There's an interesting repetition on the list of the top 20 Kids graphic novels in the book channel, based on NPD BookScan data for August 2021 (8/1/21-8/28/21) provided to ICv2.

Check it out: This month, there are 11 Dog Man books, all hardcovers, in the Top 20.  Neat trick, since there are only 10 books in the series.

You’re not seeing double: There are two copies of Dog Man, the first book in the series, on the list, one at number 13 and one at 18.  Scholastic reprinted the first six hardcovers in the series, with the new editions hitting stores this month.  The MSRP on the new editions is $12.99, as opposed to $9.99 on the old, so it pays to check labels.

Add in Cat Kid Comic Club, and Mr. Pilkey is now responsible for 12 slots out of the Top 20.  What does that leave?  A decent variety, actually.  The latest Baby-Sitters Little Sister book is at number 4, and the newest Baby-Sitters Club at number 7.  Those series chart pretty reliably.  Then there’s Guts, Truly Tyler, New Kids, Wings of Fire, FGTEEV Saves the World, and Clash.  That that leans toward realistic middle-school drama but there’s some variety to it.

What’s not there?  With the exception of Guts, Raina Telgemeier’s books have slipped off the chart.  This time last year, all five of her original graphic novels were still in the Top 20 (see "August 2020 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels").  Aside from that, there are a lot of similarities, in part because many series come out at the same time of year – so last year’s chart includes both Kayla Miller and Terri Libenson’s latest books.

NPD BookScan Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels – August 2021 (8/1/21 - 8/28/21)

Rank

Title

Author

Publisher

1

DOG MAN: MOTHERING HEIGHTS HC

DAV PILKEY

GRAPHIX

2

DOG MAN: GRIME AND PUNISHMENT HC

DAV PILKEY

GRAPHIX

3

CAT KID COMIC CLUB HC

DAV PILKEY

GRAPHIX

4

BABY-SITTERS LITTLE SISTER: KAREN'S KITTYCAT CLUB

KATY FARINA

GRAPHIX

5

DOG MAN: FOR WHOM THE BALL ROLLS HC

DAV PILKEY

GRAPHIX

6

DOG MAN: FETCH-22 HC

DAV PILKEY

GRAPHIX

7

THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB: CLAUDIA AND THE NEW GIRL

GABRIELA EPSTEIN

GRAPHIX

8

DOG MAN: BRAWL OF THE WILD HC

DAV PILKEY

GRAPHIX

9

GUTS

RAINA TELGEMEIER

GRAPHIX

10

DOG MAN: LORD OF THE FLEAS HC

DAV PILKEY

GRAPHIX

11

DOG MAN UNLEASHED HC

DAV PILKEY

GRAPHIX

12

TRULY TYLER

TERRI LIBENSON

BALZER + BRAY

13

DOG MAN HC ($12.99)

DAV PILKEY

GRAPHIX

14

NEW KID

JERRY CRAFT

HARPERCOLLINS

15

DOG MAN AND CAT KID HC

DAV PILKEY

GRAPHIX

16

DOG MAN: A TALE OF TWO KITTIES HC

DAV PILKEY

GRAPHIX

17

WINGS OF FIRE BOOK 4: THE DARK SECRET

TUI T. SUTHERLAND

GRAPHIX

18

DOG MAN HC ($9.99)

DAV PILKEY

GRAPHIX

19

FGTEEV SAVES THE WORLD!

FGTEEV

HARPERCOLLINS

20

CLASH

KAYLA MILLER

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Source: The NPD Group/BookScan

For charts of August 2021 graphic novel sales from NPD BookScan:
August 2021 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
August 2021 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels

For the charts with the actual sales numbers from NPD BookScan, see these articles on the ICv2 Pro site:
August 2021 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
August 2021 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
August 2021 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels with Actual Sales


NPD BookScan collects weekly point-of-sale data on print books from over 16,000 locations including e-tailers, chains, mass merchandisers, independent bookstores, and more.  NPD BookScan covers approximately 85% of the U.S. trade print book market.  The ranks on this chart are based on piece sales.  Some publishers classify titles that are primarily text, or art books, as graphic novels; we've removed those titles from the ranking above.

For past BookScan Top 20 Graphic Novel lists, see the "BookScan Top 20 GN Index."