Graphic novels are some of the most popular books in our home right now. They are entertaining, fun and all around awesome. This list is full of over 20 that we personally love. The list is meant to be great books for the transition from beginning to intermediate readers. I have them sorted by recommended age from youngest to oldest based on their listed, geared audience. You’ll notice that the books start with ones that have a much more simple plot line and easier vocabulary to more complex plots and text. You’ll also notice that these books arefocused on the 4-10 year old crowd with ages 6-9 probably being the main “sweet spot”.
In addition, I looked for books that were over 100 pages in length. (With the exception of one that is just under at 96 pages and one that is 64 pages.) I wanted the books on this list to be transitional for beginning-intermediate readers not just in content and text, but in length. These books will give budding readers a real sense of accomplishment when they are finished. However, if shorter (and generally lower reading level) books are what you are looking for you can check out this list here.
For your reference, after the title and author of each book I have listed how many pages it is, what age group it is recommended for and whether or not the title is part of a series. (Most of them are! Which means there are a lot more books to read here than first meets the eye!) I hope you find this list useful as well as lots of fun.
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Monster Friends: (A Graphic Novel) by Kaeti Vandorn 272 pages, 4-8 year olds
This book is darling! It features two cute monsters with very different personalities who become friends and learn lessons from each other. I love Vandorn’s work and can’t wait to see what she creates next!
Bolivar by Sean Rubin- 224 pages, 5-8 year olds
Bolivar is a dinosaur in New YorkCity that is incredibly lovable. He usually goes unnoticed in the hustle and bustle of the city, until one day his neighbor Sibyl sees him for who he is. It is a seriously sweet story that is so creative.
Donut Feed the Squirrels (Norma and Belly) by Mika Song- 112 pages, 5-8 years old, series
This one is so much fun! In the story a group of mischievous squirrels are determined to have some doughnuts and get into quite a bit of mischief trying to make and snag some inside a donut truck. It is bound to make young children giggle and crave a donut themselves.
Crabapple Trouble by Kaeti Vandorn 176 pages, 5-8 year olds
I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll say it again: I love Vandorn’s work! This book features the most darling illustrations that include mischievous fairies and fruit and veggie people. The story is sweet and lightly addresses the topic of anxiety in an approachable way.
Super Turbo Saves the Day! (1) (Super Turbo: The Graphic Novel) by by Edgar Powers and Glass House Graphics- 144 pages, 5-9 year olds, series
Super Turbo is a hamster that is also the classroom pet in room number 4 of his elementary school. In this book he joins up with a bunch of other classroom pets in the school (who all also happen to be super) to defend it against a pack of evil mice. So playful and fun.
The First Case (1) (Pup Detectives) by Felix Gumpaw and Glass House Graphics- 144 pages, 5-9 year olds, series
Rider Woofson is a pup detective for his school. He sniffs out trouble and helps keep order. In this book he makes three new friends who join his team as they try to defend the school they love against a lunchtime thief.
Cranky Chicken (1) by Katherine Battersby 116 pages, 6-9 year olds, series
This book is one that has a very “Elepant and Piggie” feel to me. (If you don’t know Elephant and Piggie, run and look them up!!!). It is simple, witty, full of personality, light on text and memorable. One to make you smile.
Agent Moose (Agent Moose, 1) by Mo O’Hara and Jess Bradley 128 pages, 6-9 year olds
Agent Moose is a detective who in this story is on he case to find a missing turtle witness. Things are not as they seem and his case will require creativity, crazy disguises and a little luck.
The Flying Beaver Brothers and the Evil Penguin Plan by Maxwell Eaton III-96 pages, 6-9 year olds, series
Love this one! This book is filled with the snark and humor that so many kids love about graphic novels, but is still playful and upbeat. In the story the beaver brothers are out to save their tropical island from being frozen over by a group of evil penguins who want to make an ice paradise.
Pea, Bee, & Jay 1: Stuck Together by Brian Smitty Smith- 64 pages, 6-10 year olds, series
In this story an unlikely trio (a blue jay, pea and queen bee) become friends as they have an adventure together and help pea find his way home. It is super cute and I love the themes of friendship, bravery and teamwork. Definitely a series we will continue to look out for.
Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night (Peter & Ernesto, 3) by Graham Annable- 128 pages, 6-10 year olds, series
This band of sloths are super likable and have such fun and quirky personalities. This adventure involves a missing sloth, a dragon that ends up being a Komodo dragon, a new sea faring friend, helpful glowing frogs and more. It is refreshingly unique and creative.
Song of the Court by Katy Farina- 128 pages, 6-10 year olds
In this story Arietta the cat is trying to learn a song to play on her beloved violin for the princesses birthday. However, the stress of actually not knowing how to play, but still wanting to succeed is a lot. Her friends, both old and new, help her pursue her dreams as well as balance things.
Catstronauts: Mission Moon by Drew Brockington- 160 pages, 6-10 year olds, series
What is more fun than a group of cat astronauts who are out on a mission to set up a solar plant on the moon? Not much, right? This book is so fun and each cat on the mission has a distinct and likable personality.
Max Meow Book 1: Cat Crusader by John Gallagher 240 pages, 7-10 year olds, series
This is an origin story for new super hero Max Meow. In the book he accidentally eats a bit of radioactive meatball and then suddenly discovers he has powers! The only problem is that a villain or two is also out to get the meatball and secure the powers for themselves. Love this one!
InvestiGators (InvestiGators, 1) by John Patrick Green- 208 pages, 7-10 year olds, series
We are HUGE Investigator fans in our home. Brash and Mango are two alligator detectives who help solve crimes and do it with a lot of style and humor. These books are always full of fun twists and turns and there couldn’t be more jokes packed in.
Just a Little Blue: A Graphic Novel (Owly 2) by Andy Runton- 128 pages, 7-10 year olds, series
This book is very light on text and very big on cuteness. In the story Owly and his friend Wormy see a bluebird family that looks like they could use a new home, so they make them one. Things don’t exactly go as planned and lessons on kindness and friendship are learned along the way.
Katie the Catsitter by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue- 224 pages, 8-12 year old, series
This book is one that I found highly entertaining and I will definitely be reading the sequel to. In the story Katie is trying to save money for summer camp and she takes up a job cat sitting for a mysterious woman with a big secret who has dozens of mischievous cats.
The Runaway Princess by Johan Troïanowski 272 pages, 8-12 year olds
This book is so fun! it contains a few short and quirky adventures that feature a young princess and her friends. It contains the occasional puzzle (like mazes) to solve as part of the story.
Treasure in the Lake by Jason Pamment 207 pages, 8-12 year olds
This book is so fascinating! In the story two friends hit a rough patch in their friendship and then have things tested further when they discover a forgotten city in a dried up lake, experience some time travel and more. This book is full of twists and turns and is so well done.
Pepper Page Saves the Universe! (The Infinite Adventures of Supernova) by Landry Q. Walker and Eric Jones 208 pages, 8-12 year olds, series
This book is probably the most advanced in this group as far as content and text go. Also, Pepper Page is a 9th grader. In the story she discovers an evil villain at her school and becomes the hero she was always meant to be as she epically saves the day. This book has a unique comic within comic format that is also fun.
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