Guest Blogger • March 3, 2023 TopicsBook Clubs Book Fairs books graphic novels International Women's Day March

Girls to the Rescue: 3 Graphic Novels that Star Women in Epic Sagas

Originally published by On Our Minds on March 7, 2019
Versioned for Scholastic Canada

Girls to the rescue! Today we are celebrating women as heroes, by highlighting three graphic novels that feature women as the stars of their epic sagas. All of these books are new releases in ongoing series, and are perfect for readers ages 10-12.You can shop the full Reading Club Graphic Novels collection here.

You can share these stories of girl power immediately with your reader, by clicking-through to each of the excerpts below!

3 Graphic Novels that Celebrate Girl Power, for Ages 10-12

City of Dragons #1: The Awakening Storm by Jaimal Yogis

When Grace moves to Hong Kong with her mom and new stepdad, her biggest concern is making friends at her fancy new boarding school. But when a mysterious old woman gives her a dragon egg during a field trip, Grace discovers that the wonderful stories of dragons she heard when she was a young girl might actually be real―especially when the egg hatches overnight.

The dragon has immense powers that Grace has yet to understand. And that puts them both in danger from mysterious forces intent on abusing the dragon’s power. Now it’s up to Grace and her school friends to uncover the sinister plot threatening the entire city!

Into the Heartlands: A Black Panther Graphic Novel by Roseanne A. Brown

Twelve-year-old Shuri is a lot of things. Scientist. Princess. All around cooler person than her pain-in-the-butt big brother, T’Challa. Shuri knows she could do so much more to help Wakanda, but everyone is obsessed with the prince because he’s the next Black Panther. That is, until Soul Washing Day, one of the most important rituals of Wakandan society.

When an argument between T’Challa and Shuri leads to one of Shuri’s inventions accidentally destroying the sacred ceremony site, chaos reigns instead of prosperity. Suddenly the people of Wakanda, including her mother the queen, are becoming sick! Could this be a curse from the ancestors? Desperate to save her mother, Shuri dives into research and finds an answer hidden deep in an ancient children’s myth. It may be nothing more than a fantasy, but with the sickness spreading each day, the young princess must trust her instincts and travel deep into the mysterious Heartlands to save her family and her kingdom.

Joining Shuri on her journey is none other than a meddling T’Challa. If Shuri and T’Challa can set aside their jealousy and resentment of each other long enough to survive this journey, they might just discover that they are far more powerful together than they could ever be apart. But if they can’t face their fears in the Heartlands and lift the so-called curse, it may not be just the end for their family, but the end of Wakanda as they know it. No pressure, right?

The Dragon Prince: Bloodmoon Huntress by Nicole Andelfinger

Every Moonshadow elf child knows the scary stories of the Bloodmoon Huntress, the evil sorceress who steals your blood on the night of the Harvest Moon. Everyone also knows those legends aren’t true.

But for young Rayla, whose parents recently left her behind to fulfill their duty as members of the elite Dragonguard, this autumn is scarier than most. Her guardians, Runaan and Ethari, are still getting the hang of the whole parenting thing, and no one will tell Rayla what Runaan does for a living. She spends most of her time exploring the forest outside the Silvergrove.

When Rayla discovers a young Skywing elf in danger just hours before the Harvest Moon will rise, the scary stories become real. Can she stop the Huntress before the moon reaches its zenith?

Fans won’t want to miss this exclusive, original graphic novel from Peter Wartman and Felia Hanakata, with story by The Dragon Prince creators Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond!