Girl Power Graphic Novels: Superhero Approved, Binge-Worthy Reads

It’s time for graphic novels to get GIRL POWERED UP! Today, I am so delighted to be teaming up with First Second books to bring you an assortment of amazing graphic novels featuring some awesome GIRL POWER!

I spent the weekend binge reading most of these, and honestly I feel PUMPED having just read about these awesome characters. One of the things I love most about graphic novels is how easy it is to read a lot really quickly (although I always feel guilty about it because I know so much extra effort goes into writing and illustrating these beauties). But part of the ease and fast-paced nature of reading graphic novels is ALSO why they’re so great to pass along to reluctant readers. (Though as someone who could be described as anything BUT reluctant when it comes to reading, that binge-able quality is still a huge plus!)

And while there ARE some kick-ass ladies in the world of graphic novels and superheroes, they are still far outnumbered by the dudes. So I loved these additions from First Second, and am eager for more. But in the meantime, here’s a little peek at some recent releases worth checking out to get some more GIRL POWER in your GRAPHIC NOVELS:

The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott and Robin Robinson

When a wealthy and sheltered young girl stumbles into a pitched war between two fairy kingdoms, the fate of San Francisco itself hangs in the balance!

The first decade of the twentieth century is coming to a close, and San Francisco is still recovering from the great earthquake of 1906. Isabel watched the destruction safely from her window, sheltered within her high-society world.

Isabel isn’t the kind of girl who goes on adventures. But that all changes when she stumbles through the invisible barrier that separates the human world from the fairy world. She quickly finds herself caught up in an age-old war and fighting on the side of the Seelie—the good fairies.

Cucumber Quest series by Gigi D.G.

What happens when an evil queen gets her hands on an ancient force of destruction?

World domination, obviously.

The seven kingdoms of Dreamside need a legendary hero. Instead, they’ll have to settle for Cucumber, a nerdy magician who just wants to go to school. As destiny would have it, he and his way more heroic sister, Almond, must now seek the Dream Sword, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Queen Cordelia’s Nightmare Knight.

Can these bunny siblings really save the world in its darkest hour?

Sure, why not?

Giants Beware! series by Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado

Make way for Claudette the giant slayer in this delightful, fantastical adventure!

Claudette’s fondest wish is to slay a giant. But her village is so safe and quiet! What’s a future giant slayer to do?

With her best friend Marie (an aspiring princess), and her brother Gaston (a pastry-chef-to-be), Claudette embarks on a super-secret quest to find a giant—without parental permission. Can they find and defeat the giant before their parents find them and drag them back home?

Giants Beware! offers up a wondrous, self-contained world in the tradition of the very best of Pixar. Claudette and her friends will have you laughing out loud from page one.

Scarlett Hart: Monster Hunter by Marcus Sedgwick and Thomas Taylor

Scarlett Hart, orphaned daughter of two legendary monster hunters, is determined to carry on in her parents’ footsteps—even if the Royal Academy for the Pursuit and Eradication of Zoological Eccentricities says she’s too young to fight perilous horrors. But whether it’s creepy mummies or a horrid hound, Scarlett won’t back down, and with the help of her loyal butler and a lot of monster-mashing gadgets, she’s on the case.

With her parent’s archrival, Count Stankovic, ratting her out to T.R.A.P.E.Z.E. and taking all the monster-catching rewards for himself, it’s getting hard for Scarlett to do what she was born to do. And when more monsters start mysteriously manifesting than ever before, Scarlett knows she has to get to the bottom of it and save the city… whatever the danger!

Star Scouts series by Mike Lawrence

Avani is the new kid in town, and she’s not happy about it. Everyone in school thinks she’s weird, especially the girls in her Flower Scouts troop. Is it so weird to think scouting should be about fun and adventure, not about makeovers and boys, boys, boys?

But everything changes when Avani is “accidentally” abducted by a spunky alien named Mabel. Mabel is a scout too—a Star Scout. Collecting alien specimens (like Avani) goes with the territory, along with teleportation and jetpack racing. Avani might be weird, but in the Star Scouts she fits right in. If she can just survive Camp Andromeda, and keep her dad from discovering that she’s left planet Earth, she’s in for the adventure of a lifetime.

These GIRL POWERED GRAPHIC NOVELS have been approved by Diana, Princess of Themyscira: