With shows based on comics and graphic novels like Paper Girls making their way to streaming, young readers are in need of more non-superhero stories that are told through s and images rather than entire pages and paragraphs.
Graphic novels are an excellent way for young adult readers to find what they like to read without being weighted down with giant tomes that may not keep their minds engaged for the story's duration. Even though they include pictures, graphic novels and comics spark just as many emotional responses and require just as much imagination as a traditional novel.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me is the perfect graphic novel for anyone who has been in an unhealthy relationship in their teen years but had a hard time letting it go. The story shows young readers that what someone wants isn't always what is best for them, and certain friendships are worth clinging onto over a new-found love interest.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me explores young love as something that can affect one's life in the long term and not as a fleeting feeling as other novels tend to.
Speak
Speak is a poignant graphic novel adaptation of the groundbreaking novel by the same name from 1999. Even though the story may be hard to digest for some, it takes an honest look at what it is like to deal with trauma at a young age, and the shame people feel after going through a sexual assault.
While the topic is heavy, Speak has made people who have similar experiences to the main character feel seen and less alone, and like they can work through their feelings like the main character.
Snotgirl
Even though it is a non-DC or Marvel superhero comic, Snotgirl has television show potential with the level of drama that the series brings to readers and its critique of influencer culture on social media.
Besides the bright art style, readers get a glimpse at the not-so-glamourous parts of being a full-time content creator and how it can affect someone's offline life as much as their online image. The series offers a thriller element in the first installment and continues through the other volumes in a less pronounced way.
The Prince and The Dressmaker
The Prince and The Dressmaker is the perfect graphic novel for young adult readers who are fans of the fashion queens of RuPaul's Drag Race.
This heartwarming story has elements of drag and found family that will delight readers as they follow the prince on his journey to becoming who he is, all with the help of a dressmaker who helps his transformations each night. The graphic novel touches on topics like parents who don't their kids and how drag can help people connect to their true selves.
Sheets
For readers who are looking for a story that focuses on the loss of a parent and a paranormal friendship that helps heal someone's broken heart, there is Sheets. Sheets tells the story of a ghost boy who befriends a girl whose mother has recently died, leaving her to run the family business.
Their adorable friendship gets them in trouble but comes in handy when the main character has to fight for her business to stay afloat. Even though it is a lighthearted story, the book discusses grief meaningfully.
Heartstopper
As one of Heartstopper delighted fans with its romantic comedy-style episodes while tackling important issues that young adults face as they discover their sexuality.
Fans of the show can find the same themes in the source material that inspired the show and get even more of what they love since the graphic novels already span four volumes. Even though the series discusses important topics like eating disorders and homophobia, there is a lightness to the story that is perfect for young readers.
Pumpkin Heads
Pumpkin Heads is the perfect addition to anyone's reading list if they are looking for a cute story that captures the essence of autumn and the feeling of young love.
This friends to lovers tale follows long-time friends as they spend their last fall at the pumpkin patch together before their senior year comes to a close and what that could mean for their relationship. The story's pace will keep young readers engaged while making them feel cozy and long for days spent in corn mazes and pumpkin carving.
Fangirl
Fangirl captures what it means to be a college freshman who is not ready to let go of the things they love from home and are afraid to put themselves out into the world without the security of high school friends. The comic is an adaptation of Rainbow Rowell's best-selling novel, focusing on a fanfiction writer finding her stride offline.
The love story has classic elements of the best romantic comedies of all time but also addresses mental health in a way that young readers can relate to as they transition from high schoolers to college students.
The Girl From The Sea
The Girl From the Sea is a sapphic paranormal romance that is great for readers struggling to be open with their family and friends about their identity and who they love while also addressing the effect humans have on the ocean. The story focuses on a fifteen-year-old girl who falls for a selkie and tries to help her save her family as a new cruise ship threatens their habitat.
While it may seem strange, the book analyzes how friendships change as people grow up and that not everyone struggles with something, regardless of whether they share it publicly.
Mooncakes
If young adult readers are looking for a paranormal story that focuses on witchcraft while having several kinds of LGBTQ+ representation, look no further than Mooncakes. The story has ghosts, monsters, and neighbors who seem harmless but are trying to take down the paranormal world one creature at a time.
This graphic novel is perfect for any time of year, despite looking like an exclusively Halloween-based story. As a stand-alone, Mooncakes won't take long to read and has a satisfying ending that will make even the most hardened readers tear up.
