Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchiTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
If you loved Paper Girls for its young protagonists, intense friendships and passage out of childhood, start with The Magic Fish for family and secrets, Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal for a young heroine discovering power, The Gulf for an older-teen road transition, or I Wanna Be Your Girl, Volume 1 for friendship, first love and identity.
None of these cited recommendations is established as a direct time-travel equivalent. They match particular ingredients of Paper Girls instead, so the guide below identifies exactly what carries over—and what changes.
What makes Paper Girls a distinctive starting point?
Image Comics introduces Paper Girls as a young-adult adventure in which four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover a major mystery during the early hours after Halloween 1988. The publisher’s description famously calls it “Stand By Me meets War of the Worlds in this mysterious young adult adventure.” That shorthand captures both halves of the appeal: an outward-facing science-fiction threat and an inward story about children testing the limits of friendship, courage and identity.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
The series uses time travel as a plot engine, but its emotional center is the girls’ movement from childhood toward a more complicated understanding of themselves. A New York Public Library recommendation published in August 2022 highlights time travel, nostalgia, friendship, self-discovery, survival and coming of age as the qualities that attract readers. Those elements do not all need to appear in the next book. The best follow-up depends on which one you want to keep.
#1 Best Overall
- Read Before You Buy — No Video Output: These adapters support charging and USB 2.0 data transfer, but cannot transmit video signals. Except for standard USB webcams (which use USB data only), they are not compatible with HDMI/DisplayPort cables, video-capable USB-C hubs, or docking stations with video output.
- Convert USB-A Ports to USB-C: Designed to connect USB-C earphones, cables, flash drives, card readers, and other USB-C accessories to standard USB-A ports. Plug-and-play with no drivers or software required.
- Aluminum Alloy Housing: Built with a sturdy aluminum alloy shell that aids in heat dissipation and protects against daily wear and scratches. Designed to maintain a stable and secure connection.
- Compact & Travel-Friendly: The ultra-compact design allows the adapter to stay plugged into your device without blocking adjacent ports or adding bulk, reducing wear and tear on your original USB ports.
- 12-Month Warranty: Backed by a 12-month manufacturer warranty for peace of mind. Designed to meet strict quality control standards for reliable everyday performance.
If you want to revisit the original before choosing another series, Image’s current catalog lists Paper Girls: The Complete Story TP as well as newer Backpack Edition volumes. The first Backpack Edition collects issues #1–10. That makes the collected format useful for a reread, while the recommendations below move into different genres and age perspectives.
Quick chooser: which part of Paper Girls should your next comic preserve?
| Title | Best match for | Speculative approach | Age or format information |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Magic Fish | Family, stories and a secret | Not established as time travel; contemporary, metaphor-rich coming of age | YA graphic novel; age not stated by the cited publisher description |
| Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal | A young heroine whose identity changes with new abilities | Superhero powers and inherited legacy, not a verified time-travel story | Series volume; publisher description centers Kamala Khan |
| The Gulf | Older teens, friendship and leaving home | Grounded road narrative; not speculative | YA for ages 14 and up; graphic novel |
| I Wanna Be Your Girl, Volume 1 | Friendship, first love, allyship and identity | Not established as science fiction or time travel | Manga volume; publisher description follows a transition before high school |
Use the table as a filter, not a quality ranking. The available descriptions support thematic matches, not a comparative review or firsthand verdict about which book is “best.”
Choose by the kind of coming-of-age story you want
The Magic Fish: family stories and a secret that cannot stay hidden
Trung Le Nguyen’s The Magic Fish is the clearest choice when the emotional side of Paper Girls matters more than its science-fiction machinery. Penguin Random House describes it as a YA graphic novel about Tiến, a young person who loves his family and friends while carrying a secret that may change everything.
That setup gives you a different kind of mystery. In Paper Girls, the unknown arrives as an external threat that expands the girls’ world. In The Magic Fish, the pressure is intimate: how do you tell people you love something they may not understand, and how can stories help bridge a gap between generations? The book’s emphasis on family and storytelling makes it suitable for readers who valued the girls’ trust in one another and the way personal fears sit alongside a larger adventure.
Rank #2
- 5-in-1 USB-C Hub: Experience comprehensive connectivity featuring a Power Delivery input, two USB-A 2.0 ports, a USB-A 3.0 port, and an HDMI port. (Note: The USB-C power delivery input port is only for connecting an external wall charger to power your laptop and cannot power peripheral devices.)
- 90W Pass-Through Charging: Achieve optimal charging with 90W pass-through power to your laptop, supported by a total input of 100W, with the hub reserving 10W for operational efficiency. (Note: Wall charger not included.)
- Quick Data Transfers: Accelerate your productivity with rapid data transfers using a high-speed 5Gbps USB 3.0 port and two 480Mbps USB 2.0 ports.
- 4K HDMI Display: Enhance your visual experience with a hub capable of delivering 4K resolution at 30Hz in both mirror and extend modes. Please note that this hub is compatible with MacBook (macOS 12 and newer), Windows 10 and 11, ChromeOS, and laptops equipped with DP Alt Mode and Power Delivery. Note: This device is not compatible with Linux.
- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (5-in-1, 4K HDMI), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
Pick this first if your favorite scenes in Paper Girls involved characters explaining themselves, protecting a friend or confronting the possibility that growing up will alter a family relationship. Do not pick it expecting a time machine, monsters or a serialized action quest; the cited description does not establish any of those features.
Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal: a young heroine discovers that power changes everyday life
Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal, by G. Willow Wilson, follows Kamala Khan as an ordinary life is disrupted by extraordinary abilities. The publisher description emphasizes both the new powers and the legacy she inherits, making the volume a strong match for readers who want a young protagonist negotiating a new identity in public and private.
The connection to Paper Girls is the sudden expansion of a young person’s responsibilities. The paper-delivery route gives the four girls an unexpected view of forces far beyond their neighborhood; Kamala’s powers similarly force her to rethink what she can do, whom she can help and what kind of hero she wants to become. Her story takes the superhero route, however, with a single central heroine rather than an ensemble of four friends and with powers rather than confirmed time travel.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Choose this volume when you want momentum, peril and an accessible entry into a continuing series. It works especially well for readers who want the “young person becomes capable under pressure” element, even if the surrounding genre shifts from time-travel adventure to superhero fiction.
Rank #3
- Sleek 7-in-1 USB-C Hub: Features an HDMI port, two USB-A 3.0 ports, and a USB-C data port, each providing 5Gbps transfer speeds. It also includes a USB-C PD input port for charging up to 100W and dual SD and TF card slots, all in a compact design.
- Flawless 4K@60Hz Video with HDMI: Delivers exceptional clarity and smoothness with its 4K@60Hz HDMI port, making it ideal for high-definition presentations and entertainment. (Note: Only the HDMI port supports video projection; the USB-C port is for data transfer only.)
- Double Up on Efficiency: The two USB-A 3.0 ports and a USB-C port support a fast 5Gbps data rate, significantly boosting your transfer speeds and improving productivity.
- Fast and Reliable 85W Charging: Offers high-capacity, speedy charging for laptops up to 85W, so you spend less time tethered to an outlet and more time being productive.
- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (7-in-1), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
The Gulf: an older-teen escape from the expected path
Adam de Souza’s The Gulf is aimed at an older audience than the 12-year-old protagonists at the start of Paper Girls. Penguin Random House identifies it as YA for ages 14 and up and describes a group of friends near the end of high school who run away to join a commune. The publisher calls it an “anti-coming-of-age road trip adventure.”
That phrase signals a deliberate change in direction. Instead of children discovering a world-changing mystery, The Gulf concerns teenagers deciding whether the adult future laid out for them is acceptable. The group dynamic and act of leaving home can appeal to readers who liked the loyalty and friction among the paper-delivery crew, while the setting remains grounded rather than speculative.
Select this one if you want the transition out of childhood viewed from the brink of adulthood. It is a poor fit if your priority is time travel, alternate timelines or supernatural danger; the cited publisher information presents none of those elements.
I Wanna Be Your Girl, Volume 1: friendship, first love and learning how to be an ally
Umi Takase’s I Wanna Be Your Girl, Volume 1 is the manga option in this group. Penguin Random House describes a childhood best friend who begins living as a girl shortly before high school and characterizes the series as a thoughtful story about first loves, friendship and allyship.
Rank #4
- Dual Converters, Infinite Potential：Includes 2× USB C male to USB A female adapters and 2× USB A male to USB C female adapters. Perfect for a wide range of uses—tablets with Bluetooth keyboards, expand USB ports on macbook, and more. Two different converters for all your daily needs
- Next-Level 10Gbps & 3A Charging: No more slow 480Mbps, this usb to usb c adapter has a transfer speed of up to 10Gbps, allowing you to do more transferring in less time. This usb adapter fits both USB A and USB C charger, supporting up to 3A fast charging
- Upgraded Exquisite Craftsmanship: With an aluminum alloy housing and metal connector, the usbc to usb adapter is extremely durable and sturdy. Rigorously tested to withstand more than 10,000 times of plugging and unplugging, ensuring long-lasting performance
- Broad Compatible: The usb c to usb adapter widely supports all USB C/ USB A devices like laptops, tablets, cellphones, car chargers, and phone chargers. Such as compatible with MacBook Pro/Air 2023/2022, Thunderbolt 4/3 Devices,Apple MagSafe Watch 9/8/7/SE/Ultra, iPad Pro 2022/2021, Samsung Galaxy S23/S20/S10, and iPhone 17/16/15 Pro. Plug and play
- Please Note: To reach 10Gbps speed, keep the cable under 3.3 ft. For USB A Male to USB C adapters, try flipping the USB C connector. USB C Male to USB A adapters support bidirectional 10Gbps transfer within 3.3 ft
Its strongest overlap with Paper Girls is the importance of a peer group during a destabilizing change. The characters have to decide what support looks like in practice, how identity affects a long-standing friendship and how affection can coexist with uncertainty. The focus is personal rather than speculative, so the book should be approached as a coming-of-age and relationship story—not as a time-travel substitute.
Choose it when the friendship and self-discovery parts of Paper Girls were more important to you than the monsters, technology or historical jumps. Because the story begins around the transition into high school, it also offers a different age perspective from the preteen protagonists in Image’s series.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What these books do—and do not—share with Paper Girls
The four recommendations are partial matches. They preserve different combinations of the starting series’ ingredients:
- Young characters under pressure: all four center young people facing a change that tests their assumptions or relationships.
- Friendship as an engine: The Gulf and I Wanna Be Your Girl put peer relationships at the center; The Magic Fish balances friends with family; Ms. Marvel follows a more individual hero arc.
- Identity and self-discovery: Kamala’s new powers, Tiến’s secret and the relationships in I Wanna Be Your Girl make personal identity explicit. The Gulf approaches it through a decision about adulthood.
- Speculative adventure: Ms. Marvel supplies superhero speculation. The cited descriptions do not verify time travel for any of these four titles, and The Gulf is specifically grounded.
That distinction matters when searching for “comics with time travel and coming-of-age themes.” A thematic recommendation can satisfy the coming-of-age half without promising a time-travel plot. If time travel itself is non-negotiable, check the publisher’s current synopsis or catalog entry for a specific title before buying; the information available for this set does not establish a direct match.
Best Value
- 5-in-1 Connectivity: Equipped with a 4K HDMI port, a 5 Gbps USB-C data port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, and a USB C 100W PD-IN port. Note: The USB C 100W PD-IN port supports only charging and does not support data transfer devices such as headphones or speakers.
- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Move files to and from your laptop at speeds of up to 5 Gbps via the USB-C and USB-A data ports. Note: The USB C 5Gbps Data port does not support video output.
- HD Display: Connect to the HDMI port to stream or mirror content to an external monitor in resolutions of up to 4K@30Hz. Note: The USB-C ports do not support video output.
- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
A practical reading order
There is no evidence-based quality ranking, but you can order the books by the feature you want most:
- Start with Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal if you want the fastest return to danger, powers and a young protagonist taking on an unfamiliar role.
- Read The Magic Fish next if you want to move from external spectacle to family conversations, secrets and the use of stories to understand change.
- Choose I Wanna Be Your Girl, Volume 1 when peer support, first love and allyship are your priority.
- Finish with The Gulf if you want the oldest characters and a grounded question about leaving home and rejecting an expected future.
You can reverse that order without losing continuity: these are separate recommendations rather than a shared universe or a prescribed sequence.
How to avoid a disappointing match
Check the protagonist’s age
Paper Girls begins with 12-year-olds. The Gulf is explicitly for ages 14 and up and follows friends near the end of high school, while I Wanna Be Your Girl begins around the move into high school. If you want the same preteen viewpoint, neither is an exact age match.
Separate genre from theme
Time travel, superheroes and grounded realism produce very different reading experiences. Ms. Marvel offers powers and legacy; The Gulf offers a commune-bound road trip; The Magic Fish and I Wanna Be Your Girl concentrate on relationships and identity. The common thread is transition, not a shared speculative premise.
Decide whether you want a series entry or a contained book
Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal is identified as a volume, so it functions as an entry point to a continuing superhero story. The other recommendations are presented as individual graphic-novel or manga choices in the cited publisher material. Confirm the edition and publication status with the bookseller or publisher catalog, since stock and pricing change.
Bottom line: match the feeling, not just the time machine
For family and secrets, choose The Magic Fish. For a young heroine whose life changes through new abilities, choose Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal. For an older-teen group questioning the road ahead, choose The Gulf. For friendship, first love and allyship, choose I Wanna Be Your Girl, Volume 1. Each book carries forward a recognizable part of Paper Girls while changing the genre, age perspective or scale of the adventure.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
