If you’ve ever walked through a middle school hallway, you’ve seen her work. It’s unavoidable. The bright covers of Smile, Sisters, and Guts are basically the unofficial uniform of every sixth-grade backpack in America. But while we know everything about her middle school dental trauma and her sibling rivalries, people are often surprised when they look up the person behind the pen. So, how old is Raina Telgemeier? Raina Telgemeier is 48 years old.
She was born on May 26, 1977.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a trip for fans to realize she’s a Gen Xer. Her voice feels so current, so "stuck in the moment" of adolescence, that you’d almost expect her to be much younger. But that’s the magic of her work—she has this uncanny ability to reach back through time and pull out the exact, gut-wrenching feeling of being twelve years old without it feeling like a "grown-up" looking down on a kid.
Why her age matters to the stories she tells
Raina grew up in San Francisco during the 80s and 90s. If you pay close attention to the backgrounds in her books, you’ll see the era peeking through. In Smile, which is her most famous memoir, she recounts the story of knocking out her two front teeth. That happened when she was in the sixth grade—around 1989.
Think about that for a second.
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She spent years dealing with braces, headgear, and surgical mishaps before she ever thought about writing a book about it. She didn't actually publish Smile until 2010. By the time that book hit the shelves and changed the entire landscape of the graphic novel industry, Raina was already in her early 30s.
It took decades for her to process those middle school "traumas" into the bestsellers we see today. Most people think she just sat down and drew her life, but it was a long game. She told The Comics Journal that she was making comics every single day in high school, drawing for her school paper, and just soaking up the medium.
A timeline of the "Raina-verse"
To understand where she is now at 48, you have to look at the milestones:
- 1977: Born in San Francisco.
- Early 90s: The "Dental Years" (the basis for Smile).
- 2002: Graduated from the School of Visual Arts in NYC.
- 2006: Started adapting The Baby-Sitters Club into graphic novels.
- 2010: Smile is released and stays on the NYT Bestseller list for... well, forever.
- 2025: Published The Cartoonists Club and Facing Feelings.
What is Raina Telgemeier doing now in 2026?
She isn't slowing down. As of early 2026, Raina is continuing to bridge the gap between being an "elder statesman" of the comic world and a mentor for the next generation.
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She recently collaborated with Scott McCloud—the guy who literally wrote the book on how comics work (Understanding Comics)—on a project called The Cartoonists Club. It’s basically a passing of the torch. At 48, she’s shifted from just telling her own story to helping kids tell theirs.
She also has a massive exhibition project called Facing Feelings that’s been making waves. It’s an intimate look at her artistic evolution, featuring rare artwork and deep-dive interviews about how her childhood shaped the stories that millions of kids now read under their covers with a flashlight.
The "Raina Effect" is still going strong
There’s this thing librarians call "The Raina Effect." It refers to the way her books act as a "gateway drug" for reading. You’ll see kids who "don't like to read" finish Drama or Ghosts in a single afternoon.
It’s easy to forget that when she started, graphic novels weren’t really "a thing" for kids in the way they are now. She had to fight for that space. When she was 29 and working on The Baby-Sitters Club adaptations, she was just trying to pay rent. Now, she’s one of the most influential cartoonists of her generation.
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Common misconceptions about Raina
People often get a few things wrong about her life and age. Let’s clear the air:
- She isn't a kid. Because her characters are perpetual middle-schoolers, some younger fans think she’s a teenager or a young adult. Nope. She’s a seasoned pro with over 20 years in the industry.
- She doesn't just write for girls. While her protagonists are often girls, her data shows a massive male readership. Anxiety (Guts) and family friction (Sisters) don't have a gender.
- She’s not "just" an illustrator. She’s a writer-director of the page. She scripts every beat before a single ink line is laid down.
What's next for fans?
If you're following her career, 2026 is a big year for her interactive projects. She’s leaning heavily into the "Share Your Smile" philosophy, encouraging fans to keep journals and draw their own lives.
Next steps for Raina fans:
- Check out The Cartoonists Club: If you want to see her latest collaboration, this is the one. It’s part story, part instructional manual.
- Visit the "Facing Feelings" archives: Many of her original sketches are now being preserved and showcased. If you’re in the Ohio area, the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is the place to go.
- Start your own comic: Raina’s biggest piece of advice is always the same—don't wait for permission to tell your story. Get a notebook, a Micron pen, and start drawing the weird stuff that happens to you at lunch.
Raina Telgemeier’s age is just a number, but her 48 years of experience are what give her books that specific, resonant weight. She remembers what it’s like to be small, even though she’s become a giant in the world of books.