Raina Telgemeier is a towering figure in comics of the 2000s, with her middle-grade graphic novel memoirs kicking off a goldrush of similar books for kids. It’s honestly hard to remember now, but autobiographical comics for kids barely existed before Telgemeier’s Smile and now I can hardly turn around without another e-mail promoting the latest graphic memoir hitting me square in the nose!
Where to Start With Raina Telgemeier Comics!
One of the nice things about Telgemeier’s books is that they’re hugely successful but fairly concise – there aren’t actually that many Raina books to choose from! To date, Telgemeier has published 5 graphic novels of her own (really 6 if we just go ahead and count The Cartoonist’s Club co-authored with Scott McCloud), 4 Baby-Sitter’s Club graphic novels, 1 How-To-Make-Comics guide, and a hodge podge of “non-essential” outliers (don’t worry, those are included in this guide as well!). That’s 11 major works, or in comics parlance, a tenth of a tenth of a percent of the number of One Piece volumes. You do have a few options depending on your preferences though, and I’ve broken out the works by category below.
The types of Raina Graphic Novel:
- Middle-Grade Memoir – Raina’s Autobiographical works (aka The Smile Trilogy)
- Realistic Fiction – Raina’s middle-grade graphic novels
- Non-Fiction Education – Raina’s guide on how to make comics and behind-the-scenes
- Baby-Sitter’s Club – Raina’s graphic novel adaptation of the classic series
- Superheroes & Short Stories – Raina’s licensed and shorter works. For the true deep dive collector!
If one of those categories sounds the best to you, start there. The obvious answer, though, is also the correct one. You start with the graphic novel that changed the game. You start with Smile.
You Keep Using Middle-Grade – I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means
Since it took me a while to learn the difference – and frankly I’m still learning – there is a difference between what librarian’s refer to as middle-grade or young adult comics. Middle-grade tends to cover kids aged 8 to 12, usually from about third grade up through junior high. YA on the other hand would pretty distinctly cover the teenage years. Examples, of middle-grade comics include Dog Man, Hilo, Big Nate, The Bad Guys, and of course, the Raina Telgemeier books we’re looking at right here!
I include slight variations on appropriate age-range for each book as defined by librarians below. But the important note for parents is they’re all very much considered middle-grade.
If you exclusively want a list in the order the books were published – different from the order that I argue makes the most sense – I include that at the very bottom as well!
Related Reading Guides:
Raina’s Autobiographical Graphic Novels – The Smile Series
Age target: 9–12 | Grades: 4–7 | Lexile: GN410L
As I mentioned above, if you’re totally new here, I recommend you start with Smile. It was published first by Scholastic in February 2010 and is a massive beloved sensation. Raina and Smile won the 2011 Eisner (Comics’ Oscars/Grammys) for Best Publication for Teens, and the book stayed on the New York Times best selling graphic novels list for 240 straight weeks until NYT literally stopped publishing the list (Smile shut that puppy down!).
Now, as a total chronology nerd I do have to note that technically – technically – Guts takes place when Raina’s in elementary school before 6th grade Raina’s dental trauma occurs in Smile. So there are two valid approaches here:
The Smile Series in Publication Order:
- Smile
- Sisters
- Guts
The Smile Series in Chronological Order:
- Guts
- Smile
- Sisters
Personally, my recommendation here would be to start with the publication order – the order I have them listed in – and then upon your 597th readthrough, switch to chronological to see how it feels!
Age target: 8–11 | Grades: 3–6 | Lexile: 290L
Sisters is an effective sequel that pretty easily answers the question on every kids lips: “What do I read after Smile?!” Released in 2014 – and again winning Raina the 2015 Eisner for Best Writer/Artist – Sisters takes place a few years after Smile, and looks at Raina’s sibling relationship and family dynamics as her parents relationship begins to observably deteriorate.
Age target: 8–12 | Grades: 3–6 | Lexile: 480L
As I mentioned above, Guts takes place chronologically before Smile and Sisters, but was published after both in 2019. Guts has a higher Lexile reading complexity score, primarily due to Telgemeier’s focus on anxiety, phobia, and navigating mental health through therapy.
Raina’s Fictional Graphic Novels
Age target: 10–14 | Grades: 5–8 | Lexile: GN400L
True to its name, if you know anything about Drama it might be that it’s been one of the most challenged books of the 2010s because it – checks notes because surely something this innocuous couldn’t be the reason… – includes gay characters and conversations about same-sex crushes. While this doesn’t in anyway justify conversations about banning, it does stem from a slightly more grown-up work around teenage characters, and a graphic novel that nets out the most upper middle-grade of Raina’s bibliography.
Published in 2012, and awarded a Stonewall Honor Book for inclusion of LGBTQIA+ story, Drama proves Telgemeier’s bona fides in fiction (even if the work is often based around her own experiences!).
Age target: 8–12 | Grades: 3–7 | Lexile: GN300L
Published in 2016, Raina’s second standalone fiction graphic novel takes a supernatural turn, while staying true to the cartoonist’s focus on childhood health challenges and sibling relationships.
For my money, this is Telgemeier’s farthest move out of her comfort zone, and it comes with risks and warts. In particular, a number of reviewers have highlighted instances of cultural appropriation surrounding the Mexican family and depictions of Dia de los Muertos. It’s a learning experience and worth keeping in mind with the read.
The Cartoonists Club: A Graphic Novel
Age target: 8–12 | Grades: 3–7
As Telgemeier has developed into a proper comics institution one of my favorite things to see is how engaged she is with encouraging young readers to make their own comics. The Cartoonists Club has her join forces with one of comics greatest advocates – Scott McCloud, esteemed creator and author of the essential Making Comics and Understanding Comics – for a fictional work of inspiration about making your own cartoons.
Published in 2025, The Cartoonists Club pairs exceptionally well with McCloud’s Making Comics for older or more artistic young readers who want to go deeper into the craft.
Raina’s Non-Fiction Graphic Novels and Books
Share Your Smile: Raina’s Guide to Telling Your Own Story
Helping kids make comics from one of the best in the business. Heck yeah!
Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier
Based on an exhibition about Raina’s career and works at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. Includes extensive interview and commentary with Raina about her inspirations and artistic process, with a focus on The Baby-Sitters Club, Smile, Sisters, Guts and Drama.
Raina’s Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels!
Scholastic’s Graphix line of comics for kids launched in 2005 with full-color editions of Jeff Smith’s classic Bone (my 3rd favorite comic of all time!), but The Baby-Sitter’s Club adaptations were only a year behind, kicking off in 2006. Raina Telgemeier adapts the first four graphic novels based on the classic Ann M. Martin novels, and would later return for a Super Special issue.
As you’ll notice, The Baby-Sitter’s Club graphic novels continue well after Raina hops off. As a matter of fact, as I write this in 2026, the 19th graphic novel in the series, Dawn on the Coast, was just released! Nonetheless, it’s Raina’s opening salvo that helped launch Graphix into the stratosphere and cemented her presence as a kid’s comics legend.
- Kristy’s Great Idea: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-Sitters Club #1)
- The Truth About Stacey: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-Sitters Club #2)
- Mary Anne Saves the Day: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-Sitters Club #3)
- Claudia and Mean Janine: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-Sitters Club #4)
- Baby-Sitters on Board!: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-sitters Club Super Special #1)
Raina’s Superhero Comics & Anthology Short Stories
The below selections feature Raina Telgemeier’s published comics outside of her full graphic novels, from licensed work for DC and Marvel to short stories included in various comics anthologies. These are for the truly obsessed fans, the Raina sickos, those who have to see everything she’s ever done! The works range from publication dates of 2006 through 2014. As far as I can tell, Raina hasn’t published any shorts since then that aren’t listed above – if you think otherwise, let me know in the comments!
I want a genre of Youtube video that replaces trailer-reactions with Raina readers learning she wrote an X-Men manga in 2009.
I promise, you do not need to read X-Men Misfits. But it is real. It exists. What a joy to be anything at all!
Raina has contributed stories to multiple Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet) anthologies. Flight in particular is a really cool, ahead of its time celebration of middle-grade and “kids comic” cartoonists soon to become publishing superstars.
Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists
Fairy Tale Comics: Classic Tales Told by Extraordinary Cartoonists
Notably, this comics squad anthology features a rare instance where Raina Telgemeier and Dog Man’s Dav Pilkey have comics in the same book.
Box Sets!
Raina Telgemeier Collection Box Set (Smile, Drama, Sisters, Ghosts, Guts)
If you just want to get a copy of all the core Raina graphic novels – the three memoirs listed above, and the two fictional works that are just Raina creations so far – this box set is an option. This is an effective fast track of the Raina essentials.
The Baby-Sitters Club #1-7 Graphic Novel Box Set
Age target: 8–12 | Grades: 3–6 | Lexile: Between 290L and 410L
Again, if you go with the Box Set option, note that only the first four graphic novels are adapted by Raina, before switching to the excellent Gale Galligan.
Raina Books Sorted by Publication Year!
- Bizarro World (2006)
- Kristy’s Great Idea: A Graphic Novel — BSC #1 (2006)
- The Truth About Stacey: A Graphic Novel — BSC #2 (2006)
- Mary Anne Saves the Day: A Graphic Novel — BSC #3 (2006)
- Flight, Volume Four (2007)
- Claudia and Mean Janine: A Graphic Novel — BSC #4 (2008)
- X-Men Misfits! (2009)
- Smile (2010)
- Nursery Rhyme Comics (2011)
- Drama (2012)
- Explorer: The Mystery Boxes (2012)
- Fairy Tale Comics (2013)
- Sisters (2014)
- Comics Squad: Recess! (2014)
- Ghosts (2016)
- Baby-Sitters on Board!: A Graphic Novel — BSC Super Special #1 (2016)
- Guts (2019)
- Share Your Smile: Raina’s Guide to Telling Your Own Story (2019)
- Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier (2024)
- The Cartoonists Club (2025)
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