Books like 'Don't Call Me Ishmael!'
Readers who enjoyed Don't Call Me Ishmael! by Michael Gerard Bauer also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary comedy oceania australia humor high-school coming-of-age bullying children friendship
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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...Categorized as:
bullying children coming-of-age friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure -
Forever Geek by Holly Smale
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMy name is Harriet Manners and I’ll be a geek forever…Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is.Modelling isn’t a sure-fire route to popularity. Neither is making endless lists. The people you love don’t expect you to transform into someone else. Statistically, you are more likely to not meet your Australian ex-boyfriend in Australia than bump into him there... -
The Good, The Bad, And The Bullied by Rubix Cube 89201
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratings"It's quite simple really," Bennett told me."You'll be our good girl," Declan said.Jordan smiled. "And we'll be your bad boys."I was silent for a moment. I looked at them, at the contract, and back at them. Then I calmly put the papers back on the table. I looked at the three of them and slowly rose from my seat... -
The Big Picture by Jenny B. Jones
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsOriginally published in 2008. How do you walk away from love? Katie's bio-mom is fresh out of prison and wants to start a new life with her daughter--in a new town. Katie is forced to walk away from In Between, leaving the family she loves, an endangered town drive-in, and a boyfriend who can't take his eyes off his ex... -
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The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh by Helen Rutter
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBilly loves telling jokes . . . but there's one thing he feels is standing in his way of being a comic: his stutter. In The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh, debut author Helen Rutter shows how Billy finds his own triumph . . . with lots of laughs along the way.Billy Plimpton has a big dream: to become a famous comedian when he grows up... -
Spud: Exit, Pursued by a Bear by John van de Ruit
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAfter an unexpected and diabolical farewell breakfast conversation with his father, Spud Milton returns to boarding school for his 1993 Matric year, his last as a schoolboy. Armed with a prefects’ tie and a raging libido, Spud soon discovers that being a large(ish) fish in a small pond has its fair share of challenges... -
More Parts by Tedd Arnold
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThrough zany, brightly colored illustrations and rhyming verse, Arnold explores common figures of speech that amaze and frighten a young boy. "I'll bet that broke your heart," "give him a hand," "Hold your tongue," and "jumps out of his skin" are only a few of the sayings that worry the protagonist... -
Sevgili Salak Günlük Ikinci Yil by Jim Benton
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBestselling author Jim Benton is back, with a brand-new spin on a favorite series!Dear Dumb Diary is a hilarious hit! Now after 12 books (each covering a month of her life), Jamie Kelly's upcoming diaries have a fresh look and a fun twist. It's Dear Dumb Diary: Year Two! The diary entries are still laugh-out-loud funny -- but this is a whole new beginning... -
Head Over Heels by Holly Smale
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“My name is Harriet Manners, and I will always be a geek.”The fifth book in the bestselling, award-winning GEEK GIRL series.Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is.She knows duck-billed platypuses don’t have stomachs.She knows that fourteen squirrels were once detained as spies.She knows only one flag in the world features a building... -
Who Is Bugs Potter? by Gordon Korman
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWho is Bugs Potter? When he was last seen, he was wearing a moustache and running out of a crowded rock club. Then, he was spotted dressed as a telephone repairman, trying to break into a glamorous movie star's hotel suite. Next, he was observed playing the drums at the high school band festival rehearsal... -
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... -
The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWinner or washout?When it comes to tackling third grade, Clementine is at the top of her game—okay, so maybe not all the time. After her teacher announces that the third and fourth graders will be putting on a talent show, Clementine panics. She doesn't sing or dance or play an instrument. She can't even hop with finesse... -
Model Misfit by Holly Smale
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratings“My name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek.” Harriet knows that modelling won’t transform you. She knows that being as uniquely odd as a polar bear isn’t necessarily a bad thing (even in a rainforest). And that the average person eats a ton of food a year, though her pregnant stepmother is doing her best to beat this... -
The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLeft quad. Right quad. Lunge. A girls indoor soccer team warms up. From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigates big questions and wages tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. A portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals... -
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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... -
Permanent Rose by Hilary McKay
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt's a long hot, never-ending summer, with no letters for Rose. No phone calls, no messages, nothing at all.Rose is determined to find Tom in New York... -
Indigo's Star by Hilary McKay
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSchool is tough for Indigo Casson. Home isn't perfect either. But now on the scene is new boy Tom from New York with a guitar and friendship.And that makes all the difference... -
Junie B. Jones Is a Graduation Girl by Barbara Park
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt's kindergarten graduation!All the children in Room Nine are excited when they get their bright white graduation gowns. Mrs. says to keep them in their boxes until the big day. But Junie B. Jones just can't help herself. Then—uh-oh!—an accident happens! Can Junie B... -
