El Deafo
Cece Bell · 2014
Cece Bell's graphic memoir about losing her hearing as a child and using a powerful hearing aid that makes her feel like a superhero.
Books by topic
Graphic Novels
Graphic novels ask readers to combine words, images, panel order and the space between panels to understand a story — a demanding and genuinely literate skill. For many children they are also the books that make reading feel like their own choice.
This shelf includes graphic memoirs and adaptations as well as fiction. Some titles are written for teens; check the age range and notes before handing them to younger readers.
- Picture Books
- Early Readers
- Chapter Books
- Middle Grade
- Graphic Novels
- Nonfiction & Biography
- Science & Nature
- History & Biography
- Fantasy & Imagination
- Diverse Books
- Feelings & Social-Emotional Learning
- Classroom Favorites
- Teen Reading
6 books
Sorted from youngest suggested age. Age ranges are editorial estimates.
Smile
Raina Telgemeier · 2010
Raina Telgemeier's graphic memoir about a dental injury in sixth grade, braces, and navigating changing friendships.
New Kid
Jerry Craft · 2019
Jordan Banks, who wants to go to art school, instead starts seventh grade at a mostly white private school and navigates two worlds.
American Born Chinese
Gene Luen Yang · 2006
Three intertwined graphic-novel storylines about identity, stereotypes, and belonging, including the Monkey King of Chinese legend.
The Iliad
Gareth Hinds · 2019
Gareth Hinds's graphic-novel adaptation of Homer's epic of the Trojan War.
March: Book One
John Lewis, Andrew Aydin; illustrated by Nate Powell · 2013
The first volume of Congressman John Lewis's graphic memoir about his life and the civil rights movement.
Related guides
Graphic Novels for Kids: Why They Count and How to Read Them Together
Why graphic novels are real reading, how to read comics with a child (panels, gutters, reading order), and graphic novels from early readers to teens.
Helping Reluctant Readers: What to Try When a Child Says They Hate Reading
How to tell 'won't' from 'can't', use choice, graphic novels, humor and series, lower the pressure, and know when to ask the school about a reading evaluation.