It’s a fact: graphic novels help kids fall in love with reading. A survey of young readers suggests that comic readers are likelier to 1. Enjoy reading, 2. Read every day, and 3. Feel confident as a reader. Those are results we can get behind! Our March book list features graphic novels that’ll make you fall in love with reading.
For Early Readers
Bog Myrtle
Written & illustrated by Sid Sharp
Annick Press, 2024
IL: Ages 6-11 RL: Grades 1-6
Two sisters, one stubbornly cheerful (Beatrice) and one relentlessly grumpy (Magnolia), live in a drafty old house with a family of helpful spiders. When Beatrice is gifted magic yarn from a giant forest spider obsessed with sustainability named Bog Myrtle, she and the spiders set to work knitting up a perfectly warm sweater.
But greedy Magnolia sees only the opportunity for profit, and quickly converts the old house into a magic sweater factory. The exhausted spiders are driven to strike, and Bog Myrtle is not pleased . . .
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Fantastic Lou: Little Comics from Real Life
Written & illustrated by Qin Leng
Tundra Book Group
IL: Ages 5-9 RL: Grades: k-4
Meet Lou. Lou is many things: clever, creative, competitive, thoughtful, funny . . . and, most of all, FANTASTIC! He meets life's ups and downs with courage, curiosity and a plucky openheartedness. He enjoys his own thoughts and solo company but is always ready to dance, wrestle, wriggle, somersault and karate chop his way into his parents' day (or night).
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What if Marty Doesn’t Like My Party?
Written & illustrated by Katie Arthur
Owlkids Books, 2025
IL: Ages 5-8 RL: Grades k-2
Henry’s birthday party is approaching, and the most exciting part is that Marty, the coolest kid in Henry’s class, is coming! Everybody wants Marty at their party. But as Henry lies awake one night, his head spins with anxious thoughts. What if Marty doesn’t have fun? What if she doesn’t like his dog, or his apartment, or his Grandma’s confetti cake? From the top bunk, Henry’s big sister, Sam, gently puts a positive spin on each of Henry’s worries.
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Willa and Wade and the Way-Up-There
Written by Judith Henderson
Illustrated by Sara Sarhangpour
Kids Can Press, 2024
IL: Ages 5-7 RL: Grades k-2
Best friends Willa and Wade really want to fly. Sure, Willa's an ostrich and Wade's a penguin. But there must be something they can think of that will get them off the ground! The two thorough thinkers try different ways - from pirouettes to pogo sticks - to catch some air. But while they do a lot of trying, it doesn't lead to any flying! Will the friends ever find a way to reach their lofty goal?
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For Middle Readers
Alterations
Written and illustrated by Ray Xu
Union Square Kids
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-7
Kevin Lee is having a really bad week. Although he lives in a crowded Toronto apartment above the family’s alterations and dry-cleaning store, he mostly goes unnoticed. School isn’t exactly an oasis either—being one of the few Asian kids makes for some unwelcome attention. But when Kevin’s class plans a trip to Thrill Planet, a spectacular theme park, will he finally have a chance to turn his life around, or will it just be another day for Kevin Lee?
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Boy vs. Shark
Written & illustrated by Paul Gilligan
Tundra, 2024
IL: 10-18 RL: Grades 5-12
In the summer of 1975, 10-year-old Paul Gilligan doesn't have a whole lot to worry about other than keeping his comic books untarnished, getting tennis balls off roofs and keeping up with the increasingly bold stunts of his best friend, David.
And then Jaws comes to town.
Suddenly everyone is obsessing over this movie about a shark ripping people to pieces. And if you haven't seen it, not only are you missing out, you're also kind of a wimp. Needless to say, Jaws leaves young Paul a cowering mess, and underlines the growing gap between him and David as well as the distance between where he stands and the world's expectations of a boy's "manliness."
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Gamerville
Written & illustrated by Johnnie Christmas
HarperCollins, 2024
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-7
Max Lightning is howling at the moon—he’s finally qualified for Gamerville, a championship where players compete to be top dog in the multiplayer video game Lone Wolf of Calamity Bay. But his dreams of domination are doomed when his parents send him to Camp Reset. Gone are the long nights of downing energy drinks and getting copious amounts of screen time. They've been replaced with fresh air and group activities under the hot sun—a shock to the system for a lone wolf like Max. Can Max escape Camp Reset and level up at Gamerville, or has he finally played his last match?
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Squire & Knight: Wayward Travelers
Written & illustrated by Scott Chantler
First Second, 2024
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-7
Squire and Sir Kelton have promised to get Cade to the school of wizardry. Strangely though, the path they’ve taken has brought them into a bewildering, misty forest, rife with fearsome gnolls and a boisterous rival knight. To get them out, Squire tries every trick in the book, but books don't hold all the answers. Can he muster up his confidence, remember his duties, and find a way to escape the forest?
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For Teen Readers
Age 16
Written & illustrated by Rosena Fung
Annick Press, 2024
IL: Ages 12-18 RL: Grades 7-12
A powerful coming-of-age graphic novel about how mothers and daughters pass down—and rebel against—standards of size, gender, race, beauty, and worth.
