When I received the coffee-table book “Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier,” I was tempted to wax nostalgic. Based on a 2023 exhibition at Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, it includes an in-depth interview with Telgemeier, childhood drawings and process art from the series that launched the modern graphic-novel memoir boom. But then I snapped back to reality and remembered that “Smile,” “Sisters” and “Guts” still feel fresh as daisies and are currently the most circulated graphic novels in my school library by a mile. No need for nostalgia. If you have Raina-obsessed readers in your life who have read the “Smile” books, as well as her two stand-alone graphic novels, “Drama” and “Ghosts,” here are some other recommendations.
Speechless
by Aron Nels Steinke
Telgemeier knows the power of the specific. While very few kids have experienced the exact dental trauma Raina endures in “Smile,” it’s presented so realistically that anyone with teeth can relate. Steinke is a former teacher, and the specificity he brings to this story about a student who suffers from selective mutism will connect with anyone who’s ever felt shy. At school, the sixth grader Mira doesn’t speak. At home, her voice returns and she expresses herself through creating Claymation videos. When her ex-best-friend, Chloe, moves in temporarily because of a family emergency, Mira feels as though her safe space has been invaded by the enemy. But maybe Mira is more responsible for the falling-out than she realizes. All the while, a question hangs in the air: Will Mira find her voice at school?
Allergic
by Megan Wagner Lloyd; illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter
Allergies can be awful. But an allergy that prevents you from getting a dog? The worst. When Maggie’s dream of getting a puppy comes true, it quickly goes off the rails. She discovers she is severely allergic to anything with fur. But could this thwarted dream open up space for something new?
Stepping Stones
by Lucy Knisley
Jen, a city kid, moves with her mother to the country, where farmers’ markets (and chores) are abundant. Adding to the burden are Mom’s boyfriend, Walter, and his two daughters. After getting off on the wrong foot with her new “sisters,” Jen forms a delicate friendship with the girls. Like Telgemeier, Knisley has a knack for crystallizing coming-of-age anxieties and social dynamics. City slickers and farm kids alike will enjoy this book (the first in a series).
Twins
by Varian Johnson; illustrated by Shannon Wright
How do you grow up and become your own person when you’re an identical twin? That’s the challenge for Maureen and Francine Carter as they begin sixth grade. The answer? Politics. A class president showdown ramps up the tension. When the election turns contentious, will family come first? Johnson is a twin himself, adding extra authenticity to this story of sibling strife.
Stargazing
by Jen Wang
While both are Chinese American, the apprehensive Christine and the free-spirited Moon seem to be complete opposites. Nevertheless, the pair become fast friends when Moon and her mom move in next door. As their bond grows, Moon reveals that she sees strange visions, leading to a moment of near-tragedy that puts their friendship in peril. A beautifully drawn portrait of an odd-couple friendship.
Dream On
by Shannon Hale; illustrated by Marcela Cespedes
It’s 1984 and Cassie, a fourth grader, is one of six kids in a family that is struggling financially. To add insult to injury, her best friend is preoccupied with the class mean girl. When Cassie receives a sweepstakes letter promising a grand prize, she jumps at the chance to surprise her family and impress her bestie with some much-needed cash. But instead of money Cassie gets a bunch of magazine subscriptions she can’t afford, and she’s forced to deal with the fallout.
Jawbreaker
by Christina Wyman
Max Plink has a severe overbite that her braces can’t fix, so now she also has to wear “the jawbreaker” — headgear that borders on physical and social torture. A video project at school brings a new problem: her reluctance to appear on camera with her new look. Wyman’s own teenage dental drama informed this looks-like-a-comic-but-isn’t middle grade novel.
All’s Faire in Middle School
by Victoria Jamieson
The home-schooled Renaissance faire aficionado Imogene is entering the brand-new world of public school. It’s a bumpy ride, as she crashes into the steep learning curve of social status, friendships and modern tween culture. Dragon-slaying flights of fancy and chapter-starting decorations that look straight out of an illuminated manuscript lean into the Ren vibes. Jamieson’s earlier graphic novel “Roller Girl” would also be right at home on this list.
Be Prepared
by Vera Brosgol
In a narrative that draws on the author’s two summers at a Russian Orthodox sleepaway camp, Vera quickly realizes that while she felt too Russian to fit in with her suburban schoolmates, she might not be Russian enough for this camp she begged her single mother to send her to. Camp memories can be indelible and Brosgol’s book is full of them, from a terrifyingly hilarious outhouse scene to desperate letters home.
Dear Jackie
by Jessixa Bagley; illustrated by Aaron Bagley
Jackie and her best friend, Milo, are drifting apart. Middle school brings shifting social dynamics, and while Milo gravitates toward the soccer team, Jackie is catching flak for not being feminine enough. Her plan for a popularity boost? Write anonymous love letters to herself. The manufactured mystery catches on more than Jackie expected, and soon she finds herself stuck in a faux-mance she’s too embarrassed to come clean about.
A First Time for Everything
by Dan Santat
Telgemeier’s “Smile” pulls you in with an “I can’t believe that happened” event. Santat’s humorous and tender memoir about a wildly independent school trip to Europe is full of them. The summer before his freshman year, Santat boards a plane with a group of antagonistic classmates. He’s not looking forward to this. But as they crisscross the continent they bond over rare shared experiences. Slowly, Dan’s confidence grows, culminating in a surprise visit to Wimbledon and first love, all gloriously free of overprotective teachers and Life360-era parenting. As Michael Che says on “S.N.L.,” “It’s the ’90s.”
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