10 of the Best Graphic Novels for Kids (All-Time Ranked List)
Sorry, Alan Moore, but today’s children aren’t quite ready for your graphic novel masterworks like Watchmen and V for Vendetta. They’re gonna have to work up to the Big Leagues. But how can they begin? With these adorable graphic novels for kids!
1. Sir Ladybug
It is important to teach youngsters the value of insect chivalry. Sir Ladybug is up to the task! Corey R. Tabor bug adventure graphic novel is about a himbo ladybug who is devoted to upholding chivalric ideals in his garden world. Sure, sometimes he’d rather be playing videogames or baking a cake, but he’s always there when a bug is in need! And right now, many bugs are in need. A monster has appeared in the realm: a hungry chickadee, and no bug is safe until Sir Ladybug can figure out a way to thwart the beast.
2. Your Pal Fred
The post apocalyptic future is a nasty place, but Fred is trying to make it nicer! Your Pal Fred is the story of a titular little robot boy who just wants to be everyone’s friend! Whether you be wasteland warlord or a murderous automaton, Fred wants to get to know you! While many of the far future’s inhabitants are a brutal and savage lot, Fred intends to stop their killing by killing them with kindness. He’s even got stickers to hand out! So cute! Fred’s current mission is to turn two arch rival warlords into best of friends. Good luck, Fred. You’re REALLY gonna need it.
3. Red Scare
Red Scare proves that not even children are safe from the horrors of McCarthyism! Bummer! One particular child, Maggie, is recovering from polio when she finds an otherworldly substance that Uncle Sam wants to get its red, white and blue mitts on. Maggie can’t let shifty government types get their hands on the stuff, and she goes out on the lamb to keep it safe. She’ll have to outwit bullies, FBI agents, and even a couple of international spies. All in a day’s work for the future of the free world.
4.The Search
Avatar: the Last Airbender tied up all the loose ends! The Firelord was defeated. Aang and Katara kissed. Everyone lived happily ever after. But wait … we never found out what happened to Zuko’s mom!? From series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko comes The Search, a Team Avatar tale that answers the question. We dive DEEP into Zuko and Azula’s absent mommy issues, and eventually her ultimate fate is revealed. I’m not gonna give any spoilers, but it just so happens to involve that place where people tend to go missing … The Spirit World. Surprise, surprise.
5. Muhammad Najem, War Reporter
Muhammad Najem, War Reporter is the memoir of the fifteen year old Syrian war reporter himself, co-authored by CNN producer Nora Neus. After his beloved father was killed in a bombing, Najem began to document the horrors of the Syrian civil war using a cellphone, posting what he and his family were forced to endure on social media. It’s a riveting story that features Najem’s interviews with children his age, and details his family’s struggle to live in an underground shelter while fleeing violence from their own government.
6. Anne of West Philly
A modern retelling of Anne of Green Gables, Anne of West Philly is the story of Anne Shirley in modern-day West Philadelphia. Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert adopt the spirited young redhead Anne, and the girl gets into all sorts of creative adventures with her friends. The plot points of the source material are given, like when Matt buys Anne an ugly Christmas sweater instead of a hideous puffy sleeved dress like in the original. Anne also gets up to totally new things too, like joining the robotics club. And is there still romance? Oh yes indeed.
7. Nimona
Before becoming an animated Netflix smash, Nimona was a bestselling graphic novel by ND Stevenson. The story revolves around non-binary shapeshifter Nimona, who lives outside of the laws of the sci-fi meets high fantasy metropolis she calls home. One day Nimona crosses paths with disgraced knight Lord Ballister Blackheart, who is determined to expose his old heroic order as the true villains of the story. Nimona decides to become his sidekick, purely out of an insatiable desire for chaos, and a need to stick it to the a world that refuses to accept a shapeshifter.
8. Apple Crush
When was it decided that boys and girls couldn’t be “just friends” after a certain age? Jen of Apple Crush wants to know. After moving into a farmhouse to live with her two step sisters, Jen struggles to adjust with a new home, new relationships, and a new middle school. Her step sisters are obsessed with crushes and boys, but Jen just doesn’t share those interests … until one particular boy comes along and changes everything. Looking for a cozy autumn read? Look no further.
9. Bug Scouts out in the Wild
There are few things on this planet that get a worse rap than bugs. Bug Scouts out in the Wild is determined to change that, with adorable insect tales! The Bug Scouts are a group of young bugs who are learning the rigors of wilderness survival. They do all the stuff that kids learn camping! How to forage for food! How to build a shelter! How to not be eaten alive by massive and predatory frogs! Alright I guess these bug children have to rough-it harder human kids.
10. Little Monarchs
Little Monarchs is a post-apocalyptic kids story with a better hook than most. A chemical shift in the sun has caused its light to become lethal to mammals. As a result, many of Earth’s mammals died out fifty years ago, and all the planet’s remaining humans are forced to live in underground shelters during the daylight hours. Almost all of them. 10-year-old Elvie and her biologist caretaker Flora have engineered anti anti-sun sickness vaccine made out of monarch butterfly wings. It seems like the solution humanity needs. The only problem is the stuff doesn’t keep for very long. Looks like it’s back to the drawing board.
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
