Raina Telgemeier Books in Order: Smile, Sisters, Guts, and Every Graphic Novel 

Raina Telgemeier is one of the most recognizable names in modern middle-grade graphic novels. Her books combine humor, family relationships, friendship, school life, growing pains, and emotional experiences with an accessible visual storytelling style. Smile, Sisters, and Guts are graphic memoirs based on her childhood, while Drama and Ghosts are fictional stories.

Her bibliography is slightly more complicated than it first appears because she has also adapted four classic Baby-Sitters Club novels, co-authored X-Men: Misfits, created the interactive guide Share Your Smile, and later collaborated with Scott McCloud on The Cartoonists Club. In 2026, she returned to the Baby-Sitters Club with Gale Galligan for Baby-sitters on Board!.

Raina Telgemeier Books in Publication Order

Here is the most useful publication order, with adaptations and collaborative books clearly identified.

The original publication of Claudia and Mean Janine was in 2008; a full-color edition followed in 2016, which explains why some online lists place it in 2016.

Raina Telgemeier’s Original Graphic Novels and Memoirs

These are the books most readers mean when they search for Raina Telgemeier books. Unlike the Baby-Sitters Club adaptations, these stories are Telgemeier’s own creations.

Smile

Published: 2010
Type: Graphic memoir

Smile tells the true story of Raina, who injures her two front teeth as a sixth grader and then faces years of dental treatment, braces, surgery, and the embarrassment that comes with growing up. But the story is about much more than teeth. School friendships, changing relationships, earthquakes, crushes, and the difficult process of figuring out where you fit all become part of Raina’s coming-of-age experience.

The book is based on Telgemeier’s childhood and became her breakthrough work. It won the Will Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens and received a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor.

If you have never read a Raina Telgemeier book before, Smile is a natural starting point.

Drama

Published: 2012
Type: Fictional graphic novel

Drama moves away from memoir and into fictional middle-school theater. Callie is passionate about stage design and wants to create a spectacular set for her school’s production, even though the production has plenty of problems of its own.

The story explores friendship, crushes, theater, identity, teamwork, and the social complications of middle school. It also stands out in Telgemeier’s bibliography because it is fiction rather than a story drawn directly from her childhood. Scholastic describes it as a graphic novel centered on Callie, the set designer for her middle school’s musical.

Sisters

Published: 2014
Type: Graphic memoir

Sisters returns to Telgemeier’s childhood and focuses on her relationship with her younger sister, Amara. The two girls are very different, and their difficult relationship becomes especially apparent during a family road trip.

The book moves between the present-day trip and memories from the sisters’ childhood, giving readers a broader picture of family dynamics. Alongside the humor and sibling conflict, Telgemeier explores the complicated feelings that can exist between brothers and sisters even when they care deeply about one another.

Sisters is one of Telgemeier’s major autobiographical works and, like Smile, is based on her own childhood.

Ghosts

Published: 2016
Type: Fictional graphic novel

Ghosts follows Catrina and her family after they move to a coastal California town because her younger sister Maya has cystic fibrosis. Maya is fascinated by the town’s Day of the Dead traditions and wants to meet the ghosts who are said to visit the community.

Cat is much more frightened of ghosts and initially resists her sister’s enthusiasm. As the story develops, however, she begins to understand more about her family, her sister’s illness, and the meaning of the town’s traditions.

Unlike Smile, Sisters, and Guts, Ghosts is fiction, but it still carries many of the emotional themes associated with Telgemeier’s work, particularly family, fear, change, and growing up. Scholastic lists Ghosts among her core graphic novels.

Guts

Published: 2019
Type: Graphic memoir

Guts returns to Telgemeier’s childhood and focuses on a period when she struggled with anxiety, fear, and stomach problems. Raina’s physical symptoms become intertwined with worries about school, friendships, family, and the uncertainties of growing up.

The book is particularly important within Telgemeier’s memoirs because it explores the connection between emotional experiences and physical reactions in a way that is accessible to younger readers. Scholastic describes it as a true story about growing up and learning to confront fear.

Guts works especially well after Smile and Sisters because readers already understand that Telgemeier draws extensively from her childhood experiences.

Raina Telgemeier’s Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels

The Baby-Sitters Club books are adaptations of Ann M. Martin’s original novels rather than original Raina Telgemeier stories.

Telgemeier adapted and illustrated the first four Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels. Scholastic identifies her as the adapter and illustrator of those four books.

Kristy’s Great Idea

Published: 2006
Baby-Sitters Club: Book 1

The series begins when Kristy Thomas comes up with the idea of creating a babysitting business with her friends. The graphic adaptation introduces Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey and establishes the friendships and personalities that drive the series.

For readers who want to explore Telgemeier’s Baby-Sitters Club work, this is where to begin.

The Truth About Stacey

Published: 2006
Baby-Sitters Club: Book 2

The second graphic novel focuses more closely on Stacey McGill, including her diabetes and her complicated relationship with her new friends in Stoneybrook.

Reading Kristy’s Great Idea first helps establish the group, but this book can also be enjoyed as Stacey’s introduction to the spotlight.

