As I mentioned in this post, I often get questions from parents who are concerned that their kids are only reading graphic novels like Sisters or The Baby-Sitters Club. First of all, THAT’S AWESOME THAT THEY ARE READING! It’s no mystery why kids love these books – they are super relatable, funny, well-written, and impressively drawn.
Quick PSA for parents – research shows that graphic novels help kids learn and practice many literacy skills such as sequencing, text connections, and inference.
That said, we want our kids to read widely across different formats to help them practice other skills and build their reading stamina. We also want our kids to be exposed to books with protagonists with diverse lived experiences that can serve as “windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors.“
So, if you’re looking for suggestions for what your graphic novel-obsessed kid might enjoy next, see below for 16 book recommendations to explore with them. You can also download this PDF and click on the covers to read full summaries and see reviews from Bookopolis kid readers.
16 Book Recs for Fans of graphic novels like Sisters and The Baby-Sitters Club
Graphic Novels
- Stargazing by Jen Wang
- Twins by Varian Johnson
- El Deafo by Cece Bell
- Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
Shorter Chapter Books/Diary Style
- Jo Jo Makoons by Dawn Quigley
- Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel by Nikki Grimes
- Stella Diaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez
- Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly
Longer Novels
- Lupe Wong Won’t Dance by Donna Barga Higuera
- A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Marie Ramée
- Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee
- Barakah Beats by Maleeha Siddiqui
Need more book recommendations? Check out our AI-Powered Book Bot search, or visit the Bookopolis Picks lists organized by grade level and genre. Click on covers to read summaries and explore reviews written by kids, for kids.
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