Tag: Heather Christensen

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2026) Featured Review: The Other Side of Tomorrow by Tina Cho and Deb J.J. Lee

Two young North Korean teens’ lives become intertwined, when they meet crossing the river into China. Yunhu plans to reunite with his mother who crossed earlier, while Myunghee is an orphan traveling alone. Both hope for a better life and a chance at real freedom. But to achieve that they will have to cross the borders of at least two countries and face numerous dangers, including swimming across crocodile infested waters and enduring a harsh prison camp.

The story alternates between Yunhu and Myunghee, giving voice to each of their unique perspectives, while revealing the indoctrination and oppression they experienced in their native country. Lee’s muted but expressive illustrations match the lyrical tone of the text. Readers will be inspired by the perseverance needed to successfully traverse the difficult journey of the Asian Underground Railroad. An author’s note provides additional background information about the North Korean government and life north of the DMZ.

Teens who enjoyed Hyun Sook Kim’s memoir Banned Book Club may be interested in this story about her northern neighbors. Give this to readers who find inspiration in books like Eoin Colfer’s Illegal or Jenny Sanchez Torres’ We Are Not From Here, which feature the arduous journey faced by many refugees seeking a better future.

—Heather Christensen

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2026) Featured Review: Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand and Tara Anand

  • Fitting Indian
  • by Jyoti Chand and Tara Anand
  • HarperAlley/ HarperCollins Books
  • Publication Date: May 13, 2025
  • ISBN-13: 9780063237537

Nitashi Gupta is having a rough junior year. She is struggling with her traditional Indian parents, the boy she likes is taking another girl to homecoming, and she’s worried she’s losing her best friend. She’s using alcohol and cutting to cope. But when a humiliating picture of her goes viral, it all becomes too much, and she lands in the psychiatric ward after a suicide attempt. Through the help she receives there is definitely making a difference, it’s going to take some work to help her family and friends overcome the taboos and cultural misconceptions about mental health.

Chand’s story is a gritty look at teen mental health. Teens will be inspired by Nitashi’s growth into a passionate advocate for mental health. Though some of her family and friends’ attitudes about mental health make it difficult for her to receive the help she needs, she finds several advocates within her community who support her as she tries to challenge unhealthy attitudes. Anand uses a palette of rich jewel tones that effectively illustrate Nitashi’s moods. 

Offer this to teens who have been inspired by other books offering insight into teen mental health issues such as Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, and Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram. American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajurkar features another Indian American teen who finds solace in creating art.

 -Heather Christensen


2025 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Top 10

Great Graphic Novels for Teens is a list of recommended graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction for those ages 12-18, prepared yearly by YALSA.

