Graphic novels for 12-year-olds

When they want more

• Wings of Fire graphic novels in order by Tui T. Sutherland, drawn by Mike Holmes

  Ages 8–12 · the publisher's age 9 graphic novels · comic · ongoing. Full-colour comic pages with more words than Dog Man, and one long story across the books.

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in order by Jeff Kinney

  Ages 8–12 · the publisher's age 21 books · hybrid · ongoing. A handwritten-looking diary with a cartoon on most pages: more words than a comic, in short entries.

• Amulet books in order by Kazu Kibuishi

  Ages 8–12 · the publisher's age 9 books · comic · finished. Comic panels with short bubbles, but a long, serious story that builds from book to book.

• Bone books in order by Jeff Smith

  Ages 8–12 · the publisher's age 9 books · comic · finished. Comic panels with fuller bubbles, and one long story that grows darker as it goes.

• The Last Kids on Earth books in order by Max Brallier, drawn by Douglas Holgate

  Ages 8–12 · the publisher's age 10 books · hybrid · ongoing. A novel with a big drawing on most spreads and a few comic pages.

• The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels graphic novels in order by Ann M. Martin (adapted by Raina Telgemeier and other artists)

  Ages 8–12 · Peabody's own estimate 19 graphic novels · comic · ongoing. Comic panels with chatty speech bubbles and a lot of feelings, and a new cast member to learn in most books.

• Hilo books in order by Judd Winick

  Ages 8–12 · the publisher's age 11 books · comic · ongoing. Bright comic panels with short speech bubbles, quick jokes and a bigger story that builds across the books.

• Phoebe and Her Unicorn books in order by Dana Simpson

  Ages 8–12 · Peabody's own estimate 24 books · comic · ongoing. Short comic strips and a few longer stories, with witty dialogue in small panels and a joke every few lines.

• Big Nate novels in order by Lincoln Peirce

  Ages 8–12 · Peabody's own estimate 8 novels · hybrid · finished. Short chapters of plain, chatty text on every page, with cartoons and comic strips mixed in.

• Yotsuba&! volumes in order by Kiyohiko Azuma

  Ages 6–12 · Peabody's own estimate 16 volumes · manga · ongoing. Everyday scenes with short speech bubbles.

• Chi's Sweet Home volumes in order by Konami Kanata

  Ages 8–12 · Peabody's own estimate 12 volumes · manga · finished. Mostly pictures, with a few words in each bubble, in short scenes of one to a few pages.

• Bunny vs Monkey books in order by Jamie Smart

  Ages 8–12 · the publisher's age 12 books · comic · ongoing. Comic panels with short speech bubbles and a joke on almost every page, in short stories that run into longer ones.

• Zita the Spacegirl books in order by Ben Hatke

  Ages 8–12 · Peabody's own estimate 3 books · comic · finished. Full-page comic scenes with short speech bubbles and quiet pictures that tell much of the story.

• Berrybrook Middle School books in order by Svetlana Chmakova

  Ages 10+ · Peabody's own estimate 5 books · comic · ongoing. Manga-style panels read left to right, with short speech bubbles, lots of facial expressions and a few pages of heavier feeling.

• Click books in order by Kayla Miller

  Ages 8–12 · Peabody's own estimate 7 books · comic · finished. Bright, easy-to-read comic panels with short bubbles, about one girl's worries.

• Cleopatra in Space books in order by Mike Maihack

  Ages 8–12 · the publisher's age 6 books · comic · finished. Fast, full-colour panels with plenty of action and not many words per page.

• 5 Worlds books in order by Mark Siegel and Alexis Siegel; art by Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller and Boya Sun

  Ages 8–12 · Peabody's own estimate 5 books · comic · finished. Big painted-looking pages with fewer words, many new places and names, and a story that grows across five books.

• Smile, Sisters and Guts graphic memoirs in order by Raina Telgemeier

  Ages 8–12 · Peabody's own estimate 3 graphic memoirs · comic · finished. Full-colour comic panels with short speech bubbles and a little narration, about one child's real life.

• Sunny graphic novels in order by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

  Ages 8–12 · Peabody's own estimate 6 graphic novels · comic · ongoing. Colourful comic panels with short speech bubbles, set in a girl's everyday life.

• Real Friends graphic memoirs in order by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham

  Ages 9–13 · Peabody's own estimate 3 graphic memoirs · comic · finished. Comic panels with short speech bubbles, in the first person from the author as a child.

• Mighty Jack books in order by Ben Hatke

  Ages 9–13 · Peabody's own estimate 3 books · comic · finished. Soft-coloured comic panels with short speech bubbles and a lot of picture storytelling.

• Lightfall books in order by Tim Probert

  Ages 8–12 · Peabody's own estimate 4 books · comic · ongoing. Detailed comic panels with short speech bubbles, a lot of invented places and a long story that builds.

• The Cardboard Kingdom books in order by Chad Sell (with co-writers)

  Ages 9–12 · the publisher's age 3 books · comic · finished. Full-page comic panels with a lot of dialogue, split into short chapters that each follow a different kid.

• Sanity & Tallulah books in order by Molly Brooks

  Ages 8–12 · the publisher's age 3 books · comic · finished. Colourful comic panels with a lot of speech and science words, and a mystery to follow.

• Stuntboy books in order by Jason Reynolds and Raúl the Third

  Ages 8–12 · Peabody's own estimate 2 books · hybrid · ongoing. Short chapters mixing prose and busy, colorful pictures, with a chatty narrator who stops to explain things.

• Space Boy books in order by Stephen McCranie

  Ages 10+ · the publisher's age 23 books · comic · ongoing. Long, quiet comic pages with a lot of talking and feelings, and a big story that builds over many volumes.

• Ham Helsing books in order by Rich Moyer

  Ages 8–12 · the publisher's age 3 books · hybrid · finished. Pages of cartoon pictures mixed with text, with jokes and puns, and a longer story across each book.

Finished one already?

What should I read next? picks three in three taps. Or see what to read after Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Wings of Fire, Amulet, Hilo, The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels, Smile, Sisters and Guts, Big Nate. Other ages: 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11.