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Reading levels and needs

Top 20 books for a 4th grader who is behind or reluctant

Fourth graders who read below grade level often hate that the books they can read look babyish. These graphic novels and illustrated novels look and feel right for age nine or ten while keeping the text load low. Many are memoirs or series that give a reason to keep going.

Titles, authors and publication details were checked against Open Library in October 2026. Age ranges and content notes are editorial judgment based on publisher and library guidance, so preview anything sensitive for your own child. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.

  1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

    Jeff Kinney · Ages 8-12

    Greg Heffley records his middle school survival in a diary with cartoons. Good for children who think reading is not for them.

    Watch for: Mild bullying; Greg is not a role model.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  2. Smile

    Raina Telgemeier · Ages 8-12

    Raina knocks out her front teeth in a fall and goes through years of dental work while navigating friends and middle school. A true memoir in graphic form.

    Watch for: Dental trauma and unkind friends.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  3. Sisters

    Raina Telgemeier · Ages 8-12

    A road trip with her sister and baby brother shows Raina's family tensions. Companion to Smile.

    Watch for: Parents' strain.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  4. New Kid

    Jerry Craft · Ages 8-12

    Jordan, a Black seventh grader who loves drawing, is sent to a mostly white private school. Funny and honest about microaggressions; the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal.

    Watch for: Racial microaggressions and a teacher's insensitivity.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  5. Amulet

    Kazu Kibuishi · Ages 8-13

    Emily moves into a strange house after her father's death and finds a stone that talks. A graphic novel series with nine books.

    Watch for: A parent dies in a car crash.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  6. Bone

    Jeff Smith · Ages 8-14

    Three cousins stranded in a valley with dragons and rat creatures. Black-and-white graphic novel classic.

    Watch for: Cartoon violence; later volumes get darker.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  7. Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth

    Judd Winick · Ages 7-11

    A boy who has lost his memory falls from the sky and befriends two kids. Comic-book fun with robots and monsters.

    Watch for: Cartoon fights.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  8. Dog Man

    Dav Pilkey · Ages 6-9

    Half dog, half police officer, Dog Man fights Petey the cat in comic-book chapters. One of the best-selling graphic novel series for this age.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  9. Big Nate: In a Class by Himself

    Lincoln Peirce · Ages 7-11

    Nate, an overconfident sixth grader, gets detention in a school comic strip format. Funny and fast.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  10. Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy (graphic novel)

    Tui T. Sutherland · Ages 8-12

    The first book of the series adapted into a graphic novel. A friendlier way into a long dragon series.

    Watch for: Dragon fights.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  11. Real Friends

    Shannon Hale · Ages 8-12

    Shannon's memoir of shifting friendships in elementary school. Honest about cliques and anxiety.

    Watch for: Cliques, bullying, a family's temper.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  12. El Deafo

    Cece Bell · Ages 8-12

    Cece, who loses her hearing as a child, uses a hearing aid and thinks of herself as a superhero. A Newbery Honor graphic memoir.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  13. Roller Girl

    Victoria Jamieson · Ages 9-12

    Astrid joins a roller derby summer camp and finds her best friend moving in a different direction. A Newbery Honor book.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  14. Guts

    Raina Telgemeier · Ages 8-12

    Raina's memoir of anxiety and stomach trouble in fourth and fifth grade, a companion to Smile. Helpful for kids who worry.

    Watch for: Anxiety and a panic attack.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  15. Restart

    Gordon Korman · Ages 9-12

    A boy who falls off a roof and loses his memory learns who he was before. A funny, readable story about bullying and second chances.

    Watch for: The main character was a bully and the book shows it.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  16. The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel

    Rick Riordan · Ages 9-12

    Percy Jackson's first adventure, adapted into a graphic novel by Robert Venditti. A shorter way into the series.

    Watch for: Monster fights.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  17. The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea

    Ann M. Martin · Ages 8-12

    Kristy starts a baby-sitting business with her friends. Raina Telgemeier's graphic novel version of the first book.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  18. Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy

    Nathan Hale · Ages 8-12

    The Revolutionary War spy Nathan Hale narrates history in comic form while waiting to be hanged. Dry humor and real events.

    Watch for: War and an execution.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  19. Zita the Spacegirl

    Ben Hatke · Ages 7-11

    A girl follows her friend to another planet through a mysterious device and gathers a team to rescue him. Adventure with bright art.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  20. The Last Kids on Earth

    Max Brallier · Ages 8-11

    In a monster-filled town, a boy and his friends build a treehouse base. Plenty of drawings and monsters.

    Watch for: Cartoon monster violence.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

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