Tag: great graphic novels for teens

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2024) Featured Review: Firebird by Sunmi

  • Firebird
  • by Sunmi
  • Publisher: HarperAlley / HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication Date: July 18, 2023
  • ISBN-13: 9780062981516

Caroline Kim is just trying to survive sophomore year; the “whatever” year of high school. But when she signs up for a peer tutoring program and meets beautiful, charismatic senior Kimberly Park-Ocampo, sophomore year becomes a little more exciting. As the relationship between Caroline and Kim deepens, Caroline finds herself questioning her sexuality, gender identity, relationship with her parents, and what exactly she wants from her future in this sensitive slice-of-life tale. 

Firebird presents a sapphic twist on high school romance tropes as the shy and studious Caroline falls for the popular Kim, in a story that evokes both classic American rom-coms and shojo manga. Unlike traditional romances, however, the story feels open-ended and allows Caroline’s gender identity and sexuality to remain realistically uncertain avenues for future exploration. The art is mostly black and white with occasional dramatic splashes of red, and the loose and expressive linework gives a sense of intimacy that suits the introspective themes of the book.

As a complex coming-of-age story with a sketchy, black and white art style, Firebird feels like a descendant of Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki’s Skim. Hand Firebird to readers who love slice-of-life manga with LGBTQ+ themes and traditional shōjo artistic devices like Yuhki Kamatani’s Our Dreams at Dusk. Readers who appreciated the diversity of Asian experiences and inclusion of Korean language dialog in Harmony Becker’s Himawari House will also find similar themes here. Pair Firebird with Deb JJ Lee’s In Limbo for teens interested in explorations of the Korean-American experience and complicated parent-child relationships. 

-Meg Bowie

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: January 24, 2023
Release Date: March 7, 2023
Release: April 4, 2023
Release: April 18, 2024

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2024) Featured Review:

  • Hungry Ghost
  • by Victoria Ying
  • First Second
  • Publication Date: April 25, 2023
  • ISBN-13: 9781250767004

High school student Valerie Chu is the perfect daughter. That means she does well in school, respects her family, and stays thin. She is also perfect at hiding (and denying) her bulimia, perpetuated by strict and toxic expectations set by her mother. The perfection begins to crumble on a class trip to France, when Val’s world is upended in more ways than one. Will a family tragedy finally push her towards help and healing? 


Hungry Ghost is a fictional graphic novel based on author Victoria Ying’s own coming-of-age experiences. Excellent line work and appealing pastels create a breezy atmosphere, mimicking the perfection on the surface that masks the pain and torment Val experiences internally, which are seen in her facial expressions. Readers who have struggled with disordered thoughts and eating will relate to Val’s preoccupation with food and body and how it interferes with every aspect of day-to-day life. Those who have struggled with perfectionism imposed on them by parents may also relate to Val and feel seen by this book. Hungry Ghost is a work of graphic medicine that the writer of this post wishes she had in high school and early adulthood. A content warning is given at the front of the book, while resources for readers struggling with disordered eating are listed in the back.

Readers who enjoyed the art and depth of Mariko Tamaki’s Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me will gravitate towards Hungry Ghost. Pair this book with Sweeny Boo’s Eat and Love Yourself, Embrace Your Size by Hara, and the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman for a diverse group of teen comics that explore eating disorders and body image. Teens looking for low-barrier nonfiction resources on these topics could try You Are Enough by Jen Petro-Roy and the (Don’t) Call Me Crazy anthology edited by Kelly Jensen.

-Kelley Blue

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: May 9. 2023
Release Date: July 19, 2023
Release Date: July 18, 2023
Release Date: October 10, 2923

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Graphic Novels Overview, Part One: Format Guide

What is a Graphic Novel

The graphic novel is a distinct literary format that employs sequential art in the form of comic-strip-style illustrations throughout a book-length work to tell a complete narrative. Unlike traditional written books, graphic novels use shorter sentences and rely heavily on images to communicate the story. The sequential art in graphic novels is not just a complement to the written text; it is the driving force behind the story. The artwork is essential to the graphic novel format, much like the importance of visuals in a children’s picture book. The artwork in graphic novels collaborates with the text to create a cohesive storytelling experience. Unlike illustrated children’s picture books that often embellish the written text, the artwork in graphic novels collaborates with the text to create a cohesive storytelling experience. Graphic novels are longer than comic books and provide a cohesive storyline within a single volume.

Graphic novels, like comics and manga, use panels to organize the narratives. These panels are often presented as boxed segments that contain scenes or parts of scenes in the story and are divided by blank space known as the “gutter.” Graphic novels also use speech and thought bubbles, emanata, and captions to tell a story to readers. Unlike most comic books and manga series, graphic novels are usually published as regular bound books. They are more likely to be standalone works, but like other novels, they can be turned into a series.

Definitions by The Graphic Library

Comic books: are serialized stories featuring comic drawings, generally following the adventures of superheroes, villains, etc. These are usually presented in a single-issue, paperback format.

Graphic Novel: A story told with sequential, illustrated panels.

Original Graphic Novel (OGN): a story published in a full-length graphic novel without being published as single-issue floppies first.

Online Resources

Books to Learn More

Ballestro, J. (2020). Core. ALA.
Phoenix, J. (2020). Halzbrink.
Goldsmith, F. (2017). ALA.

Awards

-Stephanie Mahar

Stephanie’s Favorites

Check out our review here.
Check out our review here.
  • Huda F Are You?
  • by Huda Fahmy
  • Publisher: Dial Books
  • Release Date: November 23, 2021
  • Reading Level: Gr. 7-9
  • ISBN: 9780593324318
  • The Legend of Auntie Po
  • by Shing Yin Khor
  • Publisher: Kokila
  • Release Date: June 15, 2021
  • Reading Level: Gr. 5-9
  • ISBN: 978-0525554899
  • Squad
  • By Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Lisa Sterle
  • Publisher: Greenwillow Books
  • Release Date: October 5, 2021
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 978-0062943149
Check out our review here.
  • Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales
  • by Melanie Gillman
  • Publisher: Random House Graphic
  • Release Date: September 20, 2022
  • Reading Level: Gr. 7-9
  • ISBN: 978-0593303184
  • Almost American Girl 
  • By Robin Ha
  • Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  • Release Date: January 28, 2020
  • Reading Level: Gr. 8-12
  • ISBN: 978-0062685094
  • The Magic Fish 
  • By Trung Le Nguyen
  • Publisher: Random House Graphic
  • Release Date: October 13, 2020
  • Reading Level: Gr. 7-12
  • ISBN: 978-1984851598
  • Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me
  • By Mariko Tamaki & Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
  • Publisher: First Second
  • Release Date: May 7, 2019
  • Reading Level: Gr. 8-12
  • ISBN: 978-1626722590
  • Mooncakes
  • By Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu
  • Publisher: Oni Press
  • Release Date: October 15, 2019
  • Reading Level: Gr. 8-12
  • ISBN: 978-1549303043
  • Check, Please! Book 1: # Hockey 
  • By Ngozi Ukazu 
  • Publisher: First Second
  • Release Date: September 18, 2018
  • Reading Level: Gr. 8-12
  • ISBN: 978-1250177964
  • The Prince and the Dressmaker
  • By Jen Wang
  • Publisher: First Second
  • Release Date: February 13, 2018
  • Reading Level: Gr. 7-12
  • ISBN: 978-1626723634
  • Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert’s Story 
  • By Debbie Tung
  • Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
  • Release Date: November 7, 2017
  • Reading Level: Gr. 7-12
  • ISBN: 978-1449486068
  • Nimona 
  • By N.D. Stevenson
  • Publisher: Quill Tree Books
  • Release Date: May 12, 2015
  • Reading Level: Gr. 7-12
  • ISBN: 978-0062278227

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2024) Featured Review: Season of the Bruja by Aaron Durán and Sara Soler

  • Season of the Bruja, vol. 1
  • by Aaron Durán and Sara Soler
  • Publisher: Oni Press
  • Publication Date: January 24, 2023
  • ISBN-13: ‎978-1549308161

Raised by her grandmother and paranormal family friends, Althalia is one of the last brujas and is being taught to control her magic and maintain her culture. Her life drastically shifts when it turns out that the church who has persecuted her people for centuries now knows of her and her grandmother. Althalia must go through the trials of learning to control her power as her grandmother wishes, while uncovering family secrets and a vast array of emotions in the process.

Season of the Bruja, vol. 1 is a fast-paced and action-packed graphic story with a center of family, friendship, and culture. It has exorcisms, Chupacabra’s, and were-coyotes–oh my! But the magic enhances the storytelling without overwhelming it, and character emotions still shine through.

Those who are interested in the magic and paranormal combined with everyday life should read Kelly Thompson’s Sabrina The Teenage Witch comics. For those who want more of the action, look for the new comic adaptation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Jordie Bellaire and Dan Mora. For teens who want more Latine representation in witchcraft, pick up Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas or the Brooklyn Brujas series by Zoraida Córdova.

—Cheyenne Sons

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: February 14, 2023
Release Date: March 14, 2023
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Release Date: June 27, 2023

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2024) Featured Review: Pardalita by Joana Estrala

  • Pardalita
  • by Joana Estrela
  • Publisher: Levine Querido
  • Publication Date: April 19, 2023
  • ISBN-13: 978-1646142569

Being 16 is never easy, but it feels more complicated for Raquel than it should be. Her parents’ divorce is wreaking havoc because everyone in this small town in Portugal seems to know about her father’s new marriage, and her mother seems to only have time to find herself, not to help Raquel cope with her changing circumstances. Even though she has her best friends, Luisa and Fred, and Miquel, her boyfriend, Raquel feels like an irregular verb that doesn’t quite fit everything around her. Raquel’s growing fascination with senior Pardalita exacerbates the feeling of otherness. Their friendship grows as they work together on a local theater production, and Raquel begins to realize what her feelings really mean.

Pardalita is a stylistically complex and engaging read for fans of character-driven coming-of-age stories, employing a mix of prose, verse, and graphic panels that makes the whole book feel ethereal. The dynamic black-and-white illustrations complement and enhance the story moving from concrete to abstract, much like Raquel’s thoughts, and grow from white-space dominant to page-filling spreads reflecting Raquel and Pardalita’s developing relationship.

Recommend Pardalita to readers who enjoy queer awakening stories such as Girl from the Sea by Molly Ostertag and Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. For other authentic LGBTQIA+ relationship stories, hand readers Only on the Weekends by Dean Atta and The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver.

—Patricia Jimenez

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: November 29, 2023
Release Date: January 21, 2023
Release Date: February 7, 2023
Release Date: February 21, 2023

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2024) Featured Review: Unfamiliar, Vol. 1 by Haley Newsome

  • Unfamiliar, Vol. 1
  • by Haley Newsome
  • Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
  • Publication Date: December 6, 2022
  • ISBN-13: 9781524876838

Unfamiliar by Haley Newsome, based on her webcomic of the same title, follows plucky kitchen witch Planchette as she and her rabbit familiar, Winston, move to a witchy town in search of like-minded friends. Unfortunately, her new abode has raised the wrong kind of spirits–ghosts to be exact. Using her predicament as an opportunity to meet new friends, Planchette pulls together an unlikely group of witches and familiars to solve her problem. 

