18 of the Best Graphic Novels of 2025

18 of the Best Graphic Novels of 2025 Book List
The Children’s Book Review

This year’s graphic novels are nothing short of spectacular!

The 2025 lineup pushes the boundaries of visual storytelling with an extraordinary range—from heartwarming friendships to gripping mysteries and powerful memoirs that prove the medium’s remarkable versatility.

Acclaimed creators like Eugene Yelchin and Shannon Hale join exciting new voices exploring everything from whimsical adventures to profound examinations of revolution, immigration, and identity. These books harness the unique magic of words and images to create stories that captivate readers of all ages while celebrating themes of family, courage, belonging, and the beautiful complexity of being human.

Here are eighteen of the best graphic novels of 2025:

Jump headfirst into the wonderfully off-the-wall world where everyone has something on their head! Whether drawing or hiding or just saying hello, Cabin Head and Tree Head are irresistible buddies who have fun together, support one another’s ideas, and help each other overcome challenges in this goofy, good-natured series.

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The Night Chef has never had a family—only a dream. She’s spent years living inside the walls of a human restaurant, honing her cooking skills, when a baby crow named Ichi falls out of an egg. Despite being reluctant to leave her home, Night Chef ventures into the wilds to reunite Ichi with his family.

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Mr. Pebbles is dead, and everyone thinks it’s Carter’s fault! When Carter’s third-grade class accuses him of killing the class pet, a naked mole rat named Mr. Pebbles, can Carter clear his name with the help of Mr. Pebbles’s ghost in this funny supernatural graphic novel series?

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JieJie and her little brother DiDi are living on their own in a barren desert while their mother works to earn admission into Oasis City. When they come across an AI-powered robot lying dormant in an abandoned junkyard, everything changes in this deeply compelling fable about resilience, adaptability, and hope.

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Emily, her mom, and Aunt Gina can bake emotions into desserts. Need confidence? Try millionaire shortbread! Want relief? Have cheesecake! But there’s one rule: Never bake a bad feeling. When Aunt Gina dies, Emily breaks the rule and discovers that baking bad feelings doesn’t really make them go away.

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D.J. and Gina are totally ordinary kids, but Hilo isn’t! Hilo just fell out of the sky and doesn’t know where he came from or what he’s doing on Earth. Can the trio unlock the secrets of Hilo’s past and survive school—and the occasional mutant space robot?

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Welcome to Creature Clinic, the world’s finest hospital for mythical beings—where humans are absolutely not welcome! Doctor-in-training Kara Orc took an oath to help all creatures, but when a human in need shows up, her obedience is put to the test. How long can she keep such a big secret from her boss, who’s also her mother?

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Twelve-year-old Santi is excited to spend the summer in Hillside Valley meeting local kids, eating his Abuela’s delicious food, and exploring. There’s just one problem—Santi doesn’t speak Spanish that well and it feels like everyone he meets does. Will Santi find his confidence and his voice?

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Twelve-year-old Carlos loves baseball and his abuelo, but when his papi wins the lottery and moves the family to the city, everything changes. When Fidel Castro overthrows the Cuban president and Papi suddenly disappears, Carlos must find a way to reach America and reunite with his father in this powerful coming-of-age memoir.

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All big sister Abby wants is to spend more time with her friends, far away from her annoying siblings. But when a case of chickenpox leaves the Lai kids covered in red spots and stuck at home together for two weeks of nonstop mayhem, Abby thinks this might be the end of her sanity.

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Cassie’s parents don’t have much money, she shares a bed with her sisters, and her best friend Vali is always busy with someone else. When Cassie gets a letter stamped “YOU’RE THE WINNER,” she thinks it’s the answer to all her problems—but will prizes really solve everything?

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Twelve-year-old Eugenia Wang has never celebrated her birthday on April 4th because of the Chinese superstition that four is unlucky. This year, she’s determined to defy her mom by applying for comic art camp and having her party on her actual birthday, but when she gets hit in the head during PE, she starts getting unnerving visions of impending doom.

Listen to our exclusive interview with Stan Yan on The Growing Readers Podcast.

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The strange, true tale of a Louisiana lake that vanished—taking with it every fish below and every boat above. For most, November 20, 1980, began as “just another day on the lake,” but humans had left behind a honeycomb of salt highways beneath its surface, and water and salt mix all too well.

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Rowan wants to be a ranger, protecting their village alongside their flying horse Kes. But when Rowan’s eagerness gets Kes injured, they’re suddenly unsure of their capabilities. Paired with lackadasical sheep herder Leone on a slow expedition, Rowan discovers their unlikely friendship might be something more.

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Angelica was the girl who could do it all—until burnout hit hard. Now she’s ready to get her life back together, thanks to her friends and one surprising source of comfort: a bear mascot named Peri who’s been sending supportive messages. Determined to find the human behind the costume, Angelica gets an internship at the theater.

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When beloved WTS star Elizabeth Woodward is found dead the morning after opening night, transfer student Abby Kita is sure there’s more to it than suicide. As she gets tangled in prep school intrigues, Abby discovers Elizabeth was keeping secrets—and one may have been worth killing for in this page-turning whodunnit.

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All Nitasha’s parents want is for her to be the perfect Indian daughter—something she is decidedly not. She’s never quite felt like she belongs at school either, and lately, even her best friend and crush seem more interested in the rich new girl. Alcohol takes the edge off, but when that doesn’t work, Nitasha turns to cutting in this authentic graphic novel about mental health and breaking stigma.

Read our full review of Fitting Indian.

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In this stunning sequel to The Genius Under the Table, Eugene Yelchin depicts his harrowing journey from Leningrad’s underground art scene to a state-run Siberian asylum—and to eventual safety in the US. With bold art bringing vivid reality to life, this memoir balances the terror and oppression of Soviet Russia with the author’s signature charm and dark wit.

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