Graphic novels have exploded in recent years, with a wide range of styles and stories for all audiences. Here are some of the most empowering graphic novels for pre-teen and teen girls, including hit series and fresh new finds. It is not only girls who will love these books. There is something here for every student in your upper elementary or middle school classroom, and probably the teacher as well!
1. Babymouse #1: Queen of the World
The Babymouse graphic novel series is a widely read selection in every elementary classroom. Like many young children, Babymouse is the queen of her own imagination. If you are looking to motivate reluctant readers, this funny and engaging series of novels for girls (or any gender, really!) is a perfect choice.
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2. Zita the Spacegirl
When Zita's best friend is abducted by aliens, she has to learn how to navigate space, and fast! She learns the ropes quickly and becomes a space heroine like no other! This series is ideal for students ages 8 to 12.
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3. Hamster Princess: Little Red Rodent Hood
This reimagining of the classic story of Little Red Riding Hood will get your students hooked! In this installment of this award-winning graphic novel series, Harriet Hamsterbone is a tough warrior and no-nonsense heroine that will blow traditional gender stereotypes out of the water.
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4. Lumberjanes
Did you ever go away to summer camp? What was it like? Probably not like the camp in Lumberjanes. Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types is a wild and crazy summer camp for outcasts and misfits that you will never forget.
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5. Nimona - by Noelle Stevenson
ND Stevenson (formerly known as Noelle Stevenson), created this gorgeous novel about a shapeshifting human girl with a penchant for villainous schemes. This book was a National Book Award finalist, and Stevenson went on to produce the hit television series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
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6. Jem and the Holograms
Who doesn't dream of being a rockstar? These powerful female characters have inspired girls of all ages for decades. From the popular animated television series come these equally captivating novels for girls.
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7. Adventure Time: Marceline and the Scream Queens
Cult classic Adventure Time is back with this fantastically creepy and hilarious series, Marceline and the Scream Queens. Join Marceline and her spectral band of rockers as they tour across the land of Ooo!
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8. Anya's Ghost
Anya's Ghost by American cartoonist Vera Brosgol is a moving story of a young woman who finds a long-dead friend at the bottom of a well. The winner of several awards for young adult fiction, this is a must-have for your upper elementary and middle school readers.
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9. What We Don't Talk About
What We Don't Talk about, by Charlot Kristensen, is the story of an interracial couple and the challenges they face in dealing with their families and society at large. This is the perfect novel for sparking meaningful discussions in your high school classroom.
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10. Almost American Girl
This powerful graphic memoir is based on the true story of author Robin Ha's move from South Korea to Alabama. Ha's story illustrates common themes of cultural displacement, alienation, discrimination, and stigma faced by immigrants and would be a valuable addition to your history lessons.
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11. Tomboy
Through her work as an artist and her life in the punk community, artist Liz Prince learns that we can create our own identities. She shares her message of inclusivity through her quirky cartoons in this loveable graphic novel for teenage readers.
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12. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
This beloved classic from Hayao Miyazaki was a graphic novel before it was a best-selling international film. In Miyazaki's unique and fantastical style, we journey with Nausicaa as she works to save her world from environmental destruction.
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13. Roller Girl
Roller Girl is a New York Times bestseller and a Newberry award-winner for good reason. This truly inspiring tale by the derby skater Victoria Jamieson tells the story of Astrid, a young woman determined to beat the odds and find the confidence she needs to realize her skating dreams.
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14. El Deafo
This award-winning book by Cece Bell tells the story of Cece, a Deaf superhero who feels a little different when she moves to a school with hearing students. This book can help students understand the perspective of a Deaf person in a hearing world, and is a great resource for teachers who want to emphasize diversity in their classrooms.
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15. Go With the Flow
This graphic novel for girls breaks the taboo of talking about menstruation. It tells the story of a group of friends who stand up to their school's administration and demand access to feminine products. This sweet story of friendship and activism is sure to entertain and empower your female students.
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16. The Tea Dragon Society
These unique fantasy novels introduce Greta, a blacksmith's apprentice, to the magical universe of tea dragons. After saving a tea dragon, Greta becomes absorbed into their world and learns more than she ever expected about friendship and inclusivity. These beautifully illustrated books stand out among the rest and are highly recommended for your classroom or home library.
