2026 Maverick List - Great Graphic Novels for Grades 9-12

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

*Not listed: Almark, vol. 1 by Hiyuto Yunoki; Big Jim and the White Boy by David F. Walker & Marcus Kwame Anderson; Silenced Voices by Pablo Leon; Space Walking with You by Inuhiko Doronoda; and This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki.

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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The guy she was interested in wasn't a guy at all. 1
Arai, Sumiko
Paper Book
Fashionable and upbeat high schooler Aya loves listening to rock, but no one else seems to share her interest...until she meets a cool, stylish employee at a CD shop. Dressed in black from head to toe, he has this air of mystery about him, and his taste in music is impeccable. Aya falls hard for him...
Halfway there a graphic memoir of self-discovery
Mari, Christine
Paper Book
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A poignant young adult graphic memoir that follows one teen's year abroad in Japan, as she seeks to reconcile both sides of her biracial identity. Christine has always felt...
Kirby's lessons for falling (in love)
Gao, Laura
Paper Book
"I'm once again blown away by Laura Gao's ability to make me relate to someone completely different from myself. Get ready to experience the epic highs and lows of high school rock climbing." --Sonora Reyes, National Book Award finalist and bestselling author of The Lesbiana's Guide...
I shall never fall in love
Conner, Hari
Paper Book
'I am obsessed with this book.' Alice Oseman A joyfully queer and stunningly romantic graphic novel inspired by the work of Jane Austen and perfect for fans of Heartstopper, Bloom and Lex Croucher. George has always been in love with their...
Song of a blackbird
Van Lieshout, Maria
Paper Book
Fictionalised but based on true events, Song of a Blackbird has two intertwined timelines: one is a modern-day family drama, the other a thrilling true story of a WWII-era bank heist carried out by Dutch Resistance fighters.

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