Raina Telgemeier

The shape of it

The shape of this universe.

Raina Telgemeier is the American graphic novelist whose autobiographical books Smile (2010), Sisters (2014) and Guts (2019), along with the fictional Drama (2012) and Ghosts (2016), effectively created the modern middle-grade graphic-novel market. Her drawing is clean, bright, instantly readable; her storytelling pace is unhurried and emotionally exact. The autobiographical trilogy (the 'Smile' books) handles dental trauma, sibling tension and childhood anxiety with unusual honesty; Drama is one of the earliest mainstream MG graphic novels with queer secondary characters; Ghosts has been (rightly) discussed for its handling of cystic fibrosis. Hugely influential, hugely sold, durable.

The author who built modern MG graphic novels. Autobiographical trilogy for 9–13, plus fictional standalones in the same warm, honest register.

Primary themes

Tone palette

Warm
Heartwarming
Funny
Thought provoking

The series

One way in.

SpinoffSpinoff

Smile Trilogy

Best for 8–13 graphic-novel readers; particularly resonant for children with anxiety, dental procedures, or sibling tension.

Books

Ages

Status

Warm
Heartwarming
Funny
Thought provoking

Cultural footprint

A shelf of evidence.

What Raina Telgemeier has done

Bestseller list
Major award winner

Cultural ubiquity

5/ 5

Household name — recognised across generations.

Sensitivity

Moderate, and collection-wide.

ModerateCollection-wide

Across the collection

All 6 books.

About the creator