Favourite Graphic Novels for Secondary School Children
These comics and graphic novels offer a different route into discovering the pleasure of reading.
The graphic novel format is a great way to engage reluctant readers, present difficult subject matter in an accesible way, as well as to just enjoy a great read. There is something on this list for every teen.
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Conspiracy of Ravens
Author: Leah Moore / John Reppion / Sally Jane Thompson
Interest level: 10-14
Reading age: 9+
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Conspiracy of Ravens
Author: Leah Moore / John Reppion / Sally Jane Thompson
Interest level: 10-14
Reading age: 9+
Anne Ravenhall is just trying to get through her exams at boarding school - until a mysterious aunt leaves her a mysterious locket…
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Invisible Emmie
Author: Terri Libenson
Interest level: 10-14
Reading age: 10+
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Invisible Emmie
Author: Terri Libenson
Interest level: 10-14
Reading age: 10+
Thirteen-year-old Emmie is the quiet girl at school, the one nobody notices. She loves to draw – and is good at it too – and has a…
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KidGlovz
Author: Julie Hunt and Dale Newman
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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KidGlovz
Author: Julie Hunt and Dale Newman
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
This stunning pencil-drawn graphic novel of talent, music and friendship will readers young and old. You'll be rooting for KidGlov…
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The Legend of Sally Jones
Author: Jakob Wegelius Translator: Peter Graves
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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The Legend of Sally Jones
Author: Jakob Wegelius Translator: Peter Graves
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
Jakob Wegelius’ graphic novel prequel to the novel The Murderer’s Ape tells the gorilla Sally Jones’ sad origin story wi…
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Pumpkin Heads
Author: Rainbow Rowell Illustrator: Faith Erin Hicks
Interest level: 12-16
Reading age: 10+
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Pumpkin Heads
Author: Rainbow Rowell Illustrator: Faith Erin Hicks
Interest level: 12-16
Reading age: 10+
A story of friendship and romance told in a funny and inclusive graphic novel that celebrates the joy and diversity of Halloween t…
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Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
The graphic novel adaptation of this well-written and action-packed story of a teenage spy works really well
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Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars - The Collected Edition
Author: Jessica Abel; backgrounds and design by Lydia Roberts; colours by Walter
Interest level: 12-14
Reading age: 12+
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Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars - The Collected Edition
Author: Jessica Abel; backgrounds and design by Lydia Roberts; colours by Walter
Interest level: 12-14
Reading age: 12+
This collection of Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars, issues 1-3, is a fascinating graphic novel, melding a dystopian Mars soci…
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The Senses
Author: Matteo Farinella
Interest level: 11-16
Reading age: 11+
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The Senses
Author: Matteo Farinella
Interest level: 11-16
Reading age: 11+
Diane starts to explore her five senses with the help of a virtual reality headset. It’s extremely unusual to see scientific …
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Pie in the Sky
Author: Remy Lai
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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Pie in the Sky
Author: Remy Lai
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
Illustrated throughout, this heartfelt story contains so much: a family coping with bereavement, the alienation of moving somewher…
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Alpha: Abidjan to Gare du Nord
Author: Bessora & Barroux Translator: Sarah Ardizzone
Interest level: 14-16
Reading age: 14+
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Alpha: Abidjan to Gare du Nord
Author: Bessora & Barroux Translator: Sarah Ardizzone
Interest level: 14-16
Reading age: 14+
A powerful, terrible and essential story, Alpha should be required reading for everyone. The graphic novel highlights the terror a…
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Tales From Outer Suburbia
Author: Shaun Tan
Interest level: 11-12
Reading age: 10+
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Tales From Outer Suburbia
Author: Shaun Tan
Interest level: 11-12
Reading age: 10+
These often thought-provoking stories look at the reactions ordinary people have to the unusual situations they find themselves in…
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Ethel & Ernest
Author: Raymond Briggs
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 12+
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Ethel & Ernest
Author: Raymond Briggs
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 12+
Ethel & Ernest tells the story of Raymond Briggs' parents, from 1928 to their deaths in the 70s - spanning a period of great s…
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The Amulet of Samarkand: A Bartimaeus Graphic Novel
Author: Jonathan Stroud
Interest level: 9-10
Reading age: 9+
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The Amulet of Samarkand: A Bartimaeus Graphic Novel
Author: Jonathan Stroud
Interest level: 9-10
Reading age: 9+
The graphic novel adaptation of the first volume in the best-selling Bartimaeus sequence makes the series more accessible to reade…
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Dark Satanic Mills
Author: Marcus & Julian Sedgwick Illustrator: John Higgins and Marc Olivent
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 13+
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Dark Satanic Mills
Author: Marcus & Julian Sedgwick Illustrator: John Higgins and Marc Olivent
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 13+
In a Britain laid to waste by catastrophic global warming, a motorcycle courier, Christy, and an atheist campaigner are on the run…
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Persepolis
Author: Marjane Satrapi Translator: Blake Ferris
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 12+
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Persepolis
Author: Marjane Satrapi Translator: Blake Ferris
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 12+
Persepolis is Satrapi's history of Iran and her life in Iran and France as she tries to retain her Iranian culture but also grow u…
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Curse of the Chosen: Volume 1
Author: Alexis Deacon
Interest level: 12-18
Reading age: 12+
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Curse of the Chosen: Volume 1
Author: Alexis Deacon
Interest level: 12-18
Reading age: 12+
Fifty warriors partake in a competition to decide which of them will rule the kingdom. An enthralling graphic novel packed with ma…
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Curse of the Chosen: Volume 2
Author: Alexis Deacon
Interest level: 12-18
Reading age: 12+
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Curse of the Chosen: Volume 2
Author: Alexis Deacon
Interest level: 12-18
Reading age: 12+
In the epic conclusion to this graphic novel series, the warriors undertake the final task of the competition, deciding who will w…
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Jane, the Fox & Me
Author: Fanny Britt Illustrator: Isabelle Arsenault & Translator: Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 10+
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Jane, the Fox & Me
Author: Fanny Britt Illustrator: Isabelle Arsenault & Translator: Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 10+
This thought-provoking graphic novel by Fanny Britt, exquisitely illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, is a real visual delight
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Illegal
Author: Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin and Illustrator: Giovanni Rigano
Interest level: 10-16
Reading age: 10+
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Illegal
Author: Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin and Illustrator: Giovanni Rigano
Interest level: 10-16
Reading age: 10+
Illegal tells the story of Ebo, a 12-year-old boy who flees grinding poverty, zero opportunities and a drunken uncle in his s…
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Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers
Author: John Harris Dunning Illustrator: Nikhil Singh
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 13+
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Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers
Author: John Harris Dunning Illustrator: Nikhil Singh
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 13+
In this dark gothic fantasy, Salem must meet his guardian familiar, get help from some new friends and defeat mysterious dark forc…
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Line Of Fire: Diary Of An Unknown Soldier
Author: Barroux Translator: Sarah Ardizzone
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
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Line Of Fire: Diary Of An Unknown Soldier
Author: Barroux Translator: Sarah Ardizzone
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
In this striking graphic novel adaptation of a 100-year-old diary, the events of the first two months of WWI are told through the …
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The Marvels
Author: Brian Selznick
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 10+
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The Marvels
Author: Brian Selznick
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 10+
More than just a mystery, The Marvels is a heart-warming story about growing up, identity and family, full of cinematic and captiv…
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The Isobel Journal
Author: Isobel Harrop
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 12+
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The Isobel Journal
Author: Isobel Harrop
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 12+
Subtitled ‘Just a Northern Girl from Where Nothing Really Happens’, this beautifully-presented book from 18-year-old d…
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Romeo and Juliet - Manga Shakespeare
Author: Sonia Leong and William Shakespeare Adapted by Richard Appignanesi
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 13+
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Romeo and Juliet - Manga Shakespeare
Author: Sonia Leong and William Shakespeare Adapted by Richard Appignanesi
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 13+
Set in modern Tokyo, with the Capulets and Montagues recast as organised-crime rivals, this racy retelling gets to the heart …
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The Arrival
Author: Shaun Tan
Interest level: 8-9
Reading age: 8+
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The Arrival
Author: Shaun Tan
Interest level: 8-9
Reading age: 8+
In this unusual book, we follow a young man as he packs his bags and leaves his family to go and start a new life in another count…
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