Great Graphic Novels for Teens is a list of recommended graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction for those ages 12-18, prepared yearly by YALSA. Click on the title of each book to be taken to the blog post featuring a review, or browse all blog posts here. You can see previous lists on the YALSA website and on the Teen Book Finder app.
If you’d like to suggest a title, please fill out this form. Publishers: contact info for the coordinator of this list can be found at the bottom of this page.
New #GGN2021 nominations are generally published to the Hub on Thursdays.
#GGN2021 Nomination Posts:
Fiction
- Valkyrie: Jane Foster, vol. 1: The Sacred and the Profane by Jason Aaron, Al Ewing, and CAFU
- Miles Morales, vol. 2: Bring on the Bad Guys by Saladin Ahmed, Tom Taylor, Alitha Martinez, Javier Garrón, Vanesa Del Rey, Ron Ackins, and Cory Smith
- Ms. Marvel, vol. 2: Stormranger by Saladin Ahmed, Joey Vazquez, and Minkyu Jung
- Fangs by Sarah Andersen
- The Daughters of Ys by M.T. Anderson and Jo Rioux
- Naomi: Season One by Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, and Jamal Campbell
- Young Justice, vol. 1–2 by Brian Michael Bendis, Patrick Gleason, John Timms, André Lima Araújo, and Nick Derington
- Catherine’s War by Julia Billet and Claire Fauvel
- Long Story Short: 100 Classic Books in Three Panels by Lisa Brown
- The Phantom Twin by Lisa Brown
- Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot and Cara McGee
- The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
- The Weirn Books, vol. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods by Svetlana Chmakova
- Cub by Cynthia L. Copeland
- Class Act by Jerry Craft
- The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes
- Flamer by Mike Curato
- Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse
- Ironheart, vol. 2: Ten Rings by Eve L. Ewing and Luciano Vecchio
- Phoolan Devi, Rebel Queen by Claire Fauvel
- Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo
- Mary: The Adventures of Mary Shelley’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Granddaughter by Brea Grant and Yishan Li
- The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee Gulledge
- One Year at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks
- Displacement by Kiku Hughes
- Wonderland, vol. 4-5 by Yugo Ishikawa
- The Strange Ones by Jeremy Jusay
- Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, vol. 4 by Yuhki Kamatani
- Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley
- What We Don’t Talk About by Charlot Kristensen
- Seven Little Sons of the Dragon: A Collection of Seven Stories by Ryoko Kui
- Drifting Dragons, vol. 1–5 by Taku Kuwabara
- All Together Now by Hope Larson
- Green Lantern: Legacy by Minh Lê and Andie Tong
- Camp Spirit by Axelle Lenoir
- A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong
- Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
- The Lost City of Heracleon by Bruce Livingstone and Mike Willcox
- Stephen McCranie’s Space Boy, vol. 5 by Stephen McCranie
- Stephen McCranie’s Space Boy, vol. 6 & 7 by Stephen McCranie
- Outpost Zero, vol. 3 by Sean McKeever, Alexandre Tengfecki, and Jean-François Beaulieu
- Topside by J.N. Monk and Harry Bagosian
- Batman: Nightwalker by Stuart Moore, Marie Lu, and Chris Wildgoose
- The Golden Age, Book 1 by Roxanne Moreil and Cyril Pedrosa, translated by Montana Kane
- Primer by Jennifer Muro, Thomas Krajewski, and Gretel Lusky
- Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story by Lauren Myracle and Isaac Goodhart
- The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
- Relics of Youth, vol. 1 by Matt Nicholas, Chad Rebmann, and Skylar Patridge
- The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp and Manuel Preitano
- Knight of the Ice, vol. 1 by Yayoi Ogawa
- The Way of the Househusband, vol. 1-4 by Kousuke Oono
- Heartstopper, vol. 1 by Alice Oseman
- Heartstopper, vol. 2 by Alice Oseman
- The Golden Sheep, vol. 1 by Kaori Ozaki
- Fence, vol. 4: Rivals by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad, and Joana LaFuente
- Ronin Island, vol. 2 by Greg Pak and Giannis Milonogiannis
- Suncatcher by Jose Pimienta
- Runaways, vol. 5: Canon Fodder by Rainbow Rowell and Andrés Genolet
- Wonder Twins, vol. 1: Activate! by Mark Russell and Stephen Byrne
- Wonder Twins vol. 2: The Fall and Rise of the Wonder Twins by Mark Russell and Stephen Byrne
- Love Me, Love Me Not, vol. 1–3 by Io Sakisaka
- Love Me, Love Me Not, vol. 4-5 by Io Sakisaka
- You Brought Me the Ocean by Alex Sanchez and Julie Maroh
- Witch Hat Atelier, vol. 4 by Kamome Shirahama
- The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith
- My Riot by Rick Spears and Emmett Helen
- The Avant-Guards, vol. 2 by Carly Usdin and Noah Hayes
- Heavy Vinyl, vol. 2: Y2K-0! by Carly Usdin and Nina Vakueva
- Life Is Strange, vol. 2-3 by Emma Vieceli and Claudia Leonardi
- Go With the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann
- Invisible Kingdom, vol. 1 by G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward
- Blue Period, vol. 1 by Tsubasa Yamaguchi
- Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru
- Satoko and Nada, vol. 3 by Yupechika
Nonfiction
- A Quick & Easy Guide to Sex & Disability by A. Andrews
- Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio by Derf Backderf
- Making Comics by Lynda Barry
- Girl on Film: A Graphic Novel Memoir by Cecil Castellucci, Vicky Leta, Jon Berg, V. Gagnon, and Melissa Duffy
- Wait, What?: A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up by Heather Corinna, Isabella Rotman, and Luke B. Howard
- Dancing at the Pity Party: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir by Tyler Feder
- Fights: One Boy’s Triumph Over Violence by Joel Christian Gill
- Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
- When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed, and Iman Geddy
- Drawing the Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Voting in America by Tommy Jenkins and Kati Lacker
- Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women’s Fight for Their Rights by Mikki Kendall and A. D’Amico
- Becoming RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Journey to Justice by Debbie Levy and Whitney Gardner
- Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks
- Black Heroes of the Wild West by James Otis Smith
- Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada, and Ko Hyung-Ju
- The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures by Noelle Stevenson
- Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
The 2021 Great Graphic Novels Blogging Team is:
- Crystal Chen, coordinator
- Erin Durrett
- Denise Farley
- Thea Hashagen
- Kacy Helwick
- Tina Lerno
- Katherine Mowery
- Matisse Mozer
- Mike Pawuk
- Christine Pyles
- Celeste Rhoads
- Shaira Rock
- Becky Standal
- Sam Stavole-Carter
- Isaiah West
Previous Years’ Blog Posts: