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Category Archives: Graphic novels

Six sensational school stories

15 Jun

With school coming to a close for us in New York State, I’m dedicating today’s post to six sensational stories that rely on school as a primary backdrop for the story. This doesn’t include the boarding school stories typically providing the vibe for dark academia books which will come in a future post.

  1. Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui: A classroom of students whose quest it is to try to surprise and kill their alien octopus teachers before he destroys the world… good luck.
  2. The Superteacher Project by Gordon Korman: How many of your teachers do you think might have been robots??!?!
  3. The Pregnancy Project by Gabby Rodriguez with Jenna Glatzer: A memoir of a girl who faked a pregnancy in her senior year of high school to capture the attitudes of teen pregnancy provides a mirror for us all.
  4. Schooled by Gordon Korman: How does a kid go from homeschool to middle school and not make a few mistakes?
  5. Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Gabriella Espstein: The racism the students experienced being put together in the cafeteria for a service project bonds them in more ways than one.
  6. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: Ostracized after Melinda called the cops at a summer party, it’s making her first year of high school miserable, especially when she has to see HIM; luckily her art teacher is helping her lean into her pain.
 
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Posted by on June 15, 2024 in Fiction, Graphic novels, Manga, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Young Adult

 

Six sensational haunted house stories

11 Jun

Having recently finished Not Quite a Ghost, I realized there are quite a few fantastic stories that featuring houses- not necessarily always haunted but possibly enchanted, but quite the characters all on their own. A list of six of them here.

  1. She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran: Body and house horror combine for a haunting good time.
  2. Saint Juniper’s Folly by Alex Crespo: When a house takes you hostage.
  3. Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke: We all have things in the basement.
  4. Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu: In the mind or in the walls?
  5. The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby by G.Z. Schmidt: A mystery from a house party ten years before.
  6. Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury: A ten year difference in the same house for two different girls both yield danger.

 
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Posted by on June 11, 2024 in Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Young Adult

 

Six sensational books with animal friends

07 Jun

I decided that there are too many books featuring a dog as a companion that that’ll get it’s own post this month, so today’s post features non-dog animal “friends”.

Version 1.0.0
  1. The Spirit Glass by Roshani Chokshi: Gecko.
  2. Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi and Shazleen Khan: Turtle.
  3. Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol: Seal.
  4. A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel: Snake.
  5. The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan: Elephant
  6. The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate: Gorilla.
 
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Posted by on June 7, 2024 in Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Young Adult

 

Six sensational fashion-forward characters

04 Jun

I love a good dress. I definitely notice when characters in graphic novels have style or pay attention when the character is fashion-conscious or has designs (yup, I went there) on being in the fashion industry. Here are six favorites:

  1. Any Way You Look by Maleeha Siddiqui: A fashionista Muslim girl working at her mother’s custom shop has an eye for details.
  2. 100 Unforgettable Dresses by Hal Rubenstein: Recommended by a colleague who knows I love dresses, this one paints a portrait of 100 dresses from the past and present.
  3. Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion by Tanisha C. Ford: A collection of items and styles that absolutely meets expectations.
  4. I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn: Kimi loves fashion and sees a future in it even when others might not. She perseveres during a trip to Japan and back to her roots.
  5. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang: Enough said!
  6. The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner: If I’ve ever loved a character’s fashion sense, it’s Moth’s. Thank you to Steinkellner for creating her fabulous wardrobe.
 
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Posted by on June 4, 2024 in Authors, Fiction, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Style, Young Adult

 

Six sensational siblings stories

03 Jun

I realize that could probably do a second post of siblings stories because there are plenty of stories featuring siblings that I find special in some way. Maybe toward the end of the month I’ll revisit the topic again.

