With the long list of graphic novel titles, it can be overwhelming for a parent to decide what is appropriate for a middle school reader. Graphic novels for younger readers are regularly reviewed in several publications, according to Scholastic Books, a leading publisher of books for children, including an imprint for graphic novels. Scholastic recommends "School Library Journal," "Booklist," "Voice of Young Advocates," "Library Media Connection," and "Publishers Weekly" as resources for finding the best graphic novels for middle school. Scholastic also suggests checking with a trusted bookseller to see which titles are marketed for young readers.
Anime titles come with their own rating system. "MA" titles are for mature audiences and probably are not the right titles for middle school readers. "PG" stands for parental guidance. PG titles may or may not be good for a middle school reader but for some more mature readers, they may well be -- with parental guidance. Anime books labeled "14" are for readers age 14 and up. "Y7" titles are for ages 7 and up. "G" titles are for general audiences. "Y" titles are for all ages but may be too immature for a middle school reader.
There are several graphic novel titles and series that come with teacher's guides. ABCO educational publishers provide guides for teachers including vocabulary lists to accompany graphic novels for young readers. These titles may be perfect for a middle school reader and a teacher can turn the exercise in to a lesson. Some of those series with multiple titles are the Star Wars series, the Wolverine series, the Avengers series, the Hulk series, the Indiana Jones series and the Treasure Island series.
One way to find appropriate graphic novel titles from the thousands of graphic novels available is to choose award winning titles. The award will generally give some idea of about the content of the graphic novel and its appropriateness for middle school readers. The Hugo Awards regularly recognize graphic novels in the science fiction field. The graphic novel Maus is the most acclaimed graphic novel, winning the Pulitzer Prize. The subject is the Holocaust with the Germans recreated as cats and the Jewish prisoners as mice.