Persepolis
by Marjane Satrapi
Graphic novel · age 13+ · 680L (~3rd grade) · 160 pages · 2004
Why we'd hand it over
A landmark memoir that teaches empathy without sentiment and history without didacticism—the graphic format makes complex geopolitics accessible to early teens, and Satrapi's voice (wry, unsentimental, often funny) models how to survive without losing yourself.