new novel from Jasmine Warga, Newbery Honor–winning author of Other Words for Home, about loss and healing—and how friendship can be magical. Cora hasn’t spoken to her best friend, Quinn, in a year. Despite living next door to each other, they exist in separate worlds of grief... -
Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race by Chris Grabenstein
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratings#1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Grabenstein is back with the third fantastically fun, puzzle-packed MR. LEMONCELLO adventure!On your marks. Get set. Lemon, cello, GO!Everyone's favorite game maker, Mr... -
No, David! by David Shannon
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsWhen author and artist David Shannon was five years old, he wrote a semi-autobiographical story of a little kid who broke all his mother's rules. He chewed with his mouth open, jumped on the furniture, and he broke his mother's vase... -
Patina by Jason Reynolds
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratings"A New York Times Notable Children's BookA newbie to the track team, Patina must learn to rely on her teammates as she tries to outrun her personal demons in this follow-up to the National Book Award finalist Ghost by New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds.Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash... -
The Stars of Summer by Tara Dairman
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt’s not easy being an undercover restaurant critic—especially when you’re only twelve years old!After successfully completing her first restaurant review for the New York Standard newspaper, Gladys Gatsby is looking forward to a quiet summer of cooking and eating. But her plans quickly go awry when her friend Charissa Bentley delivers Gladys’s birthday gift: a free summer at Camp Bentley... -
Train I Ride by Paul Mosier
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsRydr is on a train heading east, leaving California, where her gramma can’t take care of her anymore, and traveling to Chicago to live with an unknown relative. She brings with her a suitcase, memories both happy and sad, and a box containing something very important.As Rydr meets her fellow passengers and learns their stories, her own past begins to emerge... -
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No News Is Good News by Annie Barrows
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIvy and Bean need some money. Ten dollars, to be exact. Never mind what for. Okay, it's for low-fat Belldeloon cheese in a special just-for you serving size. Don't ask why. How are Ivy and Bean going to make ten dollars? Hey, maybe they should write a newspaper about Pancake Court and sell it! Great idea! And easy, too. All they have to do is snoop around the neighborhood. Wow.. -
The Terrible Two Go Wild by Mac Barnett, Jory John
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSummers are for pranking in The Terrible Two Go Wild , the third installment of the hilarious New York Times bestselling series by Mac Barnett and Jory John, with illustrations by Kevin Cornell.School’s out, and pranksters Miles and Niles have retreated to a perfect hideout in the woods, complete with snacks, games, books, sleeping bags, stream-chilled lemonade . . -
Supergifted by Gordon Korman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe highly anticipated sequel to Ungifted from #1 New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman.Donovan Curtis has never been what anyone would call “gifted.” But his genius friend Noah Youkilis is actually supergifted, with one of the highest IQs around. After years at the Academy for Scholastic Distinction, all Noah dreams of is the opportunity to fail if he wants to... -
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... -
Chester's Way by Kevin Henkes
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 30 ratings“I like croquet and peanut butter and making my bed.”There is only one way for Chester to do things—his own way. “You definitely have a mind of your own,” said Chester’s mother. “That’s one way to put it,” said Chester’s father.Luckily Chester’s best friend, Wilson, likes doing things just the same way as Chester. When they cut their sandwiches, it's always diagonally... -
The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsEverybody needs friends? especially a boy in a dress! Dennis? life is boring and lonely. His mother left two years ago, his truck driver father is depressed, his brother is a bully and, worst of all, ?no hugging? is one of their household rules. But one thing Dennis does have is soccer?he?s the leading scorer on his team... -
What the Moon Saw by Laura Resau
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsClara Luna's name means "clear moon" in Spanish. But lately, her head has felt anything but clear. One day a letter comes from Mexico, written in Spanish: Dear Clara, We invite you to our house for the summer. We will wait for you on the day of the full moon, in June, at the Oaxaca airport. Love, your grandparents. Fourteen-year-old Clara has never met her father's parents... -
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
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... -
I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black, Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThere is NOTHING boring about being a kid, but one little girl is going to have to prove it in this anything-but-boring picture book from comedian Michael Ian Black.Just when a little girl thinks she couldn't possibly be more bored, she stumbles upon a potato who turns the tables on her by declaring that children are boring... -
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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
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... -
The Fort by Gordon Korman
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of RESTART, the story of a middle-school "band of brothers" -- five friends who need to stick together after they set up a hideout in an abandoned bomb shelter and discover that the only way to be true friends is to reveal their secrets and help each other out... -
Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record by Annie Barrows
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWorld record fever grips the second grade, and soon Ivy and Bean are trying to set their own record by becoming the youngest people to have ever discovered a dinosaur... -
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... -
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... -
Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsFrom hot new talent Jordan Sonnenblick, a "Tuesdays with Morrie" for teens. Coincides with the publication of his new hardcover novel.16-year-old Alex decides to get even. His parents are separated, his father is dating his former third-grade teacher, and being 16 isn't easy, especially when it comes to girls... -
Scumble by Ingrid Law
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsNine years after Mibs's Savvy journey, her cousin Ledge has just turned thirteen . . . But Ledger Kale's savvy is a total dud-all he does is make little things fall apart. So his parents decide it's safe to head to Wyoming, where it's soon revealed that Ledge's savvy is much more powerful than anyone thought... -
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... -
House Arrest by K.A. Holt
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsStealing is bad.Yeah.I know.But my brother Levi is always so sick, and his medicine is always so expensive.I didn’t think anyone would notice,if I took that credit card,if, in one stolen second,I bought Levi’s medicine.But someone did notice.Now I have to prove I’m not a delinquent, I’m not a total bonehead... -
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How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsPirates have green teeth—when they have any teeth at all. I know about pirates, because one day, when I was at the beach building a sand castle and minding my own business, a pirate ship sailed into view... -
Soundtrack by Jason Reynolds, Nile Bullock
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratings#1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds transports us back to the early 2000s in Soundtrack, an audiobook original about New York City teens whose talent and love of music lift them to unexpected heights. Stuy wanted to play the drums just like his mom, a founding member of the punk band The Bed-Stuy Magic Dusters... -
Turning the Page by Katrina Abbott
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCelia Thomas should be living a charmed life; as the niece of Hollywood's current it guy, whose whole family is on the payroll, she doesn't have to worry about money or future job prospects. Except maybe she doesn't want to go into the family business... -
Mr. March by Nicole S. Goodin
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom international bestselling author Nicole S. Goodin, comes a new standalone, friends to lovers romance. Luke Kingsford.Ex-army soldier.All round nice guy.… And in love with his best friend’s wife.Mia Vander.Heartbroken widow.Single mother.… And surviving day by day.Two years after Troy passed away before his eyes, Luke finds himself in love with the very woman he’s vowed to protect... -
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. -
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...
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