Mary Anne Saves the Day

Published: 2007
Baby-Sitters Club: Book 3

The third adaptation gives Mary Anne a larger role and continues developing the relationships among the members of the Baby-Sitters Club.

As with the first two adaptations, Telgemeier translates Martin’s original story into a full-color graphic format while retaining the humor and character relationships of the source material.

Claudia and Mean Janine

Published: 2008
Full-color edition: 2016
Baby-Sitters Club: Book 4

The fourth Telgemeier adaptation centers on Claudia and her older sister, Janine. The sisters are very different, and their rivalry becomes more complicated when their family faces a painful event.

Telgemeier’s original graphic adaptation appeared in 2008. A full-color edition was released later, which is why readers may encounter both 2008 and 2016 publication dates.

The Return to the Baby-Sitters Club: Baby-sitters on Board!

Baby-sitters on Board!

Published: 2026
Series: The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special

In 2026, Telgemeier returned to the Baby-Sitters Club universe for Baby-sitters on Board!, a graphic adaptation of the first Super Special novel.

This time she collaborated with Gale Galligan, who had adapted the later Baby-Sitters Club Graphix books. Telgemeier and Galligan co-adapted and co-illustrated the book.

The story sends Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey, Dawn, Mallory, and Jessi on a three-day cruise to the Bahamas. It is also significant historically because it marks the first graphic-novel adaptation of one of the original Baby-Sitters Club Super Special books.

Because Baby-sitters on Board! is a Super Special rather than a continuation of Telgemeier’s original four adaptations, readers do not need to treat it as Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel #5.

Other Raina Telgemeier Books

Telgemeier’s bibliography also includes several books that do not fit neatly into her main original graphic-novel sequence.

X-Men: Misfits

Published: 2009
Co-authored with: Dave Roman

X-Men: Misfits is a manga-style graphic novel based on Marvel’s X-Men characters. Telgemeier co-authored the book with Dave Roman, making it different from her autobiographical and original middle-grade stories.

It is an interesting early part of her career because it predates Smile and shows her working with an established superhero universe rather than creating a personal memoir or original middle-grade cast. Scholastic identifies X-Men: Misfits as one of the works she co-authored and notes that it became a New York Times bestseller.

Share Your Smile: Raina’s Guide to Telling Your Own Story

Published: 2019
Type: Interactive journal and creative guide

Share Your Smile is not a traditional graphic novel. Instead, it is an interactive book designed to help young readers develop their own stories and comics.

Telgemeier includes prompts, drawing activities, brainstorming exercises, and behind-the-scenes material from her own approach to making comics. It was published on April 30, 2019, several months before Guts.

For someone interested in becoming a cartoonist, this book makes more sense as a companion to her creative work than as part of her reading sequence.

The Cartoonists Club

Published: 2025
Co-created with: Scott McCloud

The Cartoonists Club is a middle-grade graphic novel about four young people who come together to learn how to create comics. Makayla has lots of story ideas, Howard loves drawing, Lynda struggles with self-confidence, and Art simply loves making things.

The book combines an actual story about friendship and creativity with practical lessons about making comics. Telgemeier and Scott McCloud developed the project together, making this a particularly distinctive entry in Telgemeier’s bibliography. It was published by Graphix on April 1, 2025.

This is a good choice for readers who are interested not only in Telgemeier’s stories but also in how graphic novels are made.

Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier

Published: 2025
Type: Art book and nonfiction

Facing Feelings is different from Telgemeier’s fictional and autobiographical graphic novels. The book grew out of the exhibition of her work at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum and looks at her childhood, artistic influences, career, and creative process.

It includes artwork, commentary, interviews, and material related to the development of books such as Smile, Sisters, Guts, Drama, and Ghosts. Scholastic lists the book as a 240-page volume for readers ages 8 and up.

For longtime Telgemeier readers, this is better read after at least some of her major graphic novels because much of the book provides context for her creative development.

What Order Should You Read Raina Telgemeier’s Books?

There is no required story order for Telgemeier’s main original graphic novels because Smile, Drama, Sisters, and Ghosts are separate stories, while Guts is another autobiographical work rather than a sequel to Smile or Sisters.

For a first-time reader, a useful sequence is:

1. Smile
2. Drama
3. Sisters
4. Ghosts
5. Guts
6. The Cartoonists Club
7. Facing Feelings

This sequence moves from Telgemeier’s best-known memoir into her fictional work, another memoir, a supernatural coming-of-age story, and then her more recent books about comics and her artistic career.

If you specifically want to read the Baby-Sitters Club adaptations, read:

1. Kristy’s Great Idea
2. The Truth About Stacey
3. Mary Anne Saves the Day
4. Claudia and Mean Janine
5. Baby-sitters on Board!

The fifth book is a later Super Special adaptation and is not a direct continuation of Telgemeier’s first four adaptations.

Are Smile, Sisters, and Guts a Series?

Not in the conventional sense.

Smile, Sisters, and Guts are all graphic memoirs based on Telgemeier’s childhood, but they are not three sequential installments of one fictional series. Each book focuses on a different period or aspect of growing up.

