Books like Smile
Smile by Raina Telgemeier reads as warm, witty. These 12 books share its genome — matched by how they actually read, not just their shelf label.
What Smile is like to read
An earnest, episodic middle-school memoir in comics form — funny and cringey by turns, with real warmth as Raina grows past her insecurities. Quick to read but emotionally resonant for anyone who survived braces and shifting friend groups. Best for: middle-grade readers (and nostalgic adults) who love graphic memoirs about awkward adolescence.
The Last Straw
Jeff Kinney · 2009
A breezy diary-format romp through middle-school misadventures, told in Greg's self-serving deadpan and paced in short cartoon-punctuated bursts.
Rodrick Rules
Jeff Kinney · 2008
A breezy, cartoon-illustrated diary of middle-school humiliations and sibling warfare — episodic, quick-flipping, and reliably funny in a slapstick, self-deprecating key.
Drama
Raina Telgemeier · 2012
A warm, briskly-paced middle-school graphic novel where backstage crushes, crew squabbles, and set-building triumphs carry equal weight.
BIG JIM BELIEVES
Dav Pilkey · 2025
A zany, joke-packed superhero comic that races through slapstick chaos and comic-panel gags while sneaking in earnest lessons about believing in yourself and trusting your friends.
All's faire in middle school
Victoria Jamieson · 2017
A funny, relatable graphic-novel account of an eleven-year-old navigating the social minefield of public school for the first time after a homeschooled, Renaissance-Fair upbringing
Big Nate in the Zone
Lincoln Peirce · 2007
A breezy, cartoon-illustrated romp through middle-school misfortune and sudden lucky streaks, narrated in Nate's exuberant voice with doodles and gag panels breaking up every page.
Tales from a Not-so-talented Pop Star (Dork Diaries #3)
Rachel Renée Russell · 2008
A breezy diary-format romp through middle-school talent-show chaos, with doodles, snark, and a scholarship-kid-vs-mean-girl class anxiety humming under the jokes.
Heartstopper, Volume 1
Alice Oseman · 2019
A tender, disarmingly gentle first-love story told in clean minimal panels — small classroom moments and shy smiles carry all the emotional weight.
Anna and the French Kiss
Stephanie Perkins · 2010
A wish-fulfillment boarding-school romance set in Paris, built on a year of romantic near-misses and the slow ache of a crush that can't quite land.
First Term at Malory Towers
Enid Blyton · 1967
A cozy British boarding-school story of new friendships, small scrapes, and belonging — episodic, warm, and comfortably paced for young readers.
The Wishing Spell
Chris Colfer · 2012
A brisk, episodic romp through fractured fairy-tale territories where familiar characters are twisted into new shapes — witty and adventurous without tipping into real scares.
The strange case of Origami Yoda
Tom Angleberger · 2010
A quick, funny middle-grade mystery told through multiple classmates' accounts of a paper Yoda puppet, with a light school-life mystery at its center.
About Smile — what the genome says
Is Smile a complete story or a cliffhanger?
It's a complete, standalone-satisfying story.
Who is Smile for?
It's written for middle-grade readers (roughly ages 8-12).
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