  1. Take Me With You When You Go by David Levithan and Jennifer Niven: A mystery in a runaway sibling leads to divulging plenty of dysfunction in their household.
  2. When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed: The ultimate support as two boys look out for one another in a refugee camp without their parents, trying to survive.
  3. Huda F Cares? by Huda Fahmy: The follow up graphic novel features Huda’s siblings prominently in a road trip, theme park visit. We all remember those car trips sandwiched in between siblings.
  4. Saints of the Household by Ari Tison: Max and Jay don’t want to be like their father, but did they just become him in an impulsive decision to help save a classmate. How they cope with the fallout is the the lyricism of the story.
  5. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez: Naomi returns to a “vipers nest” to protect her twin siblings even if it means putting herself in danger.
  6. Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley: Bonded in trauma, Suki and Della’s life consist of overcoming multiple hardships, but they want to be able to lean on each other though they might also have to let someone else in too.
 
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Posted by on June 3, 2024 in Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Young Adult

 

It’s Delicate(s)!

02 May

When Sheets, published by creator Brenna Thummler, dropped in 2018, I read it and enjoyed it. When its sequel, Delicates, dropped in 2021, I read it and was moved by it. Then the last of the trilogy, Lights, dropped in 2023 and not only did I read it, I read it from an advanced copy and completely melted. But maybe that’s not the right analogy with a series full of ghosts. I was levitating.

To be brief: the series follows lonely Marjorie, a motherless girl being raised by her dad running a laundromat where ghost friends including Wendell live. Making friends is a struggle and when Eliza and Marjorie pair up as oddball friends, there’s the sweetest sense that they’ve found someone special. But teenagers are fickle creatures and school is hard. The characters drive the story but equally evocative is the carefully selected color palette enhancing every scene. Feelings are felt among every panel and page because of the skilling coloring and illustrations.

Those feelings were no different when I figured out a way to drive nearly six hours from home for the last of only three staged musical readings of Delicates at Dramashop in Erie, PA. My only regret is that I didn’t bring my teenaged sons to see it with me. Not only would they have admired the talent of the cast (so, so much talent) but the skilled storytelling and the whimsical use of the small set and props. The experience of watching the pianist play right in front of the audience and the intimate setting of being so close to the stage with the lights the same colors as the colors in the graphic novels felt like a warm hug. Layered with raw emotions like Marjorie’s loneliness or Eliza being bullied while her helpless dad tries to help are turned upside down when the audience can’t help but laugh at the catty popular girls’ snarky comments and Marjorie’s little sibling. In two hours, everyone relived their youth. It was all laid bare through Thummler’s story.

Of course only one thing could top the night, but I made sure in advance that there would be a cherry on this sundae and that was the presence of the creator, Brenna Thummler herself. Wearing a fabulously fantastic pink jumpsuit with a vivid backpack, she had her pastel Sharpies ready to sign the books I brought only after she wiped away the tears of love and gratitude for the cast and crew to bring life to her stories on stage. She was being gifted items from fans and friends after giving us all the greatest gift to see it live.

 
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Posted by on May 2, 2024 in Authors, Cover Love, Events, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Young Adult

 

Teen sports books

11 Feb

With the one of the biggest nights in sports happening tonight, I wanted to highlight twelve teen sports books from the more nontraditional sports rather than the mainstream ones with an inspirational one-liner.

  • No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon (Young Adult Adaptation) by Erik Weihenmayer and Buddy Levy about kayaking
    • There’s nothing you can’t do if you set your mind to it.
  • Life In Motion (Young Readers Edition) by Misty Copeland about ballet
    • Dance like you mean it.
  • Proud: Living My American Dream (Young Readers Edition) by Ibtihaj Muhammad about fencing
    • En garde!
  • Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston about cheerleading
    • You’re stronger than you appear.
  • Press Play by Eric Devine about lacrosse (and football)
    • Don’t let the bad people win.
  • Leverage by Joshua Cohen about male gymnastics (and football)
    • Stand up when it matters.
  • Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks about girls hockey
    • Be who you are.
  • Blue Box by Kouji Miura about badminton (and basketball)
    • All’s fair in love and sports.
  • One Good Punch by Rich Wallace about boxing
    • If you get knocked down, get back up again.
  • The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn about surfing
    • You have to start somewhere.
  • Peak by Roland Smith about rock climbing/mountain climbing
    • It’s in your blood.
  • Swim the Fly by Don Calame about swimming
    • Surround yourself with people who support you and make you laugh.
 
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Posted by on February 11, 2024 in Fiction, Graphic novels, Manga, Nonfiction, Young Adult

 

Cheers near & far

24 Jan

Monday was the Youth Media Awards presentation in Baltimore, Maryland at the American Library Association’s LibLearnX (midwinter) conference. It is the yearly celebration of literature for children and teens. Committees work for a year or more to choose award winners in categories from the Sibert to Giesel to Odyssey to Alex. Don’t know what each of them is about? You can learn more on the website including watching the award ceremony or reading the press release for all of the honorees and winners.

I had the honor of being on the Alex Award through YALSA this year which meant we were reading loads of adult titles to find the best titles that have teen appeal. We create a top ten and will have a long list of an additional twenty titles. The long list will be published shortly. This meant that the ALA conference was extra special in being able to bond in person with most of the committee members (including sharing a meal while we made author calls followed by a champagne toast). Yet it’s also about learning. Over three days of programming, I learned a tremendous amount from librarians across the country whether it was in conversations, presentations, or in line. And there were the unique and inspiring speeches of the recipients of the I Love My Librarian award that kickstarted the event on Friday night amid a Baltimore surprise– snow!

While the librarian awards began the conference, the book awards ended the conference with the best bookends anyone could ask for. Sitting in the seats reserved for the committee, you’re surrounded by the other committees with their fun accessories (looking at you Odyssey with your matching white headphones) and cool slogans (read: “For the weird ones” on the back of the Printz tshirts) but I thought our Alex shirts, designed by a committee member and executed by another, were a cut above. Switching out the laurel for hot peppers, the tag line was “is this too spicy?” *chef’s kiss*

Whether watchers or listeners were in the room or across the country watching online, you could feels the vibrations of cheers near and far. It’s a special moment for the creators of these amazing stories. Without them, there would be no celebration. There’s a cacophony of excitement from their publishers and editors, their family, and anyone who read and loved their work.

It’s a magical, magical event. If you have the chance to be there live, do it. Or, you can be like one of my favorite colleagues and rally your elementary school in the gymnasium with their socks, and shirts, and posters rooting on their favorites several states away. Either way, cheers were heard near and far.

 
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Posted by on January 24, 2024 in Adult, Audiobooks, Authors, Childrens, Events, Fiction, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Short Story, Style, Verse, Young Adult

 

Best of 2023: YA nonfiction

23 Dec

Nothing that replace the feeling of learning about a new topic while reading. The special way that an author meticulously researches, bears their soul, and creates fluidity with factual information. It’s why nonfiction is my jam.

There is always overlap on lists– of course there are several graphic novels on this list that could have easily knocked off others on the YA graphic novel list but again, there are too many amazing books this year to limit ourselves. You’ll see iconic YA nonfiction authors like Steve Sheinkin and Don Brown, but you also have vivid memoirs and American history.

 
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Posted by on December 23, 2023 in Authors, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Nonfiction, Reflections, Young Adult

 

Best of 2023: YA graphic novels

21 Dec

As promised, there were just too many amazing books for teens this year to have *just one* top ten list. Today I continue to highlight different categories and formats with my end-of-year listicles and today is graphic novels.

For several of these, I continue to be obsessed with the series such as Something is Killing the Children, Sheets, Fangirl, and Frights from Feral while there were standalones that stuck out for their coverage of emotional stories, humor, or thoughtfulness in addressing adversity.

 
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Posted by on December 21, 2023 in Authors, Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Reflections, Young Adult

 
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