Botticelli’s Apprentice by Ursula Murray Husted, 2025. 272 p. Quill Tree Books, $15.99 (9780063157934). Gr. 3-7.
Mella, a young girl who works for artist Sandro Botticelli dreams of becoming an artist only to be thwarted by her gender.
In this gender-bent, queer, reimagining of Anne of Green Gables, 15-year-old Dan has been moving from town to town with his mother as she finds new boyfriends and booze. After arriving in a rural town in Tennessee, Dan finds that love, safety, home, and found family are something you get the power to choose.
Cassi and the House of Memories by Dean Stuart, 2025. 272 p. Viking Books for Young Readers, $14.99 (9780593351130).Gr. 3-7.
A young woman enters her grandfather’s failing mind in an effort to save him.
Dinghai Fusheng Records (The Comic / Manhua) by Fei Tian Ye Xiang and Qian Er Bai, 2024. 296 p. Seven Seas Entertainment, (9798891605039). Gr. 12 and up.
A teenage exorcist with an expiration date wants to find his fated one before he dies.
Fall in Love You False Angels, vol. 3 by Coco Uzuki, 2025. 177 p. Kodansha Comics, $13.99 (9798888774724). Gr. 9-12.
After Otogi confesses to Toki at the end of volume 2, we finally get a response. Toki does like her but he doesn’t know if it’s more than friends, because he’s never felt that way before. Now they have to figure out a way forward
The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All, vol. 1 by Sumiko Arai, 2025. 184 p. Yen Press, $20.00 (9781975399689). Gr 7-12.
High school student Aya loves to visit the local CD shop and chat about rock music with the cool boy who runs the register. Mitsuki helps out at her uncle’s CD shop, hidden behind a mask, but in school she sits next to Aya and is well aware of her crush on the “boy” in the CD store.
Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance by Denali Sai Nalamalapu, 2025. 172 p. Timber Press, $21.99 (9781643265230). Gr. 10-12.
6 climate activists relate their stories about the fight over the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Appalachia.
I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This: A Graphic Memoir by Eugene Yelchin, 2025. 432 p. Candlewick, $22.99 (9781536215533). Gr. 9-12.
Yevgeny, a young adult in the Soviet Union, falls in love with an American while pursuing art, friendship, and career.
Kindergarten Wars, vol. 1 by You Chiba, 2025. 212 p. Yen Press, $13.00 (9798855409086). Gr 10-12.
Rita is a convict that has been given a deal…if she protects the children at “the world’s safest kindergarten” for one year she will be released early. The students are the children of the rich, famous and powerful and kidnapping/assassination attempts happen on a daily basis.
Muted, vol. 1 by Nordlys: Book One by Malin Falch, 2025. 320 p. Inklore, $18.00 (9780593726914). Gr. 7-12.
On the eve of her ceremony, Sonja follows a mysterious boy across the stars to a magical Norway. A Norway where trolls, pirates, and destiny await., 2025. 320 p. Ten Speed Graphic, $22.99 (9780593836804). Gr. 12 and up.
A witch caught up in family drama tries to find her true self and happiness.
The Other Side of Tomorrow by Tina Cho and Deb JJ Lee, 2024. 224 p. HarperAlley, $15.99 (9780063011076). Gr. 5-8.
Told from two perspectives, the story follows Yunho and Myunghee as they try to escape North Korea in 2013 and make their way to the United States and freedom.
Song of the Lioness, Book 1: Alanna by Tamora Pierce, Vita Ayala and Sam Beck, 2025. 250 p. Abrams Fanfare, $26.99 (9781419765582). Gr. 6-12.
In a fantasy world filled with mischief and mayhem, Alanna, a feisty and determined young woman, sets out on a journey to become a knight (something women are not supposed to be). Along the way, Alanna develops her magic, makes new friends, and learns more about herself and where she wants to be.
Suzume, vol. 2 by Makoto Shinkai and Denki Amashima, 2024. 192 p. Vertical Comics, $13.95 (9781647294090). Gr. 7-12.
In the second volume, Suzume is realizing how large of a task closing the doors is so the worm (that creates destruction through natural disasters, like earthquakes) doesn’t escape. She is also trying to navigate these experiences with Souta as a chair…
Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L Combs and Andrew Eakett, 2025. 384 p. Candlewick, $16.99 (9781536244175). Gr. 9-12.
This engaging, well researched book explores global trans histories, identities, and experiences. From ancient figures to modern activists, the biographies highlight the cultural impact of trans people.
Breadcrumbs: Coming of Age in Post-Soviet Poland by Kasia Babis, 2025. 256 p. 23rd St., $19.99 (9781250877888). Gr. 12 and up.
Graphic memoir detailing a young woman’s sexual and political awakening.
Confession by Kaiji Kawaguchi and Nobuyuki Fukumoto, 2024. 312 p. Vertical Comics, $16.95 (9781647293963). Gr. 12 and up.
Ishikura is about to die in the cold atop a mountain and confesses a secret to Asai. Just as he does, the two discover a cabin, they’re saved! Or are they?
Fall in Love You False Angels, vol. 2 by Coco Uzuki, 2025. 177 p. Kodansha Comics, $13.99 (9798888773789). Gr. 9-12.
Otogi and Toki’s friendship continues with Otogi realizing that she has a crush on Toki. She starts to see Toki’s kindness in a new way, and starts to consider if he might like her too.
The Firelight Apprentice by Bree Paulsen, 2024. 224 p. Quill Tree Books, $15.99 (9780063266582). Gr. 5-8.
In a city powered by magic and still recovering from a detrimental war, Teen Ada is worried about her younger sister Safi’s new developing magic. Ada knows that Safi would do best to learn how to control her magic under the apprenticeship of a king’s magician, but it is very difficult for her to trust anyone when deadly, power-thieving liches have infiltrated the kingdom.
The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All, vol. 2 by Sumiko Arai, 2025. 168 p. Yen Press, $20.00 (9798855412598). Gr. 7-12.
Aya has learned that Mitsuki is a girl and is beginning to explore her feelings when a woman shows up with a proposition to take Mitsuki to the U.S. with her.
Hollow: The Woman in White by Shannon Watters, Branden Boyer-White and Berenice Nelle, 2025. 176 p. BOOM!Box, $24.99 (9781684151233). Gr. 8-12.
The Sleepy Hollow gang returns to solve another mystery and figure out how to navigate different relationships.
It Rhymes With Takei by George Takei, Steven Scott, Justin Eisinger and Harmony Becker, 2025. 336 p. Top Shelf Productions, $29.99 (9781603095747). Gr. 10-12.
A full-color look at George Takei’s life – from experiencing life while hiding a crucial part of himself to becoming a rising star to coming out as gay at the age of 68. This is a graphic memoir for the ages.
Love, Misha by Askel Aden, 2025. 320 p. First Second, $17.99 (9781250866219). Gr. 9-12.
Misha and their estranged mom are on a road trip to try to reconnect after Misha’s transition. The trip takes a turn when they end up trapped in a spirit realm. They will have to find a way to get past their differences if they are going to get home.
Nordlys: Book One by Malin Falch, 2025. 320 p. Inklore, $18.00 (9780593726914). Gr. 7-12.
On the eve of her ceremony, Sonja follows a mysterious boy across the stars to a magical Norway. A Norway where trolls, pirates, and destiny await.
The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel by Maggie Stiefvater, Stephanie Williams and Sas Milledge, 2025. 256 p. Viking Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9780593621189) Gr. 7-12.
Blue Sargent meets the Raven Boys from Aligonby Academy as they search for a long lost Welsh King. They all soon realize there is more mystery here than meets the eye.
Suzume, vol. 1 by Makoto Shinkai and Denki Amashima, 2024 196 p. Vertical Comics, $13.95 (9781647294045). Gr. 7-12.
On her way to school, Suzume meets a handsome stranger who is looking for ruins that lead to a secret door. After giving the strangers directions to an abandoned resort, she learns of its grim, and now kind of illegal, history. Before she is able to find him, Suzume accidentally opens a door that leads to a world beyond time and place.
Suzume, vol. 3 by Makoto Shinkai and Denki Amashima 2025. 200 p. Vertical Comics, $13.95 (9781647294106). Gr 7-12.
In this final installment, readers dive deep into the emotions of Suzume as she navigates fighting for her new friend, understanding her grief, learning to trust those around her, and accepting the help her aunt has been offering. In a desperate attempt to save Souta, Suzume sets off on one last trip back to the world of ever-after.
The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur: A Graphic Novel Based on a True Story by Allan Wolf and Jose Pimienta, 2025. 176 p. Candelwick, $19.99 (9781536217438). Gr. 4-8.
In 1980, in a small lake in Louisiana, a drill on an oil rig accidentally breaks through into a salt mine, and suddenly the lake begins emptying into a a sink hole, threatening to bring dozens of people with it.