Newsome’s cute, expressive illustrations present characters that all feel unique and likable in a warm, dusky color palette. Upbeat, fast-paced storytelling packed with easy humor, feel-good vibes, and a sprinkle of queer romance make difficult subjects like loneliness, death, and anxiety go down easy. Magic is largely non-violent and used as a fun support, like an umbrella that functions as a personal rain cloud for a character who is feeling extra sad and wants everyone else to know it. 

This comic’s group of underdogs will appeal to teens who enjoy witchy stories of friendship like the Witch Hat Atelier series by Kamome Shirahama or the Netflix series Little Witch Academia. The easy yet quirky comedy is also a good fit for fans of Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe and the Bee and PuppyCat comics and animated series.

—Adam Wheeler

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: September 27, 2022
Release Date: February 21, 2023
Release Date: March 14, 2023
Release Date: April 11, 2023

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2024) Featured Review: Embrace You Size: My Own Body Positvity by hara

  • Embrace Your Size: My Own Body Positivity
  • by hara
  • Publisher: Yen Press
  • Publication Date: November 22, 2022
  • ISBN-13: 9781975347307

Embrace Your Size follows author, hara’s, journey of self-acceptance as she learns more about the body positivity movement. These graphic essays cover a wide range of subjects, all linked to hara’s attempts to build a positive relationship with her body. Topics include: recovery from an eating disorder, a growing interest in fashion, movie reviews, and interviews with other members of the body positivity community. 

The art style is charming, and Hara’s positive depiction of bodies of all sizes is a refreshing change of pace from the traditionally limited range of manga body types. Very little is prescriptive here, with the emphasis on the uniqueness of each person’s version of body positivity giving the book an inclusive and welcoming feel. Difficult topics such as hara’s eating disorder and body image issues are raised, but the tone remains lighthearted and upbeat throughout. 

Readers who enjoy the fictional adventures of plus-sized characters in novels like Amy Spalding’s The Summer of Jordy Perez or Lyla Lee’s I’ll Be the One will find similar discussions of fashion and beauty standards here. Embrace Your Size will also appeal to readers looking for adorably illustrated fat characters, similar to Grace Ellis and Shae Beagle’s Moonstruck. Fans of other autobiographical manga like The Bride Was a Boy or My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness may also be interested in Hara’s emotional journey and commentary on social expectations. 

—Meg Bowie

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: October 18, 2022
Release Date: October 25, 2022
Release Date: November 11, 2022
Release Date: May 16, 2023

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2024) Featured Review: The Librarian of Auschwitz: The Graphic Novel by Antonio Iturbe, Salva Rubio, and Loreto Aroca

  • The Librarian of Auschwitz
  • by Antonio Iturbe, Salva Rubio, and Loreto Aroca
  • Publisher: Godwin Books
  • Publication Date: January 3, 2023
  • ISBN-13: 9781250842985

Based on Antonio Iturbe’s critically acclaimed historical YA novel, this graphic adaptation focuses on Dita Kraus’s experiences in Camp BIIb, the children’s block of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Young Dita is charged with taking care of the eight forbidden books that have been smuggled into the family camp and hidden. If the Nazis discover the books, people will die. Dita risks her life for the sake of these books and shows tremendous bravery, ingenuity, and determination by doing so. Eventually, the Germans close Camp BIIb, and Dita and her mother are sent to other camps. Thanks in part to the tenacity she developed as the “librarian of Auschwitz”, Dita survives the Holocaust.

By concentrating on Dita’s time at Camp BIIb, the graphic adaptation succeeds in making Iturbe’s original 400+ page novel accessible to more readers. Dita’s resolve as the librarian of Auschwitz shines through in the text as well as in Aroca’s graphic depiction of her. Images of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen capture the horrors of both time and place, and the mostly grayish blue color palette of the background helps to set the tone.