There are nevertheless meaningful connections between them. Together, they form the most recognizable autobiographical part of Telgemeier’s work and draw heavily on her experiences with school, family, friendships, fears, and adolescence. Scholastic specifically identifies all three as graphic memoirs based on her childhood.

Raina Telgemeier Books by Type

Graphic Memoirs

• Smile
• Sisters
• Guts

Original Fiction

• Drama
• Ghosts

Collaborative Graphic Novels

• The Cartoonists Club
• X-Men: Misfits

Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels

• Kristy’s Great Idea
• The Truth About Stacey
• Mary Anne Saves the Day
• Claudia and Mean Janine
• Baby-sitters on Board!

Creative and Nonfiction Books

• Share Your Smile
• Facing Feelings

This classification is more useful than treating every title as one continuous series because Telgemeier has worked across memoir, fiction, adaptation, nonfiction, and collaboration throughout her career.

Which Raina Telgemeier Book Should You Read First?

For a first Raina Telgemeier book

Start with Smile. It introduces the autobiographical style that made Telgemeier famous and gives readers a strong sense of her humor, artwork, and approach to middle-grade storytelling.

If you like realistic middle-school stories

Try Drama. It focuses on school theater, friendships, crushes, and the social complications of adolescence.

If you want a family story

Choose Sisters. Its focus on sibling relationships and family travel makes it one of Telgemeier’s most personal books.

If you like supernatural stories

Choose Ghosts. It combines family relationships and coming-of-age themes with ghosts and Día de los Muertos traditions.

If you want a story about anxiety and fear

Read Guts. It is another autobiographical story and focuses particularly on the connection between everyday worries and physical reactions.

If you want to learn how comics are made

Read The Cartoonists Club and Share Your Smile. The former tells a story about young creators learning to make comics, while the latter is an interactive guide for readers who want to create their own.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Raina Telgemeier books are there?

The answer depends on what is counted as a Raina Telgemeier book. Her core original bibliography includes her graphic memoirs, original fiction, creative guides, nonfiction, and collaborations, while her Baby-Sitters Club adaptations are a separate category. Scholastic’s current contributor listing includes her major books and the 2026 Baby-sitters on Board! collaboration.

What is Raina Telgemeier’s first book?

Kristy’s Great Idea, her graphic adaptation of Ann M. Martin’s Baby-Sitters Club novel, was published in 2006. Her first major original graphic memoir was Smile, published in 2010.

Is Smile the first book in a series?

No. Smile is a standalone graphic memoir. Sisters and Guts are also graphic memoirs based on Telgemeier’s childhood, but they are not sequential novels in a single series.

Are Raina Telgemeier’s Baby-Sitters Club books in order?

Yes. Her first four adaptations follow the original Baby-Sitters Club numbering: Kristy’s Great Idea, The Truth About Stacey, Mary Anne Saves the Day, and Claudia and Mean Janine. Baby-sitters on Board! is a later adaptation of a Super Special, so it belongs to a different part of the Baby-Sitters Club structure.

Is The Cartoonists Club a Raina Telgemeier book?

Yes. The Cartoonists Club is a collaborative graphic novel written and drawn by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud. It was published by Graphix on April 1, 2025.

What is Raina Telgemeier’s newest book?

As of September 23, 2026, her newest published book is Baby-sitters on Board!, a Baby-Sitters Club Super Special graphic novel created with Gale Galligan. It was released in September 2026.

Are Raina Telgemeier’s books suitable for middle-grade readers?

Most of her major graphic novels are aimed at middle-grade readers. Scholastic commonly lists her books for approximately ages 8 to 12, while its broader descriptions emphasize themes such as friendship, family, self-esteem, growing up, and school experiences.

Final Thoughts

Raina Telgemeier’s books are best understood as a collection of connected interests rather than one long reading sequence. Her three major graphic memoirs, Smile, Sisters, and Guts, draw from her childhood, while Drama and Ghosts show how she uses fictional characters to explore similar questions about friendship, family, fear, and growing up.

Her Baby-Sitters Club adaptations form a separate branch of her career, beginning in 2006 and returning with Baby-sitters on Board! in 2026. More recent books such as The Cartoonists Club and Facing Feelings also show her expanding beyond conventional graphic fiction into comics education, artistic memoir, and nonfiction.

For someone discovering her work for the first time, Smile remains the clearest entry point, but readers interested in her full career can then explore the adaptations, memoirs, fiction, creative guides, and collaborative projects in the categories above.

Written by

Emon Anam

Hi, I’m Emon. I’m the voice and heart behind Whimsy Read. After nine years in the world of banking, I followed my passion for storytelling into the world of SEO and content strategy. Now, I blend that analytical eye with a deep love for literature to bring you book reviews that are thoughtful, honest, and always focused on the stories that stay with you. When I’m not reading or writing, you’ll find me enjoying joyful chaos with my wife and three kids, getting lost in a new series, or revisiting my old loves: theater, music, and gaming. At the end of the day, I believe great books are meant to be shared, and I’m so glad you’re here to share them with me.