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17. Pashmina
This graphic novel by Nidhi Chanani has won numerous awards for its blend of magical realism and fresh, colorful artwork. The story centers on a young Indian woman named Priyanka and her magical shawl, which transports her to India and teaches her lessons about her heritage.
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18. Baba Yaga's Assistant
This is a modern take on the ancient Russian tales of Baba Yaga, the wise and somewhat frightening witch who lives in a hut with chicken feet outside of the village. In this reimagined version, the young woman Masha braves the legendary hut to learn from Baba Yaga and initiate herself into adulthood.
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19. Coraline
This spooky and creative tale by the legendary Neil Gaiman lives up to the hype. Junior high students are sure to love this graphic novel version, adapted by P. Craig Russell. Coraline goes exploring in her own house, only to find herself in a strangely similar but darkly fantastical world that she must escape from in order to return to the safety of her ordinary reality.
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20. The Golden Compass: The Graphic Novel
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman is one of the most popular and mind-bending fantasy novels of a generation, and this graphic novel brings it to life! The novel follows Lyra as she explores the outer limits of her world and the nature of existence itself.
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21. The Prince and the Dressmaker
The Prince and the Dressmaker is a heartwarming story about Prince Sebastian, a young prince who dreams of becoming his altar ego Lady Crystallia while his parents seek to marry him off. This is a great choice for discussions of gender identity in your classroom or for students who are curious about their own gender identities.
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22. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
Maus has gotten international attention for its powerful examination of WWII survivors through the lens of a family of mice. Art Spiegelman's haunting tale will definitely make an impact on your teenage readers.
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23. Sweet Tooth Compendium
The Sweet Tooth Compendium is Jeff Lemire's graphic version of the hit Netflix show about a young half-human and half-animal boy growing up in a hostile and violent world that is bent on his extinction.
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24. Becoming RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Journey to Justice
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life as a Supreme Court Justice was an example for every young woman growing up in America today. This educational graphic novel by Debbie Levy is the perfect choice for your secondary social studies classroom.
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25. Little White Duck
Little White Duck, by Na Liu and Andrés Vera Martinez, is another beautifully illustrated historic novel, this time set in 1970s China. The story follows the story of two young girls as their country emerges into a new time of globalization and connection with the outside world.
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26. Awkward
Awkward, by Svetlana Chmakova, is a sweet and honest look at adolescence. Tween girls will relate to the students at Berrybrook middle school, where the most important goal is to avoid the bullies.
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27. Witches of Brooklyn
Sophie Escabassie's newest novel, Witches of Brooklyn, will grab your teenage readers' attention. These witchy adventures tell the story of Effie, a smart and funny young woman who happens to have magical powers.
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28. Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American
This beautiful memoir by Laura Gao is based on a true coming-of-age story of Gao's own upbringing in an immigrant family from Wuhan. Gao tells funny and relatable stories about her heritage and the balance she must find growing up in two cultures.
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29. Runaways: Find Your Way Home
Middle school girls will love this Marvel retake. This fresh revisioning finds the original Runaways many years later, coming back together to heal old wounds and join forces for all new adventures.
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30. Flight: Volume One Kazu Kibuishi
Flight: Volume One features a series of short stories illustrated by a variety of artists in their own unique styles. This is a dream for the true graphic novel fan, with themes ranging from sci-fi to drama, and will provide a little something for everyone in your high school class!
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31. Ghosts
This poignant graphic novel from bestselling author Raina Telgemeier has won praise from the New York Times and awards including the Eisner Award. Telgemeier tells the story of two sisters, Catrina and Maya, as they move to the fictional town of Bahía de la Luna on northern California's coast to support Maya's ailing health.
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32. Be Prepared
In Be Prepared, Vera Brogsol offers a hilariously nostalgic take on Russian summer camp. As the teenage version of herself, frustrated and jealous of the fancy sleepaway camps her friends are all going to, Brosgol contrasts her own experience with bittersweet humor and relatability.
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33. Amulet
The Amulet series follows the story of Emily, a young girl who, following her father's death and mother's kidnapping, becomes entwined in a series of fantastical and frightening adventures she never expected. There are eight books in the Amulet series, which are sure to keep the graphic novel aficionado satisfied for quite a while!
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34. Stargazing
Jen Wang returns with another charming graphic novel, this time about two unlikely friends, Moon and Christine. Providing a lens into Asian American culture and an authentic look at youth today, the story of Moon and Christine's friendship is sure to melt your heart and make you think.
