Recommended Graphic Novels About History

            In Social Studies and the Young Learner, Jennifer Smith (Texas Christian University) and Marla Robertson (Utah State University) recommend using historical graphic novels (fiction and nonfiction) to supplement social studies content. They suggest drawing students’ attention to the front and back matter and the way authors use textual and visual features, including color, typography, images, thought balloons, sidebars, graphs, and charts. Smith and Robertson list these examples of graphic novels on historical topics: 

The American Revolution: 

• One Dead Spy by Nathan Hale, grade 3-8 
• Lafayette! by Nathan Hale, grade 5-8

The Civil War:

• Big Bad Ironclad! by Nathan Hale, grade 5-8
• The Underground Abductor by Nathan Hale, grade 3-8 

Exploration and Westward Expansion:

• Donner Dinner Party by Nathan Hale, grade 3-8
• Major Impossible: A Grand Canyon Tale by Nathan Hale, grade 5-8 

The Spanish Flu/The Flu of 1918:

• Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918 by Don Brown, grade 5-12
• Gemma and the Great Flu: A 1918 Flu Pandemic Graphic Novel by Juliet Gilbert, illustrated by Dan Freitas, grade 3-6 

World War I:

• Above the Trenches: A World War I Flying Ace Tale by Nathan Hale, grade 5-8
• Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood: A World War I Tale by Nathan Hale, grade 5-8 

World War II:

• Raid of No Return: A World War II Tale of the Doolittle Raid by Nathan Hale, gr. 5-8
• Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix, gr. 5-12 

The Holocaust:

• Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier, illustrated by Marc Lizano, grade 1-6
• Run and Hide: How Jewish Youth Escaped the Holocaust by Don Brown, grade 7-12 

U.S. Disasters/Tragedies:

• Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown, grade 5-12
• In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, and Years After the 9/11 Attacks by Don Brown, grade 7-12 

Immigration and Refugees:

• The Unwanted Stories of Syrian Refugees by Don Brown, grade 9-12
• When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, grade 3-12 

“Historical Graphic Novels: Three Concepts to Highlight for Comprehension of Historical Information” by Jennifer Smith and Marla Robertson in Social Studies and the Young Learner, September/October 2025 (Vol. 38, #1, pp. 21-27); the authors can be reached at jennifer.m.smith@tcu.edu and marla.robertson@usu.edu.

Please Note: This summary is reprinted with permission from issue #1107 of The Marshall Memo, an excellent resource for educators.