Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Format: Graphic novel

The Babysitter’s Club: Kristy’s Great Idea

Graphic novel

Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey are best friends and founding members of THE BABYSITTERS CLUB. Whatever comes up – cranky toddlers, huge dogs, scary neighbors, prank calls – you can count on them to save the day.

Babysitting isn’t always easy though, and neither is dealing with strict parents, new families, fashion emergencies, and mysterious secrets. But no matter what, the BSC have what they need most: friendship.

Raina Telgemeier, using the signature style featured in her acclaimed graphic novels Smile and Sisters, perfectly captures all the drama and humor of the original novel!

Smile

Raina Telgemeier

Graphic novel

A pre-teen graphic novel from a series of graphic novel memoirs about growing up, puberty, navigating peer relationships, tackling school and finding self-confidence.

In this book, American twelve-year-old Raina has a momentary accident that causes injury to her teeth and leads to years of dental treatment. The story follows the ups and downs of her experience of braces, headgear, dental surgery and fake teeth – all at a time of life when self-consciousness is high and a rush of embarrassment comes easily, especially about personal appearance.

Readers will feel empathy with Raina, but will also draw courage from her journey and see that true friendships run deeper than surface appearance.

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates

Liz Pichon

Graphic novel

The Tom Gates books have been phenomenally popular with readers who enjoy laugh-out-loud illustrated stories exploring themes of school, family life and everything zany. Readers enjoy the notebook-style format and the Tom’s funny take on the ups and downs of family life and school, punctuated by the joys of forming a band and snacking on caramel wafers.

Liz Pichon’s instantly recognisable doodle style makes this a really enjoyable and accessible book that quickly hooks children in, which is extra fantastic because there is an impressively populated series to collect!

The Bad Guys

Aaron Blabey

Graphic novel

They sound like the Bad Guys, they look like the Bad Guys… and they even smell like the Bad Guys.

But Mr Wolf, Mr Piranha, Mr Snake and Mr Shark are about to change all of that – whether you want them to or not!

Mr Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys’ first good mission. The gang are going to break 200 dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound. Will Operation Dog Pound go smoothly? Will the Bad Guys become the Good Guys? And will Mr Snake please stop swallowing Mr Piranha?

The Bad Guys next mission? Rescue 10,000 chickens from a high-tech cage farm. But they are up against sizzling lasers, one feisty tarantula, and their very own Mr. Snake…who’s also known as “The Chicken Swallower.” What could possibly go wrong?

Get ready to laugh up your lunch with the baddest bunch of do-gooders in town!

Zita the Space Girl

Ben Hatke

Graphic novel

Zita’s life took a cosmic left turn in the blink of an eye. When her best friend is abducted by an alien doomsday cult, Zita leaps to the rescue and finds herself a stranger on a strange planet. Humanoid chickens and neurotic robots are shocking enough as new experiences go, but Zita is even more surprised to find herself taking on the role of intergalactic hero. Before long, aliens in all shapes and sizes don’t even phase her. Neither do ancient prophecies, doomed planets, or even a friendly con man who takes a mysterious interest in Zita’s quest. Zita the Spacegirl is a fun, captivating tale of friendship and redemption from Flight veteran Ben Hatke. It also has more whimsical, eye-catching, Miyazaki-esque monsters than you can shake a stick at.

Tom’s Midnight Garden: Graphic Novel

Edith & Philippa Pearce

Graphic novel

A beautiful adaptation of the classic novel. Renowned graphic novel artist, Edith, has created an enchanting version of the classic Tom’s Midnight Garden. This is a new and special way to read and share one of the best-loved and most enduring children’s stories of all time. A story with a special place in the hearts of grandparents, parents, and children everywhere, this wonderful graphic novel adaptation is faithful, accessible, and stunningly illustrated. A perfect gift for all the family.

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker The Graphic Novel

Anthony Horowitz & Antony Johnston & Kanako & Yuzuru Yuzuru

Graphic novel

A bold and stylish reissue of the groundbreaking and hugely popular graphic adaptation of Alex Rider’s very first mission.

Forcibly recruited into MI6 after the mysterious death of his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex is sent to infiltrate the organization of a sinister billionaire. Within days he’s gone from schoolboy to superspy – and it looks like his first assignment may be his last…

Anne of Green Gables: Graphic Novel

Brenna Thummler & Mariah Marsden

Graphic novel

The magic of L.M. Montgomery’s treasured classic is reimagined in a whimsically-illustrated graphic novel adaptation perfect for newcomers and kindred spirits alike.

When Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to adopt an orphan who can help manage their family farm, they have no idea what delightful trouble awaits them. With flame-red hair and an unstoppable imagination, 11-year-old Anne Shirley takes Green Gables by storm.

Anne’s misadventures bring a little romance to the lives of everyone she meets: her bosom friend, Diana Barry; the town gossip, Mrs. Lynde; and that infuriating tease, Gilbert Blythe. From triumphs and thrills to the depths of despair, Anne turns each everyday moment into something extraordinary.

The Witches: The Graphic Novel

Penelope Bagieu & Roald Dahl

Graphic novel

The Witches, now available as a graphic novel from Eisner Award-winning artist Penelope Bagieu!

Witches are real, and they are very, very dangerous.

They wear ordinary clothes and have ordinary jobs, living in ordinary towns all across the world – and there’s nothing they despise more than children.

When an eight-year-old boy and his grandmother come face-to-face with the Grand High Witch herself, they may be the only ones who can stop the witches’ latest plot to stamp out every last child in the country!

This full-colour graphic novel edition of Roald Dahl’s The Witches, adapted and illustrated by Eisner Award-winner Penelope Bagieu, is the first-ever Dahl story to appear in this format.

Graphic novel readers and Roald Dahl fans alike will relish this dynamic new take on a uniquely funny tale.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel

Attila Futaki & Jose Villarrubia & Rick Riordan & Robert Venditt

Graphic novel

Percy Jackson – now in stunning graphic novel form!

Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek God. I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. That’s when things started really going wrong. Now I spend my time fighting with swords, battling monsters with my friends, and generally trying to stay alive.

This is the one where Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks I’ve stolen his lightning bolt – and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.

Can Percy find the lightning bolt before a fully-fledged war of the Gods erupts?

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Format: Graphic novel

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