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35. The Cardboard Kingdom
Chad Sell's Cardboard Kingdom is an imaginative creation with contributions from several well-known comic greats. In this endearing story, the neighborhood kids join forces to create a magical kingdom out of cardboard boxes and explore who they truly are.
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36. Long Distance
When Vega begins summer vacation, she doesn't expect that she will be forced to pack up and move away from her very best friend and head to Seattle, Washington. Then to make things worse, her parents ship her off to summer camp, where things start to get really weird. This fun read from Whitney Gardner is the perfect summer treat.
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37. Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson
What happens when you take a magical unicorn called Marigold Heavenly Nostrils and force her to befriend a small girl? You get Phoebe and the Unicorn, whose quirky adventures are fast becoming an elementary classroom favorite.
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38. Cleopatra in Space
Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, is here to fight aliens and save the day! This fantastic retelling of Cleopatra's youth set in a futuristic fantasy universe is a unique and engaging way to introduce historic figures of the ancient world in your classroom.
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39. White Bird
This novel by R.J. Palacio, author of Wonder, tells the story of Julian's grandmother, Sara, who escaped from Nazi Germany as a young girl during World War II. Sara tells a beautiful story of kindness in the face of the unspeakable horror of the holocaust. This beautiful work is a powerful window into the important lessons in humanity that we can learn from the not-too-distant past.
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40. Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation
Ari Folman has adapted and illustrated this classic based on Anne Frank's World War II Frank wrote her diary from hiding in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands in the early 1940s before her family was taken to concentration camps in Poland. Using text directly from her diary, this graphic novel version makes an important historical text accessible for late elementary or middle school students.
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41. Real Friends
Real Friends, by bestselling authors Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham, is a touching narrative that deals with familiar themes of young adulthood, including friendship, popularity, bullying, and identity. This text could be used as a starting point for building social and emotional skills in your middle-grade class.
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42. Pumpkin Heads
Popular graphic novelist Rainbow Rowell returns with another hit, this time about two high school friends who work at a pumpkin patch. Josiah and Deja are seniors and this is their last shift together. The adventure that ensues is one to remember.
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43. Luz Sees the Light
Luz Sees the Light is an inspiring story of a young woman building a more sustainable future for herself and her community. Noticing the high prices of food and gas, Luz creates a community garden and gets her friends and neighbors to join in. Luz is an example for all young women of their power to change the world.
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44. Hilda and the Troll: Hilda Book 1 (Hildafolk)
The ever-popular Hilda series by Luke Pearson kicks off with this offbeat and whimsical adventure, Hilda and the Troll. Blending modern and traditional folk influences, these graphic novels would be a great way to bring discussions of folktales to life for your students.
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45. The Girl From the Sea
This coming-of-age story introduces us to Morgan, a fifteen-year-old who, like many middle school girls, can't wait to become an adult and escape from her life at home. Morgan has a lot of secrets, and as she begins to fall in love, she must decide whether to remain true to herself and reveal her identity to her family.
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46. Noise
Based on a true story, Noise tells the touching tale of a little girl who wants to be left alone and a little boy who has a lot to say. Kathleen Raymundo shares this short and sweet tale in just 26 pages, making it the perfect length for close reading activities.
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47. Dragon's Beware (The Chronicles of Claudette)
Claudette makes a dangerous enemy for dragons! In this great series of novels for kids by Jorge Aguirre, this fiery heroine takes on one challenge after another and inspires girls of all ages to be themselves and stand up for what is right.
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48. Primates
The Primates graphic novel by Jim Ottavia and Maris Wicks is a science teacher's dream, captivating kids and adults alike with stories and illustrations of cutting-edge 20th-century primatologists Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall, and Birute Galdikas.
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49. Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel
This thoughtfully rendered version of the classic Anne of Green Gables shines new light on cherished characters. Anne's wild spirit and her hilarious and trouble-making adventures will captivate the next generation in this imaginative take on the well-loved tale.
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50. Raven
Raven Roth just lost her mom in a tragic accident, which also damaged her memory. Grieving and traumatized, Raven moves to New Orleans with the hopes of confronting the darkness within and finding herself. This story will connect well with young readers who have had to face difficult circumstances and is highly recommended for your high school classroom or library.
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