Reading graphic novels is an enhanced, stronger and often more enticing reading experience. To accompany the dialogue and narrative, we have full-colour illustrations on each page, speech bubbles and even onomatopea. And guess what? Sometimes you don't even need words on the page to convey an emotion or feeling...
It's no surprise graphic novels are popular among teenagers and adults, and in the list below we've collected our favourite graphic novel series for readers aged 13 and 14. From coming-of-age stories to coming-out stories, retellings of popular fiction series, sweet fantasy quests and the tales behind villainous characters, there is a series for all tastes. Scroll down to check them out.
Georgina Atwell
Toppsta
2025-06-03
2024-09-16
Best Graphic Novels for Teens
Heartstopper Series
The Heartstopper books are a series of graphic novels that tell a wonderful boy-meets-boy queer love story. Written by award-winning YA author Alice Oseman, the Heartstopper graphic novels have now been made into a major live-action TV show. Heartstopper came to Netflix in 2022, starring Kit Connor (the voice of Pan in His Dark Materials) and newcomer Joe Locke as Nick and Charlie. It is a gorgeous coming of age story about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. We follow the blossoming romance between Charlie and Nick as they meet, become friends and start to fall in love. The sensitive content in some of the later books means we recommend them for readers 13/14+.
Salomey Doku is the brilliant author-illustrator behind the Brielle & Bear series: romantic full-colour graphic novels for readers aged 13+. Sweet pastel colours, adorable characters and swoon-worthy romance are the building blocks of this graphic novel series. The stories in these books are all loosely inspired by fairy tales and are set in Once Upon a Time, a university for dreamers. If you're looking for a feel-good read, this series is a hug in book form!
For a graphic novel that feels like epic fantasy with incredible worldbuilding while also possessing the cosiest, sweetest vibes, we could not recommend this full-colour series. The books follow our main character dynamic duo: Bea and Cad, two unlikely friends who get swept up in an epic quest to save their world, Irpa, from falling into eternal darkness. Their journey is torturous, full of false starts, derailing and brilliant side characters. We also especially love the kind portrayal of mental health in these books: while Bea quite literally becomes enveloped in a dark cloud, symbolic of panic attacks, Cad is making sense of his family's disappearance. And as they grow as characters, a beautiful friendship forms.
The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer is a cult classic of all romantasy lovers and, after all these years, it's not going anywhere! Now we get to read it again in a whole new form as a graphic novel. It all begins when Bella Swan moves to Forks, a rainy, gloomy town in Seattle, Washington. She doesn't expect much from her new home or school, and mostly spends her time trying to keep up with schoolwork or reading. Then she meets Edward Cullen, a mysterious, alluring vampire with porcelain skin, golden eyes and supernatural gifts. Throughout the graphic novels, Bella will fall in love with Edward, but also discover that Forks hosts a whole family of vampires, and that werewolves aren't too far away either...
We all love the weird and wonderful 13-year-old Emily the Strange, and along with her fiction series comes this fantastic collection of graphic novels. Emily wears the same black dress every day. She loves maths and science. Her best friends are four black cats and she's into old rock and punk music. Emily is anything but typical and so is this exciting series of graphic novels about her very strange life. Each book offers up a winning format and highly designed features like ghostly varnish effects, die-cuts and more. The books also work as a companion to the main fiction series, giving us a closer look into Emily's mind, from her nocturnal imaginings to her very own secret language, Morose Code.
Based on the success of Yuval Noah Harari's Sunday Times #1 bestseller Sapiens, and illustrated by David Casanave, this graphic novel series is a brilliant introduction to the history of humanity for young readers aged 13+. Starting from the beginning of time, these full-colour illustrated comic books tell the story of humankind's creation and evolution, exploring the ways in which biology, agriculture, power and history have defined us. Sapiens challenges young readers to reconsider accepted beliefs, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and view specific events within the context of larger ideas. Featuring easy-to-understand text and full colour comics, the books are only about 256 pages long each, making them a brilliant read even for reluctant readers.
In the chilling Saga of Darren Shan, an ordinary boy is thrown into the world of vampires and unassailable evil. The series contains all the scares, blood and gore you could possibly wish for, whilst also keeping the reader riveted through its entertaining storyline. Without a doubt, The Saga of Darren Shan is funny, terrifying, moving, and most definitely realistic. In the first instalment in the series, Darren goes to an outlawed freak show with his closest friend, Steve. But after a daring attempt to steal a spider from Mr.Crepsly the uncanny Cirque Du Freak director goes wrong Darren finds himself having to make a bargain with beings of the night.
Following the success of the mega-popular webcomic series of the same name comes this hilarious and stirring two-volume coming-of-age graphic novel series about hockey, bros and trying to find yourself. Eric Bittle is a former Georgia junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire and amateur patissier. But as accomplished as he is, nothing can prepare him for his freshman year of playing hockey at the prestigious Samwell University in Samwell, Massachusetts. It's nothing like co-ed club hockey back in the South! For one? There's checking. Second, there is Jack – his very attractive but moody captain. Join him as he falls in love and navigates a secret, long-distance relationship, as well as a group of teammates and university life.
Here is a brilliant graphic novel series for readers aged 13+ about family, romance, and first love from the Forbes 30 under 30 Molly Knox Ostertag. Fifteen-year-old Morgan can't wait to finish high school and escape the perfect little island where she lives, all her family problems and, worst of all, her so-called friends who just don't understand Morgan at all. Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn't seem so stifling anymore. And as the girls start to fall in love, however, everything they're each trying to hide will find its way to the surface...
We all know how the Disney stories go. Princes and princesses, evil witches and cruel nemeses... With these graphic novels, we get a different point of view, that of these classic stories' villains. Each graphic novel explores one of the well-known Disney stories, from Cinderella to Hercules, but with a twist: the protagonists are the baddies. In each book, we get their full back story. We learn why the sea witch, Ursula, become so twisted and filled with hatred. Or what motivated the beast of Beauty and the Beast to pursue isolation. We'll get insight into the lives of wicked queens, evil fairies, and cruel-hearted baddies. The books are completely illustrated in full colour, too.
