Books like Tom Gates
Tom Gates by Liz Pichon reads as humorous, lighthearted. These 12 books share its genome — matched by how they actually read, not just their shelf label.
What Tom Gates is like to read
A doodle-strewn, diary-style romp through school holidays, sibling pranks, and garage-band dreams — quick, silly, and reliably grin-inducing for young readers. Best for: elementary-age readers who loved Wimpy Kid and want illustrated, laugh-out-loud school-life mischief.
Dork Diaries
Rachel Renée Russell · 2009
A doodle-filled diary romp through middle-school social warfare — breezy, self-deprecating, and packed with cringe-comedy set pieces at Nikki's snobby new school.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Jeff Kinney · 2007
Greg's candid, wryly self-aware diary entries chronicle the small social catastrophes and petty schemes of middle school with gentle humor and accessible charm.
Big Nate - Doodlepalooza
Lincoln Peirce · 2013
An activity-book grab bag of puzzles, mazes, and doodle prompts pitched at Big Nate fans — interactive and playful rather than narrative.
Big Nate - Game On!
Lincoln Pierce · 2013
A brash, sports-obsessed sixth-grader narrates his cocky adventures across the school athletic calendar with cartoon energy and constant trash talk.
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates
Liz Pichon · 2011
An illustrated, doodle-packed romp through the daily scrapes of a distractible middle-schooler — episodic, breezy, and constantly cracking jokes at Tom's own expense.
Cat Kid Comic Club
Dav Pilkey · 2020
A joyful, chaotic anthology-within-a-story where baby frogs learn to make comics in wildly different media — every few pages brings a new visual style and a fresh burst of goofy energy.
Middle school, get me out of here!
James Patterson · 2012
A breezy, illustrated diary-style romp through the horrors of a new art school, narrated with self-deprecating middle-school swagger.
The strange case of Origami Yoda
Tom Angleberger · 2010
A quick, funny middle-grade mystery told through multiple classmates' accounts of a paper Yoda puppet, with a light school-life mystery at its center.
Grosso guaio a New York
Elisabetta Dami · 2007
A bright, breezy middle-grade mystery-adventure with the Thea Sisters chasing an arsonist through New York while cheering on a marathon — friendship-forward, low-stakes-feeling despite the threat, and briskly plotted.
The Truth About Stacey
Raina Telgemeier · 2006
A warm, accessible graphic-novel adaptation that folds Stacey's diabetes and new-friend anxieties into an ensemble caper against a rival club — earnest, quickly-paced panels with r
The Bad Guys
Aaron Blabey · 2016
A zippy, cartoon-fast caper starring would-be heroes who can barely stop bickering long enough to rescue a kitten.
Planet Omar
Zanib Mian · 2020
Both explore school life & friendship
About Tom Gates — what the genome says
Is Tom Gates a complete story or a cliffhanger?
It's a complete, standalone-satisfying story.
Who is Tom Gates for?
It's written for middle-grade readers (roughly ages 8-12).
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