Geek Girl (4). Der Star unter den Sternschnuppen by Holly Smale
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMy name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek.Harriet Manners has high hopes for the new school year: she’s a Sixth Former now, and things are going to be different... -
Totally Joe by James Howe
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJoe Bunch breaks down his life—and his secrets—for a school assignment in this second book of the funny, heartfelt, and beloved Misfits series by Bunnicula author James Howe.What can I say? I’m a total original. Joe may only be twelve-going-on-thirteen, but he’s known who he is from the time he was a little kid tottering around in his mother’s high heels... -
Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now by Lauren Child
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThere seems to be an awful lot in Clarice's life to worry about and when she finds herself unable to sleep at night, she follows Ruby Redfort's advice. But Clarice soon realises that your worst worry is the worry you haven't even thought to worry about... -
Ten Good and Bad Things About My Life by Ann M. Martin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPearl Littlefield’s first assignment in fifth grade is complicated: She has to write an essay about her summer... -
Boys Rock! by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWally Hatford dreams of long lazy days far away from school and Caroline Malloy. But Wally, the best speller among the Hatford brothers, gets roped into helping them with a summer newspaper project that will earn the twins school credit.What does that get Wally? When he hears scratching noises coming from Oldakers’ bookstore cellar, Mr...Categorized as:
realistic humor children friendship children-books fiction middle-grade contemporary -
Noah Goes Nuclear by Simon James Green
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNoah Grimes is back, in a new, original short story!Noah is v excited: his class have been shipped off to a hotel in the Lake District to study a nearby Nuclear Power Station! On arrival, all Noah wants to do is settle in to his crisp hotel sheets and get proper rest, but his conniving secret half-brother Eric Smith has other plans... -
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No Talking by Andrew Clements
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 25 ratings"You have the right to remain silent." However... The fifth-grade girls and the fifth-grade boys at Laketon Elementary don't get along very well. But the real problem is that these kids are loud and disorderly. That's why the principal uses her red plastic bullhorn. A lot... -
The Teenage Dirtbag Years by Ross O'Carroll-Kelly, Paul Howard
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSo there I was, roysh, class legend, schools rugby legend, basically all-round legend, when someone decides you can't, like, sit the Leaving Cert four times. Well that put a focking spanner in the works.But joining the goys at college wasn't the mare I thought it would be, basically for, like, three major beer, women and more women... -
Alice the Brave by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA month before eighth grade begins, Alice realizes she is going to have to face something she's been afraid of forever. Everybody, she knows, is afraid of something: elevators, dogs, planes, spiders . . . but her fear is worse. It's going to bring absolute disaster to the rest of her summer, maybe to the rest of her life... -
Skinnybones by Barbara Park
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPlay Ball???"I've played Little League baseball for six years now. But to tell you the truth, I'm not exactly what you'd call a real good athlete. Actually, I'm not even real okay. Basically, what I'm trying to say here is, I stink... -
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... -
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... -
Dolphin Girl by Shel Delisle
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJane Wants The Life Of A Dolphin. Wild. Graceful. Free. But these days her life is nothing like that. Between her mother’s strict rules and the cliques at school, she feels strapped in a child-sized life vest. It’s not until Jane gets a tattoo and befriends popular Sam Rojas, a star on the school’s swim team, that her life feels freer... -
The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading by Charity Tahmaseb, Darcy Vance
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen self-proclaimed geek girl Bethany Reynolds becomes the newest member of the varsity cheerleading squad, she realizes that there's one thing worse than blending into the lockers: getting noticed. Who knew cheerleading was so hard? Well, at least there's a manual, The Prairie Stone High Varsity Cheerleading Guide. Too bad it doesn't cover any of the really tough questions... -
Click Here: To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade by Denise Vega
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsImagine if all your personal thoughts about crushes, fears, enemies, and even kissing practice ended up on the Internet for everyone to read... -
Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush? by Jerry Spinelli
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWho Put That Hair in My Toothbrush? Sibling rivalry at its finest! Whether it's on the hockey ice, at school, or at home, Greg and Megin just can't seem to get along. She calls him Grosso, he calls her Megamouth. They battle with donuts, cockroaches, and hair... -
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War with Grandpa, The by Robert Kimmel Smith, Nicholas Kelly
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPeter is thrilled that Grandpa is coming to live with his family. That is, until Grandpa moves right into Peter’s room, forcing him upstairs.Peter loves his grandpa but wants his room back. He has no choice but to declare war! With the help of his friends, Peter devises outrageous plans to make Grandpa surrender the room. But Grandpa is tougher than he looks... -
A Non-Blonde Cheerleader in Love by Kieran Scott
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Sand Dune High cheerleading squad has gone coed, and not everyone is happy about it. Annisa's psyched when her boyfriend signs up, and stunting with the guys is pretty cool. But then the battle of the sexes heats up, and Annisa is caught in the middle... -
