The school year just started and a new season of booktalks will begin on Monday centered around our 10th grade English classes that focus on biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs but in some cases open up to general nonfiction as well. ‘Tis the season; my favorite season: booktalks!
Here are a mix of new and old titles that I want to share such as the always popular Smith, Barnes, and Anyabwile collaboration called Victory, Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice, Krosoczka’s Hey, Kiddo. and the improbable story of survival by Ollestad and Kiely called Sole Survivor.
I love that our library’s biography section has it’s own separate space in the library as it’s one of the most circulated sections (after manga). Titles that feature stories of perseverance, personal experience, thoughtful reflection, and an evaluation of life as some of my favorites as well. Maybe I’ll create a separate post after the flurry of classes this coming week (and part of next) with the most talked-about titles.
I would be remiss not to compile a list of a handful favorites highlighting the history of the United States on its 250th birthday. Obviously not all of it is positive, but it is America’s story. Which books would you add to the list?
People
You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe focuses on being a female biographer with humor for days
Teri Kanefield’s The Making of America series from Alexander Hamilton to Thurgood Marshall are accessible middle grade biographies
Sheinkin and Robinson’s Two Miserable Presidents: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn’t Tell You About the Civil War entertain and teach at the same time
Any James L. Swanson book featuring the tragic stories of assassinations of people like Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy Jr. such as End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy. Swanson’s dedication to American history is unparalleled
Events
Brown’s The Great American Dust Bowl: A Graphic Novel
Graff’s The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
Slade and Gonzalez’s Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon
Any of Kate Messner’s History Smashers series books from learning about the Mayflower to the Salem Witch Trials
Brown’s Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans
Iconic
Larson’s The Devil in the White City highlighting both the Chicago World’s Fair and an infamous serial killer H.H. Holmes
Biden’s inauguration was only memorable (for me) because of Gorman’s recitation of her original poem, The Hill We Climb, accessible in print but best listened to
Jarrow is known for her investigative science storytelling for teens and her newest White House Secrets: Medical Lies and Cover-Ups fulfills that. Her focus on certain presidents was enough to realize she wanted to write a follow up book too
Kluger and Shamir’s To the Moon!: The True Story of the American Heroes on the Apollo 8 Spaceship because you can’t talk about American without talking about space exploration
Aberg-Riger’s America Redux: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History is a visual feast and provides unique storytelling that’s just as dynamic as the title implies
Social Justice
Cooper and Aronson’s book Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for Their Lives and Warned the Nation
Mann’s Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States
Smith, Barnes, and Anyabwile’s graphic novel collaboration Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice
Blumenthal’s Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights
Elliott’s Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City
Yoo’s Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire
Tunnell’s Desert Diary: Japanese American Kids Behind Barbed Wire
I could go on and on… Perhaps I’ll create a few additional posts around the subject!
It’s Father’s Day, so here are some of my favorite father’s in literature.
To Marko from Saga, the heart what it wants and he’ll stop at nothing to care for his daughter Hazel.
To Malala’s dad, who instilled in Malala that education is important for girls and that’s what she fights for even in the face of danger.
To the grandpa in Drawn Together, you reached out to your grandson who spoke a different language than you and found common ground to bond.
Loid Forger aka Twilight is a meticulous spy in Spy x Family but built a family and adopted Anya- yes it’s for a mission- but somehow readers know it’s built to last.
Navigating the pitfalls of growing up with body esteem issues, Ellie’s dad finds opportunities to allow Ellie to learn and grow and love herself.
While he was grieving and not at all perfect as the beginning of the Sheets graphic novel trilogy opens, the third book, Delicates, hits a home run with Marjorie’s dad explaining friendship as they’re hanging Christmas lights: “They light up different parts of your life. But see, they all cast shadows, too… There’s good and bad in everyone, you know? But the more friends you have in your life… well… the more, uh, brightness you’ll have overall.”
Roadtripping with your young daughter isn’t for the faint of heart after losing your wife, yet Coyote’s dad is patient and fun in Coyote Lost and Found.
I just finished Landing in Place Friday and Anisa’s pilot father was a pivotal character (along with the coworker, his friend, who was a confidant to Anisa). There was a specialness to his support and motivation.
Martin is funny enough recounting the stories of his childhood, but the way Martin showcases his father in the second book, Mexikid Dreams, is heartwarming. From poking fun at him adding an “e” in front of every word but also sharing how organized he was in the work they were doing in the hopes of giving his kids opportunities.
And one of the most classic dads of all time. Calvin’s dad’s continued commentary that the hard things built character in Calvin or his annoyance at Calvin’s antics endeared him even more to readers of the comic strip. I was able to walk back in time when the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY had an exhibit running on it’s 40th anniversary.
Taking this St. Patrick’s Day opportunity to highlight a few recent reads that we can celebrate exist in this world. In a word, lucky, that they exist.
There isn’t a more popular author than Taylor Jenkins Reid who has turned out several hits. Atmosphere is no different. I just finished the audiobook and I have never been so enmeshed in a character’s journey than Joan’s journey to the stars. It reminds me of Frankie from The Women by Hannah. Completely pulled into their orbit in a pivotal time in history and one that women don’t get nearly the recognition that they should. Seriously, what a way to celebrate Women’s History Month too. Readers are lucky to have books like this one to highlight the strength of women.
Cassandra Calin created a follow up to The New Girl. First Crush will be out shortly and higlights what it means to grow up, have a crush, but also screw up, but still survive by learning lessons and having people around us to be a comfort and a sounding board. There’s so much to adore about the graphic novel series from the layout and design to the choices in honoring multiple languages of the characters and not shying away from topics like periods. Readers are lucky to have graphic novels like this one.
More books are being published for teens that focus on stories that are difficult to reckon with. In Takvorian’s graphic novel memoir exploring her Armenian-American heritage and asking the hard questions of her family who would rather leave the past in the past, Armaveni is a sentimental journey into history and the human toll of genocide on generations. Readers are lucky to have authors to explore the corners of their own experiences to benefit us all.
Winter break is nearing it’s end and I’ve coveted the time needed to do random household chores, update the last pieces of the spring semester for the college course I teach, complete odds and ends work on other projects, and READ.
I read daily. It’s a core element of my daily routine for personal and professional reasons, so it’s work even when it’s not work and it’s not work even when it is work. And Lena Dunham’s quote popped up in my head after thinking about the week that included quite a bit of reading
I couldn’t agree more. I will never get out from under my TBR pile and I spent a few days drinking from my “Death by TBR” mug gifted by my friend, Stacey. So if I could lobby the powers that be for an eighth day dedicated entirely to reading, I would. I am. Please, add an eighth day to the week so that I may read… while drinking tea.
What was I reading during break? What wasn’t I reading is the more apt question.
Picture books like Every Peach Is a Story by Masumoto, Masumoto, and Tamaki, The Octopus by Guojing that is a wordless picture book not yet released, and I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy by Threets and Nam to name a few.
Middle grade graphic novels like Deepwater Creek by Regina and the adapted One Crazy Summer by Williams-Garcia and illustrated by Miller.
Young adult like Leave It On The Track by Fisher, Red Flags and Butterflies by Azzam, I Love Amy by Unni, and the forthcoming Corpse de Ballet graphic novel by Kearney.
Adult books like much-talked about The Correspondent by Evans and the dark manga called Confession by Kawaguchi.
We’re close to the end! Today’s top 10 are graphic novels and comics that were my favorites of the year, graphic novels that taught me, entertained me, made me feel something, and inspired me (to cosplay that is!) I always say one of the indicators for me is whether I’d want the art on my wall and that’s the case with any of these.
It’s not a secret that graphic novels are here to stay and if these are any indication of their amazingness, they’ll be around forever. Hats off to the illustrators or the creators that do double duty as author AND illustrator.
What do you look for in great graphic novels and comics?
Years back, our high school library celebrated the national Free Comic Book Day on the Monday following the nationally-celebrated first Saturday in May event.
It began when a comic nerd named Jay was interning with a social worker at our school and asked about helping kick one off and it slowly grew from there. Even after he was gone, he would return to help whether bringing tabletop games, and ideas to introducing me to people in the field who could also contribute. He’s about bringing people together over comics and he writes about it in magazines and on websites like this 2022 article called Why Buying Your Kids More Comic Books Can Benefit Their Mental Health for Inside Hook.
Then the pandemic hit and like many events, it fell by the wayside until this year. We were going to be hosting Steve Sheinkin as our author visit about a month before Free Comic Book Day and I wanted to make the connection between his award-winning Bomb being turned into a graphic novel and his Rabbi Harvey comics to comics in general whether our high schoolers were already fans or not. It’s as much about exposure for a new group of comics lovers as it is a place to connect for tried-and-true comics lovers.
Jay again stepped up when I reached out because I had mentioned wanting to do a panel or have experts on hands during our lunch shifts. Then we’d have passive activities (and a few active ones) surrounding the learning.
I worked with my Japanese Culture Club to design the activities and then invited classes from departments like art to take part. They heeded the call and brought down classes to learn from our panelists who ranged from a comics shop owner to an illustrator of several graphic novels who I was surprised to learn was local. The others were collectors since childhood, an independent publisher of comics, and contributors to the comics field in other capacities. But more than that, the students sat down and decoupaged a coaster from old comics, worked on a Marvel puzzle, and helped add pages to our pop-up zine.
We’re happy that these moments were captured by professionals in our district’s Communications department and shared with the school community. The smiling faces holding comics. The serious focus while creating their art. The intense language of a gaming tournament after school. Even though it was a long day setting up and breaking down, soaking up their enthusiasm is what keeps all of us in education young.
Representation matters. And in the case of books for teens in which the teen has a rare illness, it stands as a mirror or window for a reader. Now more than ever, books are being published featuring characters with autism, anxiety, and depression, all more common especially in 2025, but what about rarer illnesses such as Crouzon syndrome or Ehlers Danlos Syndrome or spinal muscular atrophy? I’m happy to report that there are stories, and fabulously written stories at that, about rare illnesses.
I got to thinking about this yesterday afternoon having finished the book I Am The Cage by Allison Sweet Grant that was published last week. In it, nineteen year old Elisabeth is slowly revealed to have had intense medical trauma growing up as a result of leg length discrepancy. And then I remembered other books that I’ve read and enjoyed sharing with teens with similar rare illnesses.
Four additional fictional stories include the graphic novel Stars In Their Eyes by Jessica Walton and Aska featuring Maisie who is an amputee. Breathe and Count Back From Ten by Natalia Sylvester whose main character Veronica has hip dysplasia. The fifth book in the Teen Titans graphic novels called Starfire includes Kori who has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. And in Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman, Max struggles with the pain and possible surgery for her Class II malocclusion.
Then there are the autobiographies. As a lover of this category and whose high school library features a massive collection of amazing ones, I am always on the lookout for addition spectacular stories. And the first one, Shane Burcaw’s Laughing At My Nightmare holds a special place for me as I was able to booktalk his second book Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse at a Macmillan breakfast many years ago and then met both Shane and (then girlfriend, now wife) Hannah at a dinner during that conference. Burcaw has spinal muscular atrophy. And if you’d like a fictional YA title with a character who also has it, I highly recommend Chaz Hayden’s The First Thing About You.
One I often recommend is Ariel Henley’s A Face For Picasso, who spent her teen years under the knife (along with her twin sister who also has it) to provide symmetry to her face having been born with Crouzon syndrome and realizing what she needed versus what she wanted. Another that I share regularly and quote from regularly is Zion Clark’s (along with James S. Hirsch) Work With What You Got, a sports autobiography which rounds out his life, and fame, thus far after being born with caudal regression syndrome.
Of course there are more, however these nine are solid stories that I hope you pick up if you haven’t already.
