Top Picks in Graphic Novels for Young Readers

Smile, by Raina Telgemeier
This story of a dental disaster perfectly captures the horror of being a tween and feeling physically different from your peers. Sixth grader Raina falls and damages her front teeth one night after Girl Scouts, and must endure pain both physical (from surgery, to braces, to uncomfortable headgear) and social (embarrassment, ostracizing from her friends, and, oh, the boy problems). Based on the author/artist’s own experiences, this achingly true graphic novel is perfect for any kid experiencing growing pains.

Ghostopolis, by Doug TenNapel
It sounds like a zany adventure—young Garth Hales is mistakenly zapped into the afterworld by a ghosthunter. Garth explores the strange world with his new companion, a skeletal horse, meeting oddball creatures and departed family members along the way. TenNapel gives the story weight, framing it with Garth’s diagnosis with a terminal disease. This is both a fun, fabulously creative romp and a profound book about death.

Pokemon Pocket Comics: Black & White
If you’ve caught one Pokemon, you’ve gotta catch ’em all, and this collection of four-panel comics, trivia, puzzels, and quizzes allows gamers to keep hunting even after the batteries have powered down for the evening.

The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti
Riordan’s gleeful YA riff on Greek myth makes a perfect transition to graphic novel. Dramatic, eye-catching comic book artwork proves to be the perfect medium for the story of a teenage boy who finds out he’s the son of a Zeus and winds up attending a summer camp literally run by the gods. 

Bone #1: Out from Boneville, by Jeff Smith
Available for the first time in color, this updated version of Jeff Smith’s classic coming-of-age graphic novel series is perfect for readers of all ages. When Ford Bone and his two cousins are thrown out of Boneville, they find themselves on an epic quest that will see them face monsters, magic, a banished princess, and a dragon, not to mention flesh-eating rats. A perfect gift for young fantasy fans. 

The Stonekeeper, by Kazu Kibuishi
What begins as a haunted house tale becomes something much more in this daring, ambitious graphic novel. After their father’s death, siblings Emily and Navin move with their mother into the very strange home of a distant relative—a home with a sinister door in the basement, through which exists a world of monsters, mayhem, and mortal danger. When their mother is lured through the door by a malevolent tentacled beast, Emily and Navin set off on a quest to save her, and must face the most difficult challenge of all: learning to make their own choices.

Daniel X: Alien Hunter, by James Patterson
Patterson’s trademark blend of memorable characters and addictive storytelling flourishes in graphic novel format. Aliens killed Daniel’s parents. Now, with the help of the prized List of Alien Outlaws, Daniel is ready to claim his father’s title of Alien Hunter and get revenge. The same young teens who turned the Maximum Ride series into a sensation will gobble up this sci-fi action-adventure. 

Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon, by Paul Tobin and Ron Chan (illustrator)
Put down that smartphone and pick up a book! The zany world of the popular app makes for a graphic novel series that’s just as addictive (and adorably illustrated), as “Crazy Dave” the inventor helps his niece Patrice and her friend Nate fight off an undead uprising.

Monster High: I Only Have Eyes for You, by Heather Nuhfer and Kelee Riley (illustrator)
Based on the popular toy line, this graphic novel series imagines the horrifically funny antics of the student bodies (undead and otherwise) of Monster High, including favorite characters Cleo, Scarah, Draculaura, Lagoona, and Iris Clops. This volume collects six original stories that perfectly incapsulate the weirdness of being a teenager—human, vampire, or ghoul. 

Cardboard, by Doug TenNapel
Cam’s dad can’t afford to give him a birthday present, so he gives him a cardboard box instead. Together, the two craft it into a cardboard man—who suddenly comes to life! When the neighborhood bully discovers he can repeat the same process over and over, he constructs a paper army and tries to take over the town, and Cam and his dad must band together to stop the decidedly strange menace. As in Ghostopolis, TenNapel gives this outsized adventure real weight through the exploration of our father and son heroes’ shared grief over the recent death of Cam’s mother

Frozen: The Cinestory, Vol. 1
It seems no one can get enough of Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and friends, and now there’s a whole different way to experienced the beloved new classic. The Cinestory adaptation of the hit film translates stills from the movie into comic book panels, allowing the story to come alive on the page.

Korgi, Book 1: Sprouting Wings, by Christian Slade
In Korgi Hollow, friendly, doglike korgis live in harmony with their companions, the Mollies. In this black-and-white, largely dialogue-free graphic novel, Ivy, a young Mollie, and her korgi Sprout are trapped outside of their village and must brave a forest teeming with danger in order to make their way back home. Slade, a former Disney animator, brings an entire world to life almost solely with his drawings in this all-ages adventure story.
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