Book series in order
Real Friends graphic memoirs in order
Ages 9–13 · about grade 4 comic · finished
There are 3 Real Friends graphic memoirs. Start with Real Friends (2017) and read them in number order. The newest is graphic memoir 3, Friends Forever (2021). Peabody's own estimate: First Second's pages would not open for us, and Bookroo shows 8 to 12, 8 to 11 and 10 to 14 for the three books.
What reading it is like: Comic panels with short speech bubbles, in the first person from the author as a child. Finished: 3 graphic memoirs, the last in 2021.
By Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham, published by First Second. Checked October 30, 2026 (sources at the bottom). No affiliate links, and nobody paid to be here.
How many Real Friends graphic memoirs are there?
There are 3 Real Friends graphic memoirs as of November 12, 2026, out from 2017 to 2021. The newest is graphic memoir 3, Real Friends: Friends Forever. The series is finished, so that's all of them.
When is the next Real Friends graphic memoir?
There won't be a next one: the Real Friends series is finished. Peabody's picks for what to read after are further down.
The Real Friends graphic memoirs in order
Tick the Real Friends graphic memoirs you've read, and this shows the next one to read.
⭐ Books I'd like: none yet. Tap "I want it" under a graphic memoir. Print the list on My shelf →
0 of 3 read · saved on this device only
Going for all of them? The Series Challenge in Peabody's Book Club counts every graphic memoir ticked here, fills a shelf as you go and prints a certificate at the last one.
Every tick also shows on My shelf, with your other series and a NEW badge when a book comes out.
Do you have to read Real Friends in order?
Read them in number order. They are one true story told in three parts, from kindergarten to fifth grade, to the next grades, and then on to middle school, and each picks up where the last stopped. The set is finished at three.
What age is Real Friends for?
Nine to thirteen is Peabody's estimate, not a reading level. The first book suits the youngest readers and the third is aimed older, with bigger worries. The pictures help with the hard parts. We don't print reading-level scores: they belong to the companies that make them.
What's it like inside Real Friends?
- Words: Some words on a page.
- Panels: About 4 to 6 panels a page.
- Colour: Full colour.
- Which way: Left to right, like most books.
- Length: Book 1 has 207 pages.
- Feels: Sad bits. Being left out and bullied by friends, and picked on at home.
About book 1. The page count is from openlibrary.org; the rest is Peabody's own note, never a score.
What to read after Real Friends
Smile, Sisters and Guts by Raina Telgemeier
Another maker's true stories about school, family and worry, in comic panels. Books in order · More like it
Sunny by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
A fictional girl in the 1970s with friends and a family problem to work through. Books in order · More like it
Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
A funnier school comic about a girl and her daydreams, a gentler next step. Books in order · More like it
Also on: 9-year-olds · 10-year-olds · 11-year-olds · 12-year-olds
Peabody's lists for Real Friends readers
Top 14 graphic novels for ages 10 to 14
The best middle-grade graphic novels deal with friendship, family, identity and history.
Graphic novels to start with
A graphic novel is a real book and takes real reading.
17 graphic novels for middle schoolers
Graphic novels are real reading and often the strongest hook for reluctant readers.
Books about making friends and being a good friend
Friendship has to be learned like reading.
Sources
Titles, order and years are facts from these pages, opened October 30, 2026. Peabody shows no covers or blurbs: those belong to the publisher.