Do you have a reader that is sad to find the majority of their books are missing the illustrations that initially drew them to reading in the first place? Or perhaps you have a reader that is a bit intimidated (but refuses to admit it) by books with so much text, and so few illustrations? Perhaps they just think that reading is boring or not fun. Thankfully, graphic heavy books and graphic novels for this age group are increasing in both quality and quantity. This means that there are books out there with an extra dash or excitement and silliness available for readers of all ages.

Here are some great books that just might capture your reader’s eye with graphics, and keep them reading because of the story. The majority of theses books are the first in a series, so if your reader gets hooked, you should have a few books to go before looking for the next title. I have broken the lists down by age group, and by amount of text, to make finding the perfect book just a little easier.

Graphic Novels for Grades 2-5
1. The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future by George Beard and Harold Hutchins
2. Zita the Space Girl: Far from Home by Ben Hatke
3.Knights of the Lunch Table: The Dodgeball Chronicles by Frank Cammuso
4. Babymouse: Queen of the World! by Jennifer L. & Matthew Holm
5.  Fashion Kitty and the Unlikely Hero by Charise Mericle Harper
6. Squish 1: Super Amoeba by Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm
7. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby by Dav Pilkey

Grades 2-5 with more a bit more text:
1. School!: Adventures at the Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School by Kate McMullan
2. SPHDZ (Spaceheadz series) by Jon Scieszka
3. Ellie McDoodle: New Kid in School by Ruth McNally Barshaw
4. Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka
5. Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce
6. Justin Case: School, Drool, and other Daily Disasters by Rachel Vail
7. Secret Identity (Shredderman Series) by Wendelin Van Draanen
8. Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon
9. Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight
10. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

Grades 5 and Up
1. Coraline (based on the novel by Neil Gaiman) adapted by P. Craig Russell
2. Stickman Odyssey, Book 1: An Epic Doodle by Christopher Ford
3. Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge
4. Meanwhile by Jason Shiga
5. The Defense of Thaddeus A. Ledbetter by John Gosselink
6. Amelia’s Itchy-Twitchy, Lovey-Dovey Summer at Camp Mosquito by Marissa Moss
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley’s Journal by Jeff Kinney
8. Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renée Russell
9. Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles by Karen Romano Young
10. Max Quigley: Technically Not a Bully by James Roy
11. The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang by Amy Ignatow
12. Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg