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If you like Smile... Great books for kids who like Raina Telgemeier! The first section highlights graphic novels; the second section is for chapter (text-based) books.
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According to Aggie
by Mary Richards Beaumont
When best friends Aggie and Fiona drift apart in fifth grade, Aggie grows to understand that fading friendships are normal, and she makes a new friend who shares more of her interests.
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Allergic
by Megan Wagner Lloyd
Hoping to adopt a pet to find a sense of belonging in her busy family, Maggie is disappointed to discover she is severely allergic to anything with fur and tries to find a pet to love anyway. By the author of Paper Mice.
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Awkward
by Svetlana Chmakova
After shunning Jaime, the school nerd, on her first day at a new middle school, Penelope Torres tries to blend in with her new friends in the art club, until the art club goes to war with the science club, of which Jaime is a member.
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The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea
by Raina Telgemeier
Follow the adventures of Kristy and the other members of the Baby-sitters Club as they deal with crank calls, uncontrollable two-year-olds, wild pets, and parents who do not always tell the truth.
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Be Prepared
by Vera Brosgol
Believing Russian summer camp will be the place she finally fits in, Vera jumps at the chance to sign up, but very quickly discovers that camp is nothing like she imagined.
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Besties: Work It Out
by Kayla Miller
Meet Beth and Chanda, two stylish best friends on their way to building their fashion empire! An unexpected business opportunity presents itself when the girls are asked to dogsit at Ms. Langford's luxurious house while she's away, but it quickly turns into a disaster after an accident leaves one of Ms. Langford's prized possessions in pieces! Now Beth and Chanda have to take on as many odd jobs as they can in order to afford a replacement. Car washing, book sales, interior decorating--you name it, Beth and Chanda are there! Will they be able to patch up their mistake in time?
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El Deafo
by Cece Bell
The author recounts in graphic novel format her experiences with hearing loss at a young age, including using a bulky hearing aid, learning how to lip read, and determining her "superpower."
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Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom
by Booki Vivat
Struggling with a family that does not understand her and a cafeteria full of corrupt lunch ladies, drama-prone Abbie Wu throws freak-out tantrums in her struggle to figure out who she is, where she belongs, and how she is supposed to survive the everyday disasters of growing up.
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Ghosts
by Raina Telgemeier
Having moved to the coast of Northern California for the sake of her little sister, Maya, who has cystic fibrosis, Cat is disappointed to learn that her new town is inhabited by ghosts, while Maya sets her heart on meeting one.
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Growing Pangs
by Kathryn Ormsbee
After her so-called BFF ditches her during summer camp, Katie returns home and cannot stop worrying about everything--friends, the sixth grade, getting braces--and feels that no one will like her due to her anxiety.
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Invisible
by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
When five overlooked students are forced to complete their school's community service hours, they meet someone in need but must decide if they are each willing to expose their own secrets to help, or if remaining invisible is the only way to survive middle school.
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Invisible Emmie
by Terri Libenson
The lives of two middle school girls--one a quiet artist, the other a popular overachiever--intersect on a day shaped by a mis-delivered note, crushes, humiliations, boredom, and drama.
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Just Princesses
by Crystal Velasquez
When the Queen casts a spell that causes every adult in the kingdom to vanish, Princess Katrina and her friends must figure how to break the evil spell while attempting to foil the plans of Katrina's nefarious stepsister, Evaline.
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Living with Viola
by Rosena Fung
Livy is already having trouble fitting in as the new girl at school. And then, there's Viola. Viola is Livy's anxiety brought to life--a shadowy twin that only Livy can see or hear. Only when Livy learns how to ask for help and face her anxiety does she finally figure out living with Viola.
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Measuring Up
by Lily Lamotte
Having just moved to Seattle from Taiwan, twelve-year-old Cici enters a cooking competition to win the chance to see her grandmother again, but she only knows how to cook Taiwanese food.
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Miss Quinces
by Kat Fajardo
A funny and heartfelt coming-of-age story about navigating the expectations of family and cultural tradition, Sue just wants to spend the summer reading and making comics at sleepaway camp with her friends, but instead she gets stuck going to Honduras to visit relatives with her parents and two sisters. They live way out in the country, which means no texting, no cable, and no Internet! The trip takes a turn for the worse when Sue's mother announces that they'll be having a surprise quinceañera for Sue, which is the last thing she wants. She can't imagine wearing a big, floofy, colorful dress! What is Sue going to do? And how will she survive all this "quality" time with her rambunctious family?
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Nat Enough
by Maria Scrivan
An insecure middle school student is abandoned by her popularity-minded best friend at the beginning of a new school year before learning how to focus on who she really is, instead of what she isn't. By the award-winning creator of the Half Full comic.
