- Graphic Novels
- Ages 8–12
- Contemporary
Sisters
Book 2 of 3 in Smile TrilogyView the full series
Part of the Raina Telgemeier universeOpen the collection
A funny, painfully recognisable graphic memoir about sisterhood, road trips and family friction. It is lighter than Smile but still emotionally true, especially for children with siblings who drive them mad.
- Best for8–12
- FormatGraphic
- Length208 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr40 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Warm
- Bittersweet
- Heartwarming
- Nostalgic
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Raina always wanted a sister, but when Amara arrives, sisterhood is not quite the cosy dream she imagined. Years later, the family sets off on a long road trip from California to Colorado, and the cramped car becomes the perfect pressure cooker for old arguments, personality clashes and family tension. Sisters moves between the road trip and earlier memories, showing how Raina and Amara's relationship developed from hope to rivalry to something more complicated and loving. It is very funny about the everyday misery of being stuck with family, but it also understands that sibling relationships can be both maddening and important. The visual storytelling is bright, readable and full of small comic expressions that children immediately understand. As a recommendation record, it sits perfectly after Smile: autobiographical, accessible, emotionally honest and especially strong for readers who enjoy realistic family stories with humour rather than melodrama.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 8–12
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Sibling story
- Realistic graphic novel
- Graphic memoir
- Family road trip
- Reluctant readers
Avoid if
- Wants action adventure
- Dislikes family argument stories
- Prefers fantasy
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
- New sibling
- Anxiety and worry
- Low self esteem
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Raina Telgemeier's hugely popular graphic memoirs — a reluctant-reader phenomenon that also opens honest talk about anxiety, growing up and family.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is the road-trip pressure cooker — Raina and her sister Amara stuck in the family car across America, old arguments resurfacing, the recognisable misery of being trapped with the sibling you adore and can't stand. The Telgemeier for a kid with a sibling.
- Adventure and freedom
- Family belonging
- Friendship and belonging
- Proving yourself
Why parents love it
The Telgemeier follow-up to Smile — sisters, road trip, complicated love. Funnier than Smile, equally honest. Useful for any household where two siblings keep getting on each other's nerves. Strong realistic-graphic-novel pick.
- Nostalgia
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Conversation starter
In the series
Smile Trilogy.
3 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Raina Telgemeier.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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