Most Popular Books & Series 

at Sage Canyon Library (Fall '23)

Graphic Novels

• Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey

• Raina Telgemeier's books (such as Sisters, Guts, Smile, etc)

• The Baby-Sitters Club Graphics (adapted by various from Ann M. Martin)

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney

• Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd

• The Baby-Sitters Little Sister Graphics (adapted by Katy Farina from Ann M. Martin)

• The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat

• Sunny series & Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm

• Twins by Varian Johnson

• Apple Crush & Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley

• Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

• Marshmallow & Jordan by Alina Chau

• Kayla Miller's books (such as Camp, Click, etc)

• Wings of Fire Graphics (adapted by Barry Deutsch from Tui T. Sutherland)

• Big Nate series by Lincoln Peirce

• Pokèmon manga series by Hidenori Kusaka

• Sweet Valley Twins series (adapted by Nicole Andelfinger from Francine Pascal)

• Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte

• Jacky Ha-Ha (adapted by Andy Rau from James Patterson/Chris Grabenstein)

• Nat Enough series by Maria Scrivan

• Jurassic Jeff: Space Invader by Royden Lepp

• Katie the Catsitter series by Colleen A.F. Venable

• Bad Sister by Charise Mericle Harper

The only non-graphic novels that made our top 100 circulated titles list during the fall of this school year were the following (all very visual in nature as well):

• Who Would Win series by Jerry Pallotta

• Mo Willems books

• Creepy series books by Aaron Reynolds (such as Creepy Pair of Underwear)

• Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey

• Thea Stilton books* 

• Weird But True books by National Geographic

Popular upper level fiction books/authors in our library (not in our top circulated titles but still frequently checked out): 

• Warriors*

• Stuart Gibbs*

• Keeper of the Lost Cities*

• Katherine Arden

• Rick Riordan*

• Harry Potter

• Wings of Fire*

• Kelly Yang

• I Survived...*

• Also: Sports nonfiction/biography

* Many of these books/authors now also have graphic novel adaptations out/forthcoming!

Some Thoughts & Research on Graphic Novels

It's easy to cast off comics and graphic novels as unworthy literature but I think this is shortsighted. In my experience, graphic novels are extremely beneficial in getting students excited about reading and creating a lasting love of reading in kids. 

One public librarian commented, "For many children, graphic novels start their love of reading, because words are broken down into smaller spaces with lots of pictures" (SLJ), and I would agree with that. I have personally seen students who love graphic novels eventually make the jump to also enjoying narrative fiction. 

Graphic novels are accessible and easy to read, interesting and dynamic because of the comic illustrations, and can be binge-read at a faster pace than novels. In our library, the students who check out graphic novels regularly are often coming into the library on their own and checking out books outside of their class time.

Many graphic novels also tackle big themes and topics but in a less heavy-handed or intimidating way than some novels. Since graphic novels are so visual, we really get to see how a character's emotions play out and we get to read facial expressions and learn to "read between the lines" in stories.

I think due to the popularity of graphic novels in the publishing market that we will see more research in the coming years about how these books impact literacy. One study (source linked below) done on graphic novel reading with 5th graders in the last ten years reports: 

“The survey results showed that the students reading graphic novels reported greater enjoyment of reading and stronger interest in the story than when reading either of the other two novel forms. These differences were associated with large effect sizes when ratings of graphic novels were compared to traditional novels and medium effect sizes when compared to heavily-illustrated novels. These differences in student perceptions show the power of graphic novels to motivate and engage students.”

An important benefit to reading graphic novels and comics is their effect on visual literacy. Penn State University Libraries (source linked below) defines this term: "Visual literacy for graphic novels/comics is the ability to simultaneously interpret, analyze, and make meaningful, significant, relevant both the images and written texts of this medium, and uses this amalgamation to create deeper, more complex, more exploratory, more comprehensive understandings of the themes expressed in these works." As our students grow up in an increasingly-visual culture, visual literacy is vital to them.

In our library, we have a section of shelves dedicated to graphic novels, and this is the most popular section of the library. Interestingly, I noticed that at my local San Diego County Library branch, the graphic novels are now also shelved separately from the rest of juvenile fiction for easy access. 

One of the most striking details from both our top circulated titles and also any browsing of available graphic novels in the market is that they cover a variety and diverse selection of topics, genres, and character types. Whether a kid is into dragons, friendship drama, or slapstick humor, there seems to now be a graphic novel suited to every reader. More and more classics and popular novels are being adapted into graphic novels too, which is enticing students who wouldn't otherwise pick up those books to try them out in a more accessible form. Graphic novels are also great for English learners as the detailed illustrations can help them decode the story. (We also now have a few Dog Man and Wimpy Kid books in Korean and Chinese!)

Often, when I see which graphic novels a student is devouring, I am able to then recommend them chapter books/novels that will align with their interests and help them make the jump to trying something they would otherwise shy away from. And if they fall in love with a graphic adaptation, it is only natural for them to then try out the original novel to get more from a beloved story or series.