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New Kid
by Jerry Craft
Enrolled in a prestigious private school where he is one of only a few students of color, talented seventh grade artist Jordan finds himself torn between the worlds of his Washington Heights apartment home and the upscale circles of Riverdale Academy.
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Pashmina
by Nidhi Chanani
When Priyanka finds a mysterious pashmina in her house, she is transported to an India which may or may not be real, and goes in search of the reason why her mother left her homeland and the father she has never met.
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Phoebe and Her Unicorn
by Dana Simpson
When Phoebe accidentally hits a unicorn in the face with a rock, she is granted one wish, which she uses to make the unicorn, named Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, her best friend.
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Pilu of the Woods
by Mai K Nguyen
Willow, who has been struggling with her emotions since her mother's death, runs away into the woods and meets Pilu, a lost tree spirit who cannot find her way back home.
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Real Friends
by Shannon Hale
The Newbery Honor-winning author of Princess Academy traces the roller-coaster challenges of first friendships as demonstrated by her own experiences from kindergarten through fifth grade--years marked by cliques, bullies, and her efforts to gain popularity. Illustrated by the best-selling artist of the Princess in Black series.
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Roller Girl
by Victoria Jamieson
A graphic novel adventure about a girl who discovers roller derby--right as she and her best friend are growing apart.
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Stargazing
by Jen Wang
Chinese-American student Christine is devastated when her artistic best friend, Moon, falls dangerously ill amid revelations that she has been having visions about celestial beings telling her she does not really belong on Earth.
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Sunny Side Up
by Jennifer L Holm
Sunny Lewin is sent to live with her grandfather for the summer in Florida, where she befriends Buzz, a boy completely obsessed with comic books, and faces the secret behind why she is in Florida in the first place.
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The Witch Boy
by Molly Ostertag
In thirteen-year-old Aster's family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn't shifted . . .and he's still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be. When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help -- as a witch.
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Amina's Voice
by Hena Khan
A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family's vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school in the wake of a community tragedy. By the award-winning author of Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns.
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Because of the Rabbit
by Cynthia Lord
Accompanying her game warden father on a routine call on the last night of summer before she ends homeschooling and starts public school for the first time, young Emma finds herself caring for a baby bunny while navigating a project with an animal-loving boy who does not quite fit in.
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Blackbird Fly
by Erin Entrada Kelly
Bullied at school, eighth-grader Apple--a Filipino American who loves the music of the Beatles--decides to change her life by learning how to play the guitar.
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Braced
by Alyson Gerber
Looking forward to a promising new school year playing soccer and spending time with her crush, Rachel receives the terrible news that her scoliosis has gotten worse and that she will be required to wear a back brace that sets her apart from her peers and challenges her sense-of-self.
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Farah Rocks Fifth Grade
by Susan Muaddi Darraj
Fifth-grader Farah Hajjar and her best friend, Allie Liu, are hoping to go to the Magnet Academy for their middle school years, instead of Harbortown Elementary/Middle School. But when a new girl, Dana Denver, starts tormenting Farah and her younger brother, Samir, she decides she can not leave Samir to face the bully alone, especially since the adults and even Allie do not seem to be taking the matter seriously--so Farah comes up with a plan, one which involves lying to those closest to her.
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Funny Girl: Funniest. Stories. Ever.
by Betsy Bird
From a pet advice column, to a babysitting horror story, to a series of letters demanding that Grandpa hand over $1,000 in small, unmarked bills, this anthology of humorous short stories, personal essays, comics, poems, and more--written by 25 of the funniest, most talented women writing for kids today--offers a smorgasbord of silliness that will have middle-grade readers rolling with laughter.
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Just Like Me
by Nancy J. Cavanaugh
Three very different girls, adopted as babies from the same Chinese orphanage, spend a week at a summer camp, where the adoption agency coordinator wants them to journal their "bonding" experience.
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Listen, Slowly
by Thanhha Lai
Assisting her grandmother's investigation of her grandfather's fate during the Vietnam War, Mai struggles to adapt to an unfamiliar culture while redefining her sense of family.
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Meena Meets Her Match
by Karla Manternach
Third-grader Meena Zee navigates the triumphs and challenges of family, friendship, and school while being diagnosed with epilepsy.
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Rules
by Cynthia Lord
Frustrated at her life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence, but her world is further complicated by a friendship with a young paraplegic.
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Stand Up, Yumi Chung!
by Jessica Kim
Reworking mortifying memories about her perpetual shyness and cross-cultural realities into comedy gold, an aspiring comedienne accidentally lands in a comedy camp under the instruction of a favorite celebrity.
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The Startup Squad
by Brian Weisfeld
Teresa is determined to win the lemonade stand competition against her nemesis, Val, but she soon realizes that the only way to win is for her and her teammates to overcome their differences and work together.
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