Readers of this graphic novel might want to seek out Iturbe’s award-winning novel of the same name or perhaps Dita Kraus’ adult memoir A Delayed Life: The True Story of the Librarian of Auschwitz. Books about the Holocaust are plentiful: for teens interested in reading more about the concentration camps, recommend Alan Gratz’s Prisoner B-3087, Elizabeth Wein’s Rose Under Fire and the recently published young reader’s edition of The Boy who Followed His Father into Auschwitz by Jeremy Dronfield. For teens who want to read about the Soviet gulags, hand them Ruta Sepetys’ Between Shades of Gray, either the original novel or the 2021 graphic adaptation by Andrew Donkin.

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: November 29, 2022
Release January 1, 2021
Release Date: April 18, 2023
Release Date: November 2, 2022

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2024) Featured Review: D&D Dungeon Club, Vol. 1: Roll Call by Molly Knox Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma

  • D&D Dungeon Club, Vol. 1: Roll Call
  • Molly Knox Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma
  • Publication Date: November 29, 2022
  • ISBN-13: 9780063039247

Jess Descheene is good at one thing and one thing only: building a story with her best friend (and Dungeon Master) Olivia in Dungeon & Dragons. When Olivia wants to start a D&D club at their middle school, Jess goes behind her back to undermine her. Will their friendship–and their long-running D&D campaign–survive Jess’ actions?

Dungeon Club: Roll Call beautifully conveys the importance D&D can have in students’ lives, especially those who may not be connected to school in other ways, like through academics and athletics. The intertwining of the D&D campaign and the real-world story helps raise the stakes in both worlds. The coming-of-age theme will resonate with anyone who had trouble fitting in in middle school, regardless of whether they play tabletop roleplaying games. Xanthe Bouma’s art shines, and their use of color is especially adroit. Both Jess and Olivia are POC characters, which provides both an important representation and reflection of students who play TTRPGs.

Fans of tabletop role playing games, like Dungeons & Dragons and Magical Kitties Save the Day will find a lot to love in this graphic novel, as will fans of play streams like Critical Role and Dimension20. Video game players who enjoy fantasy RPGs like Horizon: Forbidden West, Ni no Kuni, and The Legend of Zelda games may also enjoy this story. Lastly, this series starter is a must-buy for collections where Molly Knox Ostertag’s other comics circulate well, and where coming-of-age graphic novels like those by Raina Telgemeier and Jade Armstrong are in high demand.

-Ness Shortley

Other Nominated Titles

September 6, 2022
September 27, 2022
March 21, 2023
May 2, 2023

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2024) Featured Review: Sunshine: A Graphic Novel by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

  • Sunshine: A Graphic Novel
  • by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
  • Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
  • Publication Date: April 18, 2023
  • ISBN-13: 9781338356328

In this graphic memoir, a standalone companion to Hey, Kiddo! (2018), Krosoczka recalls the summer he spent as a counselor at a camp for critically ill children, teens and their families. While at camp, he makes strong personal connections with the campers, his fellow counselors, and the adults who work there. He also comes to understand some of the complexities of life, illness, and death and how art can make a difference in the world.

Teens frequently seek coming-of-age stories which elicit strong emotional responses, and Sunshine certainly produces those feelings without becoming didactic or sentimental. Krosoczka deftly balances the difficult realities of Camp Sunshine with his own ever-changing perspectives of life and art. Of particular note in this memoir are Krosoczka’s unique illustrations. A limited color palette of gray and orange with the occasional splash of yellow helps to capture his multifaceted thoughts and memories from that time. The photographs, newspaper articles, and drawings that open the chapters add authenticity to Krosoczka’s experiences.

Teens who have already read Hey, Kiddo! will want to read more about Krosoczka’s life in this story. This graphic memoir will also be popular with teens who read novels and watch films like Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippencott. Recommend this book to younger teens who have read Sharon Draper’s Out of My Heart or Rob Harrell’s Wink.

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: October 18, 2022
Release Date: November 8, 2022
Release Date: January 19, 2023
Release Date: September 19, 2023

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.