12 Graphic Novel Series for Kids
If you’ve written off graphic novels for kids as not “real” reading, take a peek at these titles that have massive kid appeal and help even reluctant readers want to crack open a book. These 12 best graphic novels for kids are sure to be a hit!
As a former librarian and now a parent, I feel like graphic novels for kids are a reading secret weapon.
When I took over the two library collections in my Boston schools, there wasn’t a single graphic novel on the shelves, so I got to start two graphic novel collection from scratch.
And it was miraculous to see how my students flocked to them, even the children that never ever showed any interest in other books.
I marked out a section on the shelves for graphic novels, but it turned out to be unneeded because for the ENTIRE year, those books never once went back on the shelf.
One child would drop a graphic novel in the return basket and before I had a moment to return them to the shelf, another child would have grabbed it out and be checking it out.
I love graphic novels for kids because the illustrations help guide the story along and they are usually much less text-heavy, which is fantastic for visual learners or reluctant readers or struggling readers.
They also tend to be small and paperback, so they can seem much less intimidating than a traditional novel.
And even strong readers can benefit from the opportunity to use their brains in slightly different ways, piecing together the story through both words and images.
Not to mention that graphic novels for kids are just plain fun.
Ella and Ani both devour graphic novels and the graphic novels below have all been vetted by my 600 students back in Boston or my two little in-home reviewers and gotten big thumbs up.
The best part about these graphic novels for kids is that each of them is a series, so once your child gets hooked, there are many more adventures to be had!
The Best Graphic Novels for Kids
Lunch Lady series by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
This was the first graphic novels for kids series I ever read and I remember clearly reading it on the train in Boston and thinking, “This is SO clever.” The black and white with yellow color scheme is so appealing and it’s full of nutty adventures and hilarious crime-fighting tools from lunch lady supplies. I’ve never met a child who didn’t love these.
Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi
After their father dies, Emily and Navin find a new home with their mother where their great-great-grandfather used to live. But far from being a peaceful retreat from their grief, this house is full of new fears, including a basement dwelling creature that lures their mother into a magical underground world. Obviously, they follow her through. And obviously there is no shortage of adventures that await.
Babymouse series by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm
This is the most beloved graphic novels for kids series at our house – I think Ella has read them all at least two or three times. They’re so cute and they’re are a LOT of them. This duo also wrote the Squish series which has also been a hit at our house and has more boy appeal than the all-pink Babymouse series.
The Flying Beaver Brothers by Maxwell Eaton
Ella’s review of this graphic novel series: “It is VERY far-fetched. But it’s also really funny.” I mean, when two beavers start battling it out with penguins who want to turn their island paradise into a frozen resort? What else would you expect?
CatStronauts by Drew Brockington
I think one thing that’s so appealing about graphic novels for kids is that they just lend themselves so easily to a little bit of silliness, in a way another format doesn’t. In this one, the fate of the world depends on the CatStronauts setting up a solar power plant on the moon to solve the global energy crisis. Fortunately, this feline crew is more than up to the task in this world where everyone is a cat and EVERYONE wants a tuna sandwich.
The Treehouse series by Andy Griffiths
If your child lives for slapstick, this graphic novel series is for them. Andy and Terry live in a treehouse with thirteen stories. It also has a swimming pool and a bowling alley and it keeps getting bigger and better as the duo add more stories. Chocolate waterfall, anyone?
Owly series by Andy Runton
Poor little Owly. He’s so sweet, but he’s so lonely. All he really wants is a friend. And in this two-part graphic novel, he might just find one.
Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson
Raise your hand if you have a small unicorn lover at your house? I’ve got three and this book was a smash hit. Everything in this book happened by accident when Phoebe skipped a rock across the water and, entirely by mistake, smacked a unicorn in the face. And who knew that this leads to getting a wish granted? Possibly the best part is that the unicorn’s name is Marigold Heavenly Nostrils.
Binky series by Ashley Spires
I love the true wackiness of this graphic novel series, with Binky, a cat who sees everything around him through a different lens than the rest of the world. We’d probably call that buzzing thing a bug, but he’s convinced it’s an alien invader. As one does.
Hamster Princess by Ursula Vernon
Ella currently claims this as her favorite graphic novel series. They’re more robust than most of the other graphic novels for kids on this list, clocking in at around 250 pages per book and they’re hilarious rodent retellings of famous fairy tales.
Narwhal and Jelly Book series by Ben Clanton
These are the perfect introductory graphic novels for kids. They have three little stories, brief text and large illustrations. And they are hilarious – I was reading one aloud to my girls in the backseat while my in-laws were visiting and everyone was chuckling along at the antics of these underwater friends.
And if you’d like a printable copy of this list that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
What best graphic novels for kids have I missed? Let me know in the comments because my girls just DEVOUR them!
I don’t even have little kids but I LOVE Narwhal and Jelly!
Thank you for the many fabulous posts about kids reading suggestions. They are the posts that I always read and often reread. I wonder if you would consider adding suggested reading levels/ages to your recommendations in the future? I often cannot find excerpts online and our local, rural library has a very limited selection to peruse, so I sometimes make purchases that are way off the mark.
Thank you! Always look forward to new posts!
Pretty much every kids book on Amazon has this listed (which is where all my book titles link to) – it’s right under the description of the book and has the customers age recommendations and also the grade levels recommended by the publisher. I hope that helps!
I’m not a big fan of reading graphic novels myself (I’m an audiobook person), but I get why they would help kids get into reading. My four year old only wants to read about batman, and those are not really fun to read aloud (and often not age appropriate at all). “Batman’s Mystery Casebook” is pretty cool though, although the mysteries you are supposed to figure out were hard, even for me. Maybe I’ll try to suggest some books from your list, because telling him he can’t read batman doesn’t work. I think I have Narwhal and Jelly somewhere….
I would like graphic novels better if my kid were reading them himself…:’D
One of the most popular graphic novels in my first grade classroom is the Ricky Ricotta series by Dav Pilkey. It is a little bit easier to read and doesn’t have any bathroom humor but they are still engaging and Ricky Ricotta, the mouse’s best friend and partner in crime is his giant robot.
How has no one mentioned Dog Man???!!! I am a teacher-librarian in an elementary school, and I’ll admit that I thought they were useless before I read them. My kids (7&9) have read them all multiple times, and kids of all grades check them out of my library. While they are VERY silly, they are sweet also and (sometimes) smart. (I’ve also read them multiple times 😂)
I was intrigued by the Treeshouse series but a warning to parents if you’re trying to manage polite and respectful communication at home. The boys in this series say things like ” Shut up” and ” Help me turn this stupid thing off” I notice when my boys read books like this, they start speaking in the manner too. So if that doesnt bother you then it seems like a really funny and fun book to read.
My son loves graphic novels and got me into them as well. I find them hard to read together the way we read novels together, but I often read the same ones before/after him. Some of his favorites that haven’t already been mentioned by others: Investigators, Lightfall, Tea Dragon Society, Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology, City of Dragons, Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly, Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures, 5 Worlds, Witches of Brooklyn, and Science Comics.