Schooled by Gordon Korman
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsHomeschooled by his hippie grandmother, Capricorn (Cap) Anderson has never watched television, tasted a pizza, or even heard of a wedgie. But when his grandmother lands in the hospital, Cap is forced to move in with a school counselor and attend the local middle school. While Cap knows a lot about tie-dyeing and Zen Buddhism, no education could prepare him for the politics of public school...Categorized as:
bullying children coming-of-age friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure -
Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott
Rated: 3.81 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMean Girls meets High School Musical from the author of I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader! Everyone loves KJ Miller, especially the geeks. She's pretty, smart, and super nice to everyone, which has made her the geek pied piper of Washington High. If only Cameron, the star of the basketball team, would follow her around and worship her the way her dorky entourage does... -
The Real Prom Queens of Westfield High by Laurie Boyle Crompton
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"Smart satire and a rollicking good read!" Jean Kilbourne, Ed... -
My Angelica by Carol Lynch Williams
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFifteen-year-old Sage Oliver is writing a Romance novel-- with a capital R . The book's heroine, Angelica, is Sage's ideal woman-- sensitive, strong, and sexy. There's only one small problem with Sage's novel-- it stinks! Enter George, Sage's would-be boyfriend and unwilling reader of her Angelica stories... -
Meet The Sennas by Orizuka
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAku Daza Senna. Anak kedua dari tiga bersaudara. Yang artinya aku anak tengah …. Astaga. Aku menulis apa, sih? Oke, mari coba lagi. Aku Daza Senna. Aku tinggal bersama orang-orang yang sama sekali tak bisa disebut normal. Dan sialnya, orang-orang itu adalah keluargaku. Hmm, ini sudah lebih bagus... -
The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA funny, thoughtful novel that takes on some sophisticated issues such as celebrity worship, consumerism and the way multinational corporations shape our lives. Ages 12-up.Josh Swensen is not your average 17-year-old. At the age of two, he was figuring out algebraic equations with colored magnetic numbers. He is a prodigy who only wants to make the world a better place... -
Boys Are Dogs by Leslie Margolis, Ellen Grafton
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThat’s what Annabelle discovers on her first day in her brand-new life. Birchwood Middle School is totally different from her old all-girls elementary. In fact, lots of things in Annabelle’s life are totally different now that she’s back from summer camp. There’s mom’s new boyfriend, a new house, new friends—even a new puppy that likes to chew on Annabelle’s clothes... -
Boys Don't Knit by T.S. Easton
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAfter an incident regarding a crossing guard and a bottle of Martini & Rossi (and his friends), 17-year-old worrier Ben Fletcher must develop his sense of social alignment, take up a hobby, and do some community service to avoid any further probation.He takes a knitting class (it was that or his father's mechanic class) with the impression that it's taught by the hot teacher all the boys like... -
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Mates, Dates, and Designer Divas by Cathy Hopkins
Rated: 3.69 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"Trust me to go and fall for someone who lives on the other side of the planet." Nesta has met the perfect boy: good-looking, fun, sweet. But there are problems, too. Simon's from a rich, upper-class background -- with a lifestyle to match -- and it's difficult for Nesta to keep up. And then there's Simon's friend Cressida...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure audiobook -
Born to Rock by Gordon Korman
Rated: 3.69 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLeo Caraway, president of the Young Republicans Club and a future Harvard student, has his entire future planned. But Leo is soon thrown for a loop when he discovers that the lead singer of punk rock's most destructive band is his biological father...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship high-school humor realistic action-adventure audiobook -
Best Friends for Never by Lisi Harrison
Rated: 3.72 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsIn the second book starring Westchester County's most privileged middle schoolers, the Clique declares Massie a hero for hosting the first boy/girl Halloween party of 8th grade. Massie's already hired Landon Dorsey, the hottest party planner in the 9-1-4 area code, but her parents insist she has to invite the entire class. Unfortunately that means everyone... -
Gabe Johnson Takes Over by Geoff Herbach
Rated: 3.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom Geoff Herbach, the award-winning author of the hit young adult novels Stupid Fast and Nothing Special, comes the ultimate underdog story, which will resonate with anyone who has suffered from teasing and bullying at the hands of the high school social hierarchy--and decided to do something about it. (Previously titled Fat Boy vs The Cheerleaders.)Gabe is having a tough week... -
How My Private, Personal Journal Became a Bestseller by Julia DeVillers
Rated: 3.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFormerly ordinary fourteen-year-old Jamie Bartlett isn't so ordinary anymore. Ever since she wrote a story about Isabella (aka IS), the stereotype-defying, popular-girl-crushing super teen, Jamie's life hasn't been the same. Suddenly she's doing interviews and book signings, flying to L.A... -
How to Date a Nerd by Cassie Mae
Rated: 3.63 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsZoe has a great pair of legs, perky boobs, and wears exactly what she needs to show it all off. She works hard for the easy sleazy you only wish you were me reputation, burying who she really is---an all-out nerd. The only time Zoe gets to be herself is when she hides under her comforter to read X-Men comics, sending jealousy stabs at everyone who attends Comic-Con...
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