7 Graphic Novels Elementary Schoolers Love

When I was an elementary school librarian, graphic novels were one of my favorite tools for helping reluctant readers get excited about checking out a book.

They tend to be small and paperback and they can seem much less intimidating than a traditional novel. The illustrations help guide the story along and they are usually much less text-heavy.

And even great readers can benefit from the opportunity to use their brains in slightly different ways, piecing together the story through both words and images.

Plus, they’re just fun.

When I took over the library, there wasn’t a single graphic novel on the shelves, so I got to start a collection from scratch. Here are some of the ones that were most beloved among my 600 students. Best thing is, each book listed below begins a whole series, so once a kid gets hooked, there are many more adventures to be had!

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute

by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Also available from:

The Lunch Lady books were the first graphic novels I ever read, and I was instantly enamored. A mild-mannered meatloaf server by day, Lunch Lady uses all sorts of special modified kitchen gadgets to catch bad guys when she’s not on duty. The stories are funny and clever and the illustrations are done in black, white, and yellow, an eye-catching combo.

Also available from:

Babymouse: Queen of the World!

by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Also available from:

Poor Babymouse. In her mind, she’s queen of the world with everything going her way. In real life, things aren’t quite so simple. These are the perfect introductory graphic novels for younger elementary school readers.

Also available from:

Squish: Super Amoeba

by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Also available from:

Squish loves comic books, and inspired by his favorite hero, Squish is off to save the world from the forces of evil. Or so he thinks.

Also available from:

Knights of the Lunch Table: The Dodgeball Chronicles

by Frank Cammuso

Also available from:

A fun spin on the legends of King Arthur, this excellent series follows Arti King as he begins life at Camelot Middle School where everything seems to be going wrong. When a local gang challenges him to a dodgeball match, Arti has to quickly find some new friends and maybe a little magic to help him beat the bullies.

Also available from:

The Stonekeeper

by Kazu Kibuishi

Also available from:

While many of the books on this list deal with regular life, Emily and Navin’s story is anything but normal. After the death of their father, they are lured through a door in the basement by a beast who has kidnapped their mother. The siblings find themselves fighting to save her in a world they could never have imagined.

Also available from:

Dragonbreath

by Ursula Vernon

Also available from:

It’s bad enough when you're a dragon who can’t breathe fire. It’s even worse when you get an F on your science paper. Danny Dragonbreath’s teacher tells him he has to redo the paper and so he and his friend Wendell head to sea to conduct research to see if they can earn an A this time around.

Also available from:

Zita the Spacegirl

by Ben Hatke

Also available from:

When you’re confronted with a mysterious device featuring a big red button, of course you’re going to push it. But when Zita does so, her best friend is abducted by an alien group and Zita is the only one who can save him.

Also available from: