Graphic Novels for 5th Graders

This stunning graphic novel follows Cinzia, an Avvisi’s/newswriter’s apprentice living in sunny Sianerra. Cinzia and her mestra write news stories/pamphlets to the city, but not everyone likes it when they tell the truth. After an edition exposing the ruling family for extortion, Cinzia and her Mestra are arrested at night, and she has to join forces with the princess to fight back against censorship. Ink Girls is a beautiful graphic novel about activism, speaking the truth, and speaking up despite censorship.

Avery has SIX siblings and is feeling squished at home, so she’s crushed when her older brother Theo gets the first chance to room alone while she has to share a room with her younger siblings, Pearl and Max. On top of that, she often babysits the youngest three siblings. Avery decides to get a job so she can earn money and set up a basement bedroom. But just when she’s finding her groove, it appears that the family will have to move to another city — away from the friends and neighborhood Avery has come to love. Squished is a heartwarming, relatable middle grade book about being part of a large family, navigating sibling relationships, and adjusting to change.

Middle schooler Viv is tired of being boring and ordinary. She wants to amass social media followers and be a trendsetter like some of her classmates. She also watches a YouTuber who encourages her inclinations. So on picture day, she gets the grand idea to chop off her pigtail, creating a strange hairstyle, which a hairstylist eventually refines into something more attention-grabbing. Suddenly, everyone wants Viv’s advice, and she becomes more pushy too, especially towards her friends. It’s not long before everything comes crashing down. Picture Day by Sarah Sax is a funny but thoughtful start to a new graphic novel series for fans of the Click Series.

Doodles from the Boogie Down is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel about young Steph and her life in New York City in the early 2000s. Steph is finishing eighth grade in a Catholic middle school, and she and her friends are applying to high school. Steph is not great at math or science and prefers art instead, so she’s thrilled when her art teacher encourages her to apply to LaGuardia, an arts high school. Unfortunately, her strict Dominican mom doesn’t think art is a profitable career pursuit, so Steph’s plan is to only tell her mom about plans when she’s gotten in. On top of that she’s struggling with understanding one of her friends who seems to like a group of girls who bully Steph. Can Steph find her way? Doodles from the Boogie Down is a sweet, fun semi-autobiographical graphic novel about choosing your path and life in NYC.

Addie has reluctantly moved across the country with her dad for his summer job in the virtual reality industry. He’s working on research to use VR for therapeutic purposes, such as helping people cultivate empathy. Addie is not into VR, but that starts to change when she meets Matteo another kid on campus, and tries out VR on her own. Eventually, the two find a helpful use for VR that helps other people. Lo and Behold is a clever middle grade graphic novel about virtual reality, grief, and parental addiction.

Maggie loves animals and has been waiting patiently to get a dog, only to discover that she’s allergic. She’s also dealing with a changing family in which she feels less and less like she belongs. Her two little brothers are seemingly obsessed with each other and couldn’t care less about her. Her mother is heavily pregnant and excited for the new baby. Maggie starts getting shots to get her allergies under control while on the hunt for a hypoallergenic pet. Things appear to be looking up when Maggie meets Claire, an only child living with her single dad, who indulges her every whim. Claire is one grade above Maggie, but the two become fast friends — until Claire gets a dog. Allergic is a sweet, realistic depiction of what it’s like to suffer from allergies.

Meet the Bin family, a trio of raccoons in the risky business of dumpster diving for all their needs. With Dusty’s brains, ReRe’s muscle, and Scraps’s gadgets (please don’t tell him he’s almost definitely an opossum), the Binses are determined to leave no garbage bin unturned in their pursuit of the tastiest, most delicious trash they can find. When the family discovers a new upscale grocery store that’s throwing away their perfectly good food at the end of each day, the Binses hatch a heist so daring it’ll have them rolling in garbage all winter long. But a critter-despising CEO, Jeff Beans, and the high-tech defense system he’s installed means liberating that trash is going to take all the skills the Racc Pack have…and maybe some help from a cat burglar with a mysterious past.

Astrid and Nicole are best friends who do nearly everything together. Until Astrid’s mom takes them to watch roller derby. While Astrid can’t get enough of the cool girls and all the derby action, Nicole is immediately put off. So when Astrid signs up for junior derby, Nicole chooses a ballet elective instead. However, Astrid never tells her mom that she’s derby rolling instead of doing ballet with Nicole. Things get more difficult when Astrid realizes that roller derby is no joke — physically, mentally, and emotionally. Will she make it? Roller Girl is an action-packed exploration of roller derby, the thrill of finding a passion, and the power of perseverance. 

What if all you wanted for the summer was to go to camp with your best friends and draw comics in peace — BUT your parents thought it was better to go to Honduras, where they’re from, instead? That’s Sue’s dilemma. And then, on top of that, she finds out that her family is throwing her a surprise Quincenera against her wish. Will Sue survive the summer? Miss Quinces is an engaging, immersive graphic novel about identity, Latin-American culture, a love for art, and family.

Sophia has been hanging out in Aqualand, the marine theme park her late father and uncle started. Her uncle is doing his best to finish Sophia’s late father’s marine project, and Sophia seems to have little or no zest for school work. Imagine her shock when a diving suit controlled by sea creatures appears in Aqualand. It turns out the suit is controlled by sea creatures who’ve come to Aqualand looking for a place to call home. Unfortunately, they discover that Aqualand doesn’t treat sea creatures in the best way. Now, they’ll need Sophia and her uncle to help them find their way to safety. But Sophia’s uncle is under pressure from investors to keep up the tourist attractions in the park. Can they do the right thing? This is a quirky, emotion-packed graphic novel that is not for every reader. Still, it is a moving exploration of grief, the environment, marine life, and family.

Making friends isn’t easy, but losing them is even harder! Natalie has never felt that she’s enough — athletic enough, stylish enough, or talented enough. And on the first day of middle school, Natalie discovers that things are worse than she thought — now she’s not even cool enough for her best friend, Lily! As Natalie tries to get her best friend back, she learns more about her true self and natural talents. If Natalie can focus on who she is rather than who she isn’t, then she might realize she’s more than enough, just the way she is.

Raina is just trying to enjoy being a sixth grader when an accident severely injures her two front teeth. Thus begins an unending series of visits to dentists and different treatment options. Throughout this process, Raina still has middle school to tackle. Her friends are sometimes insensitive toward the things that matter to her and she’s finding herself newly developing crushes on boys, even as she’s too embarrassed to smile, thanks to the braces, head gear, retainer, and other contraptions she has to wear throughout the course of this book. Smile follows Telgemeier from sixth grade until high school as each attempt to rectify the situation with her teeth is stumped and doctors are forced to try a different route.

Twelve-year-old Cindy has just dipped a toe into seventh-grade drama—with its complicated friendships, bullies, and cute boys—when she earns an internship as a cub reporter at a local newspaper in the early 1970s. A (rare) young female reporter takes Cindy under her wing, and Cindy soon learns not only how to write a lede, but also how to respectfully question authority, how to assert herself in a world run by men, and—as the Watergate scandal unfolds—how brave reporting and writing can topple a corrupt world leader. Searching for her own scoops, Cindy doesn’t always get it right, on paper or in real life. But whether she’s writing features about ghost hunters, falling off her bicycle and into her first crush, or navigating shifting friendships, Cindy grows wiser and more confident through every awkward and hilarious mistake.

Lori Block is dedicated to her fourth-grade basketball team, despite being relegated to an extra period before the real game starts, known as the fifth quarter, where the not-so-good kids play and the points don’t count. That doesn’t matter to Lori though, because working on her skills gives her hints of self-confidence, which is a nice break from feeling awkward and out of place in her daily life. This is a fast-paced basketball series about perseverance, friendship, and love for the sport.

Mia is part of two tribes, although she’s only known one for most of her life. She lives with her Jewish mom and stepfather in California but has always been curious about her father and his Muscogee heritage. Her mom and dad did not have an amicable divorce, so her mother doesn’t like to talk about her dad. Eventually, Mia’s curiosity gets the best of her, and she uses her Bat Mitzvah money to travel to her father in Oklahoma, telling her mom that she’s at a Jewish camp. There, she learns about her Muscogee family and their culture. But of course, her mom finds out, and Mia is in a fix. This is an important middle grade graphic novel about personal identity and navigating a bi-cultural existence. This book is a rare exploration into life for a tween who is both Muscogee and Jewish, and readers will empathize with Mia’s questions and struggles.

The Tryout follows young Christina as she tries out for her middle school’s cheerleading team. As one of the few Asians in her small Texas town, Christina and her Iranian-American best friend are nervous about trying out, but determined to give their best. Unfortunately, tryouts quickly lead to heartbreak when Megan decides to partner up with another girl, leaving Christina to fend for herself. Can the girls make it work? This is a fantastic graphic memoir that will appeal to fans of sports stories and books about life as a minority and child of immigrants.

Pawcasso is what 11-year-old Jo names the basket-toting dog in town when a group of kids at the library mistake her for the dog’s owner. Jo is a lonely kid bored at home during the summer holidays and missing her father, who works in a different city and visits the family periodically. She’s seen the dog walking through her neighborhood several times. The dog goes grocery shopping and can find its way home through pedestrian traffic and everything in town. As the kids fall more in love with “Pawcasso,” and by extension, Jo, she begins to enjoy having friends in her life. But what happens when the lie is exposed? On top of all the issues, the town is engaged in a debate about whether Pawcasso should be allowed to roam free — off leash. Jo also begins to worry whether her new plan is endangering Pawcasso’s freedom. Pawcasso is an adorable middle grade graphic novel with a relatable protagonist and a sweet dog friend.

Besties Beth and Chanda need to find a way to earn some money. Beth wants to give her mom a spa day while Chanda needs money to adopt a new pet (and prove herself responsible to her parents who are constantly comparing her to her big sister). But when the two land a house-sitting gig, they end up breaking their employer’s prized possession. Can they fix the problem without losing their friendship and reputation? Besties: Work It Out is a sweet, realistic graphic novel about friendship, starting a business, animals, and family relationships.

Be Prepared is based on Vera Brosgol’s experience at Russian camp in her childhood. Vera is almost ten and now living in the US with her mom and her brother. They moved when Vera was still young, and though she understands Russian, she can’t speak as well. Her mother is back in school and the family is living on a tight budget. Vera feels like the outsider with her American friends who are more well-to-do and have slumber parties in their larger houses. When she tries and fails to fit in repeatedly, she decides that she will go to summer camp just as her friends do. This way, she’ll have something to say when they’re all sharing summer plans and experiences. However, the Russian Scout camp she and her brother are sent to is not at all like the American summer camp she envisioned. Gross toilets, snobby older kids, a lot of reading in Russian and tough outdoor conditions teach Vera much about life and friendships. Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol is a fun graphic novel about summer camp, friendships, Russian culture and traditions, as well as sibling dynamics.