2026 Maverick List - Great Graphic Novels for Grades 6-8

Check out these recommended graphic novels for grades 6-8 that appear on the 2026 Texas Library Association's Maverick Reading List.* (Looking for graphic novels for teens? Try the Maverick List for grades 9-12!)

*Not listed: I Witnessed: The Lizzie Borden Story by Jeramy Kraatz, and Charles M. Schulz: Creator of Snoopy and Peanuts by Yuzuru Kuki

About the Maverick Reading List: "The Texas Maverick Graphic Novels Reading List (TMGNRL) is a recommended reading list developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table (YART). The list’s purpose is to encourage students in grades 6-12 to explore a variety of current books. The TMGNRL list is intended for recreational reading, not to support a specific curriculum." (from the TLA website)

Updated February 20, 2026
Lewisville Public Library
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Decir adiós en cubano
Miyares, Daniel
Paper Book
En esta espectacular novela gráfica, Daniel Miyares cuenta la historia de su propio padre, Carlos. Una historia de emigración y nuevos arraigos, de esas que no podrás olvidar. Carlos tiene doce años y vive en Matanzas, Cuba. Le gusta jugar a la pelota e ir a la playa con su...
Hikaru in the light! 1
Matsuda, Mai
Paper Book
Best friends compete for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to become pop stars in this funny, feel-good manga series perfect for fans of K-On!, The Tryout, and The Baby-sitters Club. Middle-school student Hikaru Ogino is known as the songbird of her family's bathhouse in Tokyo....
How to say goodbye in Cuban
Miyares, Daniel
Paper Book
Here is the dramatic coming-of-age graphic novel memoir of 12-year-old Carlos (who would grow up to become the author's father), his life during the Cuban Revolution, and his family's harrowing escape to America. A Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table (GNCRT) Outstanding Comics...
The other side of tomorrow
Cho, Tina
Paper Book
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Perfect for fans of Illegal and When Stars Are Scattered, this poignant and moving graphic novel in verse captures the dangers and hope that come with fleeing North Korea and reaching for a brighter future through the lives of...

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