Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess cover – Books Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Books Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Best Funny Books for Kids

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Updated September 2026

Books Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Short Answer

The best books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid are funny, illustrated school stories that read just as fast: Big Nate, Dork Diaries, Timmy Failure, Rowley's own journal, Dog Man and The Last Kids on Earth. If your child has finished all twenty Diary of a Wimpy Kid books on shelves (Book 21, Fight or Flight, arrives October 20, 2026), start with Big Nate.

These are the series we see work again and again with the same readers:

  • Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce: the closest match in tone and format.
  • Dork Diaries by Rachel Renée Russell: the same doodled-diary style, told by a middle school girl.
  • Timmy Failure by Stephan Pastis: a clueless kid narrator who is funnier than he knows.
  • Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid by Jeff Kinney: Rowley's side of the story, a little gentler.
  • Dog Man and Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey: for kids who want more pictures and less text.
  • The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier: the jokes and drawings of Wimpy Kid with a monster-apocalypse plot.
  • New Kid by Jerry Craft: a graphic novel about middle school that is funny and has something to say.

Below, we've grouped sixteen picks by what your reader actually liked about Greg Heffley, with the first book in each series, the year it came out, a realistic age range and a short content note so you know what you're handing over. If they haven't quite finished Greg's books yet, our Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in order guide lists every book, plus Rowley's spin-offs.

In this guide:

If They Loved the Diary Format and the Doodles

Wimpy Kid's secret is the handwritten-journal look: short entries, a drawing every page or two, lots of white space. A child who stalls on dense chapter books will read two hundred pages of this without noticing. These series use the same trick.

Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce

Start with: Big Nate: In a Class by Himself (2010). Nate Wright is a sixth grader with enormous confidence and very little evidence to back it up. Peirce drew the Big Nate comic strip for years before the novels, and it shows: the timing is sharp and the comic panels are woven right into the story. If you only buy one series from this list, make it this one.
Ages: 8–12. Content note: detention, rivalries and teacher-bashing, nothing more.

Dork Diaries by Rachel Renée Russell

Start with: Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life (2009). Nikki Maxwell is the new kid at a private school, trying to survive the popular crowd. The diary pages are packed with doodles, and the series runs to more than a dozen books. Often pitched as "for girls," but plenty of boys read it once they've run out of Wimpy Kid.
Ages: 9–12. Content note: crushes and mean-girl drama, all very mild.

Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid by Jeff Kinney

Start with: Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal (2019). Greg's best friend keeps his own journal, and Rowley's cheerful misreading of everything Greg does is a good joke that holds up for a whole book. The obvious bridge for a Wimpy Kid fan.
Ages: 7–11. Content note: none to speak of; kinder in tone than the main series.

Tom Gates by Liz Pichon

Start with: The Brilliant World of Tom Gates (2011). A British schoolboy's notebook, covered in doodles, band plans and schemes to avoid homework. Even more visual than Wimpy Kid, and there are more than twenty books, so a hooked reader won't run out soon.
Ages: 8–12. Content note: British slang, mild sibling squabbling.

If They Loved the Clueless Narrator

Half the comedy in Wimpy Kid comes from the gap between what Greg thinks is happening and what the reader can see is happening. These books are built on that same gap.

Timmy Failure by Stephan Pastis

Start with: Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (2013). Timmy runs a detective agency with a polar bear named Total and is wrong about absolutely everything. Pastis, who draws the Pearls Before Swine strip, writes in short, deadpan chapters with cartoons. The series runs to eight books, and Disney made a film of the first one in 2020.
Ages: 8–12. Content note: Timmy's family is struggling for money and his dad is absent, handled lightly but present.

Middle School by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts

Start with: Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (2011). Rafe Khatchadorian sets out to break every rule in the school handbook. It's funny and fast, with Laura Park's drawings throughout, but it also has more serious threads than Wimpy Kid.
Ages: 10–13. Content note: a difficult stepfather-type figure and a sad family backstory; better for the older end of the Wimpy Kid crowd.

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald

Start with: Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading (2011). A boy who hates reading shares his many strategies for avoiding books. It's a sneaky pick for a reluctant reader, because it's a book that lets them feel understood.
Ages: 9–12. Content note: mild scheming and middle school crushes.

If They Want Even More Pictures

Some kids love Wimpy Kid mainly for the cartoons. For them, the next step is a full graphic novel, which is still real reading. Graphic novels build vocabulary and story sense, and they're often what turns a reluctant reader into a willing one. For older kids who push back on books, our list of books for sixth grade boys who don't like reading has more that works.

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey

Start with: Dog Man (2016). Half dog, half police officer, all chaos. The books are "written" by George and Harold from Captain Underpants, so the humor is gleefully silly. There are more than a dozen books, and new ones keep coming.
Ages: 6–10. Content note: potty humor and cartoon villainy; no real scares.

Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

Start with: The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997). Two fourth graders hypnotize their principal into believing he's a superhero. It's a mix of chapter book and comic, with the famous "Flip-O-Rama" pages. Some parents roll their eyes at the potty jokes. Kids love it, and it gets them reading.
Ages: 7–10. Content note: lots of bathroom humor and pranks on grown-ups.

The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey

Start with: The Bad Guys (2015). A wolf, a shark, a snake and a piranha try very hard to be heroes. It's big type with pictures on every page, so it moves very quickly. DreamWorks has made two films from it (2022 and 2025), which helps with buy-in.
Ages: 6–10. Content note: slapstick only.

New Kid by Jerry Craft

Start with: New Kid (2019). Jordan Banks starts seventh grade at a private school where he is one of very few kids of color. It's funny, sketchbook-style and honest. It was the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal, and it has two sequels, Class Act and School Trip.
Ages: 9–13. Content note: deals with race and fitting in, thoughtfully; a good one to talk about together.

If They Loved the School-Day Comedy

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

Start with: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (2010). A sixth grader's paper-finger-puppet Yoda seems to give genuinely good advice. The book is set up as a "case file" of notes and doodles from different kids. There are six books, plus a folding guide. Knowing Star Wars helps, but you don't need it.
Ages: 8–12. Content note: none.

Wayside School by Louis Sachar

Start with: Sideways Stories from Wayside School (1978). It takes place in a school built thirty stories high by mistake, with one short, absurd chapter per student. It's older than anything else here, and still one of the funniest books on our shelves. It's also great read aloud, and it earns its spot on our list of read-aloud chapter books for families.
Ages: 7–11. Content note: a teacher turns kids into apples in chapter one; it's that kind of book.

Hank Zipzer by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

Start with: Niagara Falls, or Does It? (2003). Hank is funny, smart and always in trouble at school because of learning differences he doesn't yet have a name for. Winkler based him on his own experience with dyslexia. For younger readers, the Here's Hank prequels use a dyslexia-friendly font.
Ages: 8–12. Content note: none; an encouraging pick for kids who struggle in school.

The Fudge Books by Judy Blume

Start with: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972). Peter Hatcher and his impossible little brother Fudge are the original Greg and Manny. There are no doodles, but the sibling comedy is exactly the same, and the chapters are short.
Ages: 7–11. Content note: Fudge swallows Peter's pet turtle, which upsets some sensitive readers.

If They're Ready for Adventure With the Laughs

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier

Start with: The Last Kids on Earth (2015). Jack Sullivan is a thirteen-year-old whose monster apocalypse is, frankly, the best thing that ever happened to him. The writing sounds like Wimpy Kid and Douglas Holgate's drawings are everywhere, but now there's a plot with zombies and giant monsters. The tenth book in the main series came out in 2025. This is a very good choice for a kid who's ready for more story.
Ages: 8–12. Content note: cartoon monster fights and some gross-out moments; not actually scary.

Matching the Book to the Reader by Age and Reading Load

Series First book (year) Best ages Reading load
Dog Man / The Bad Guys 2016 / 2015 6–10 Lightest: mostly pictures
Captain Underpants 1997 7–10 Light
Rowley Jefferson's Journal 2019 7–11 Same as Wimpy Kid
Big Nate, Tom Gates, Origami Yoda 2010 / 2011 / 2010 8–12 Same as Wimpy Kid
Dork Diaries, Timmy Failure 2009 / 2013 8–12 Same as Wimpy Kid
Last Kids on Earth, Hank Zipzer 2015 / 2003 8–12 A step up
Middle School, New Kid 2011 / 2019 9–13 A step up, more serious moments

A rule of thumb from behind the counter: if your child is nine or under and reads Wimpy Kid mostly for the pictures, go to Dog Man or Rowley. If they're ten or older and read every word, try Big Nate or The Last Kids on Earth. If they've started to ask about the "real" stuff at school, like friendships, fairness and fitting in, New Kid is the one. For a wider shelf at that age, see our best books for 10-year-olds.

A Word for Parents About Greg Heffley

Greg is not a role model, and Jeff Kinney has never pretended he is. He's selfish, lazy, and nearly always wrong. The joke only works because the reader can see that. Some of the books above have narrators who are better people (Rowley, Hank, Jordan in New Kid). If the Wimpy Kid attitude is starting to show up at your dinner table, those are good ones to steer toward.

For homeschool families: funny illustrated books count as reading. A child who reads fifteen Big Nate books this year has read thousands of pages on their own, and that's what builds fluency. Put them next to a read-aloud with a bit more weight, and don't make the fun books earn their place. Our funny books for 8-year-olds list has more ideas for the younger end.

Stock Up on Used Copies

Series like these get read to pieces, so buying used makes a lot of sense. Browse our kids' books and graphic novels, or use the search links above to see which volumes are on the shelf today. Stock changes daily because every copy is one of a kind. Shipping is free on orders over $15, and a few paperbacks will get you there.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is most like Diary of a Wimpy Kid?

Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce is the closest match. It has the same age group, the same mix of comic panels and diary-style text, and the same kind of overconfident sixth-grade narrator. Start with Big Nate: In a Class by Himself (2010).

What should my child read after finishing all the Wimpy Kid books?

Try Rowley's own series, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, first, then Big Nate, Dork Diaries or Timmy Failure. For a child ready for more plot, The Last Kids on Earth is the natural next step.

How many Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are there?

Twenty main-series books are on shelves as of September 2026, the newest being Partypooper (October 2025). Book 21, Fight or Flight, comes out October 20, 2026.

Are there books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid for girls?

Dork Diaries by Rachel Renée Russell is the obvious one, with the same doodled-diary format and a middle school girl narrating. Tom Gates, Origami Yoda and New Kid also work well for any reader.

What age is Diary of a Wimpy Kid for?

Most kids read it between about 8 and 12. Younger siblings often pick it up at 7 for the cartoons, while the humor still lands with readers in the early teens.

Are graphic novels like Dog Man real reading?

Yes. Readers still follow a story, learn new words and track characters, and for many reluctant readers graphic novels are the bridge to longer books. New Kid by Jerry Craft even won the Newbery Medal.

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