Graphic novels for 9-year-olds

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• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

When they want more

• Dog Man books in order by Dav Pilkey

  Ages 7+ · the publisher's age 15 books · comic · ongoing. Short speech bubbles in big comic panels, with a joke on most pages.

• Cat Kid Comic Club books in order by Dav Pilkey

  Ages 7+ · the publisher's age 5 books · comic · ongoing. Comics inside a comic: short bubbles, and each kid's comic in the book is drawn a different way.

• The Bad Guys books in order by Aaron Blabey

  Ages 6–10 · Peabody's own estimate 20 books · hybrid · ongoing. Big pictures and few words on a page, part comic and part chapter book.

• Captain Underpants books in order by Dav Pilkey

  Ages 6–10 · Peabody's own estimate 12 books · hybrid · finished. Short chapters with lots of cartoons and comic pages: a step up from a comic.

• InvestiGators books in order by John Patrick Green

  Ages 7–10 · Peabody's own estimate 9 books · comic · ongoing. Full-color comic panels with short speech bubbles and a pun or wordplay joke on nearly every page.

• Narwhal and Jelly books in order by Ben Clanton

  Ages 6–9 · Peabody's own estimate 10 books · comic · ongoing. Very short comics in big panels with only a line or two of text each, plus sea-creature facts at the end of some chapters.

• Babymouse books in order by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

  Ages 7–10 · the publisher's age 20 books · comic · finished. Comic panels with short speech bubbles and a few lines of narration.

• Yotsuba&! volumes in order by Kiyohiko Azuma

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

• CatStronauts books in order by Drew Brockington

  Ages 6–10 · the publisher's age 8 books · comic · ongoing. Big clear panels, short bubbles and a lot of space-science words explained as the story goes.

• Hilda books in order by Luke Pearson

  Ages 7–11 · the publisher's age 6 books · comic · ongoing. Rich, detailed pictures with a little text on each page; the story is easy to follow and the wording is plain.

• Lunch Lady books in order by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

  Ages 7–10 · the publisher's age 10 books · comic · finished. Short comics with a lot of white space, a few words per bubble and one joke after another.

• Magic Tree House graphic novels in order by Mary Pope Osborne, adapted by Jenny Laird, art by Kelly and Nichole Matthews

  Ages 6–9 · the publisher's age 8 graphic novels · comic · ongoing. Short picture-led panels that retell each chapter book with a few lines of text per frame.

• Squish books in order by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

  Ages 7–10 · the publisher's age 8 books · comic · finished. Comic panels with short speech bubbles, plus a comic-within-the-comic and a few science facts.

• Bird & Squirrel books in order by James Burks

  Ages 7–10 · Peabody's own estimate 7 books · comic · finished. Colourful comic panels with short speech bubbles and a lot of action, so the story is easy to follow.

• Max Meow graphic novels in order by John Gallagher

  Ages 7–10 · the publisher's age 6 graphic novels · comic · finished. Bold comic panels with short speech bubbles, sound effects and a lot of silly action.

• Agent Moose books in order by Mo O'Hara and Jess Bradley

  Ages 6–9 · Peabody's own estimate 3 books · comic · finished. Short comic panels with big pictures and a lot of puns, so a child can follow the plot with little reading.

• Ricky Ricotta books in order by Dav Pilkey, illustrated by Dan Santat (Martin Ontiveros drew the first editions)

  Ages 4–9 · the publisher's age 9 books · hybrid · finished. Short chapters of big print with a picture on most pages, and a flip-a-page comic in the middle of each book.

• The Tea Dragon Society books in order by Katie O'Neill

  Ages 7–11 · Peabody's own estimate 3 books · comic · finished. Soft, quiet panels with a little speech on each page, and a slow, gentle pace.

• Mr. Wolf's Class books in order by Aron Nels Steinke

  Ages 7+ · Peabody's own estimate 6 books · comic · ongoing. Clear comic panels with short speech bubbles and everyday school scenes, easy to follow one panel at a time.

• Pea, Bee, & Jay books in order by Brian "Smitty" Smith

  Ages 6–10 · Peabody's own estimate 6 books · comic · finished. Short books of big panels with very few words in each bubble and puns on every page, made for new readers.

A bit older, for next year

• 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.

• 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.

Finished one already?

What should I read next? picks three in three taps. Or see what to read after Dog Man, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Bad Guys, Captain Underpants, Wings of Fire, Amulet, InvestiGators, Hilo, The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels, Smile, Sisters and Guts, Big Nate. Other ages: 6 · 7 · 8 · 10 · 11 · 12.