Guangdong, 1954 Sixteen-year-old Mei Laan longs for a future of freedom, and her beauty may be the key to getting it. Can an arranged marriage in Hong Kong be the answer to all her problems?
Hong Kong, 1972 Sixteen-year-old Lydia wants nothing more than to dance and to gain approval from her mother, who is largely absent and sharply critical, especially about the way she looks. Maybe her way to happiness is starting over in Toronto?
Toronto, 2000 Sixteen-year-old Roz is grappling with who she wants to be in the world. The only thing she is certain of is that if she were thinner, things would be better. How can she start living her life, instead of just photographing it?
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Indiginerds: Tales from Modern Indigenous Life
Edited by Alina Pete
Iron Circus Comics, 2024
IL: Ages 12-18 RL: Grades 7-12
First Nations culture is living, vibrant, and evolving, and generations of Indigenous kids have grown up with pop culture creeping inexorably into our lives. From gaming to social media, pirate radio to garage bands, Star Trek to D&D, and missed connections at the pow wow, Indigenous culture is so much more than how it’s usually portrayed. INDIGNERDS is here to celebrate those stories!
Featuring an all-Indigenous creative team, INDIGNERDS is an exhilarating anthology collecting 11 stories about Indigenous people balancing traditional ways of knowing with modern pop culture.
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Pillow Talk
Written by Stephanie Cooke
Illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas
IL: Ages 14-18 RL: Grades 9-12
Grace Mendes a.k.a. Cinderhella is a fierce competitor in the PFF, a pillow fight federation that’s part roller derby, part professional wrestling. But in this fresh, coming-of-age YA graphic novel, Grace needs to learn to overcome her biggest enemy: herself.
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When the Lake Burns
Written & illustrated by Geneviève Bigué
Translated by Luke Langille
Conundrum Press, 2024
IL: Ages 12-18 RL: Grades 7-12
A very rare natural phenomenon is causing quite a stir in Riviere-aux-Corbeaux: Lake Kijikone has caught fire and grown into a veritable inferno. When the disaster occurs, an old local legend re-emerges, and a group of local teens decide to find out if the stories are true. Deep in the woods, one of the teens shares a secret so shocking that the group splits up - and the real nightmare begins.
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For Non-Fiction Readers
Super Small: Miniature Marvels of the Natural World
Written by Tiffany Stone
Illustrated by Ashley Spires
Greystone Books, 2023
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades k-4
The minute oribatid mite can lift more than 1,000 times its own weight. A tiny type of salamander (called an axolotl) can regrow body parts. And the almost microscopic tardigrade? It can survive practically anywhere, even in outer space! Acclaimed author Tiffany Stone combines comic panels and poems to share incredible facts about our world's miniature marvels, while illustrator Ashley Spires' zany cartoon-style illustrations make these itty-bitty superheroes (and supervillains) pop from the page.
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Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back
Written & illustrated by Ruth Chan
Roaring Brook Press, 2024
IL: Ages 8-12 Grades: 3-7
Ruth Chan loves her hometown in Toronto, hanging out with her best friends for life, and snacking on ketchup flavored potato chips, which are the best. What Ruth doesn’t love is having to move to Hong Kong after her dad gets a new job there.
Her mom is excited to reunite with her family, but it’s not the same for Ruth. In Hong Kong, her classes are harder, her Cantonese isn’t good enough, and her parents are never around. Ruth feels lonely and completely uprooted.
But as Ruth’s dad tells stories about her family, about how they relied on their strength, courage, and each other to survive the most difficult times, Ruth realizes that she too can be strong. Gradually, she puts down roots, knowing that home will always be where her heart is.
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Lost at Windy River: A True Story of Survival
Written by Trina Rathgeber
Illustrated by Alina Pete and Jillian Dolan
Orca Book Publishers, 2024
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-7
In 1944, thirteen-year-old Ilse Schweder got lost in a snowstorm while checking her family's trapline in northern Canada. This is the harrowing story of how a young Indigenous girl defies the odds and endures nine days alone in the unforgiving barrens. Ilse faces many challenges, including freezing temperatures, wild animals, snow blindness and frostbite. With no food or supplies, she relies on Traditional Indigenous Knowledge passed down from her family. Ilse uses her connection to the land and animals, wilderness skills and resilience to find her way home.
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The Rez Doctor
Written by Gitz Crazyboy
Illustrated by Veronika Barinova, Azby Whitecalf, and Toben Racicot
IL: Ages 12-18 RL: Grades 7-12
Young Ryan Fox gets good grades, but he’s not sure what he wants to be when he grows up. It isn’t until he meets a Blackfoot doctor during a school assembly that he starts to dream big.
However, becoming a doctor isn’t easy. University takes Ryan away from his family and the Siksikaitsitapi community, and without their support, he begins to struggle. Faced with more stress than he’s ever experienced, he turns to partying. Distracted from his responsibilities, his grades start to slip. His bills pile up. Getting into med school feels impossible. And now his beloved uncle is in jail. Can Ryan regain his footing to walk the path he saw so clearly as a boy?
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Book list curated by Spencer Miller