Let’s start with the gold standard: Smile by Raina Telgemeier. This graphic novel is basically a cultural touchstone for preteen girls everywhere. It’s about a girl who trips, knocks out her two front teeth, and then has to survive middle school with a mouth full of metal. Surprising fact: Raina Telgemeier’s books outsell many adult bestsellers because they perfectly capture the drama of a zit on picture day. Your kid will think you’re the coolest parent on the block for handing her this.
And don’t sleep on El Deafo by Cece Bell. It’s a funny, brave autobiography about a girl navigating hearing loss as a superhero alter ego. Trust me, if your ten-year-old doesn’t laugh at the part where Cece’s Phonic Ear picks up her teacher’s bathroom break, she has no soul. It’s so good it won a Newbery Medal—that’s like the Oscars for kids’ books, but with less champagne and more pencil smudges.