Suggest a Title for the 2026 List Here

See Current Committee Contacts Here

Download the Complete 2025 List Here

  • Bad Medicine
  • By Christopher Twin
  • Art by the author
  • 2023. 116p. Conundrum Press, paper, $20.00 (9781772620870). Gr. 9-12. 741.5973.
  • Four Cree teens share scary stories around the fire, including tales of spirits, demons, and human horrors.
  • Brownstone
  • By Samuel Teer
  • Art by Mar Julia
  • 2024. 320p. Versify, paper, $18.99 (9780358394747). Gr. 9-12. 741.5973.
  • In the summer of 1995, fourteen-year-old Almudena goes to live with her father, Xavier, helping him renovate an old brownstone into apartments and learning about her Guatemalan heritage.
  • Gachiakuta, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2
  •  By Kei Urana
  • vol. 1. 2024. 188p. Kodansha, paper, $12.99 (9798888770207). Gr. 9-12. 741.5952.
  • vol. 2. 2024. 192p. Kodansha, paper, $12.99 (9798888770948). Gr. 9-12. 741.5952.
  • Framed for murder and exiled into the pit, Rudo will learn that there is more than garbage beyond the Sphere.
  • Lunar New Year Love Story
  • By Gene Luen Yang
  • Art by LeUyen Pham
  • 2024. 352p. First Second, paper, $17.99 (9781250908261). Gr. 9-12. 741.5973.
  • Valentina grew up loving Valentine’s Day… until she learned that her family is cursed in love. After meeting Lion Dancer Les, can she break the curse?
  • Navigating with You
  • By Jeremy Whitley
  • Art by Casio Ribeiro
  • 2024. 220p. Maverick, paper, $14.99 (9781952303609). Gr. 9-12. 741.5973.
  • Neesha and Gabby meet on their first day at a new North Carolina high school and bond over their love of an out-of-print manga series in this heartwarming romance.
  • No Rules Tonight
  • By Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada
  • Art by Ryan Estrada
  • 2024. 208p. Penguin Workshop, paper, $17.99 (9780593521304). Gr. 7-12. 741.5973.
  • The theater club of a South Korean university in the 80s goes on a mountainous winter excursion with no parental supervision for a weekend full of unexpected feelings and adventures.
  • Plain Jane and the Mermaid
  •  By Vera Brosgol
  • Art by the author. 2024. 368p. First Second, paper, $14.99 (9781250314857). Gr. 5-9. 741.5973.
  • “Plain” Jane proposes a marriage of convenience to handsome fisherman Peter – but when he’s kidnapped by a mermaid, she must set off on an unexpected adventure.
  • Spirit World
  • By Alyssa Wong
  • Art by Haining. 2024. 176p. DC Comics, paper, $16.99 (9781779523013). Gr. 9-12. 741.5973.
  • Xanthe Zhou, a nonbinary Chinese hero who can travel between the lands of living and dead, teams up with John Constantine to rescue Batgirl from the Spirit World.
  • Your Letter
  • By Hyeon A Cho
  • Art by the author. 2024. 270p. Ize Press, paper, $20.00 (9798400901119). Gr. 7-12. 741.59519.
  • After standing up for a bullied classmate, Sori Lee transfers to a new school and finds a mysterious series of letters.

2025 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee Members

Coordinator: Meg Bowie, Free Library of Philadelphia

Committee Members: Arianna Lechan, Simmons University, School of Library and Information Science, Boston Massachusetts; Heather Christensen, Portales High School, Portales, New Mexico; Jessica Duong, Fresno County Public Library; Kim Keown Farnsworth, Sacramento Public Library; Kyler Wesner, Abbott Library; Lee Stokes, Upper Darby Township Library; M’issa Fleming, New Orleans Public Library; Melanie C. Duncan, Middle Georgia Regional Library; Patricia Jimenez, Sunnyslope High School; Verónica Muñiz-Soto, Free Library of Philadelphia; Wendy Stephens, Jacksonville State University

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2025) Featured Review: Safe Passage by G. Neri and David Brame

  • Safe Passage
  • by G. Neri and David Brame
  • Tu Books/Lee & Low Books
  • Publication Date: March 26, 2024
  • ISBN-13: 9781643790343

Every day Darius and his half sister Cissy must traverse ten blocks of warring gangs to get from their South Side Chicago neighborhood to school. Their father has pounded into their brains the importance of staying on the safe passage—a series of routes guarded by vets like him to help kids get to school safely. To Cissy’s annoyance, Darius’ best friend Booger convinces Darius to join him on a quest for some easy money, and it’s not long before all three teens find themselves in dangerous grounds. 

Neri’s well developed and likable characters carry this story. Darius is a young man grieving the death of his mother whose greatest desire is for his family to gain financial security. It is this desire that clouds his judgment, leading to a number of unwise decisions, in spite of Cissy’s nagging attempts to encourage him to return to school and safety. Booger is a source of humor as well as much of the story’s conflict. Brame’s expressive black and white illustrations are a perfect vehicle for suspense and drama. The realistic images are full of details that give readers a glimpse into inner city life.

This gritty story of gang violence and urban decline will appeal to fans of Jason Reynolds and Kekla Magoon. Give this to readers looking for African American representation in comics like John Lewis’ memoir series March or James Spooner’s High Desert. Teens that find inspiration in books with flawed heroes, like Nic Stone’s Dear Justyce or Angie Johnson’s Concrete Rose will appreciate this story of a teen struggling to overcome personal challenges.

–Heather Christensen

Other Nominated Titles

Release: August 20, 2024
Release Date: April 2, 2024

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2025) Featured Review: Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham

  • Lunar New Year Love Story
  • by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham
  • First Second 
  • Publication Date: January 9, 2024
  • ISBN-13: 9781626728103

Valentina Trần has always loved Valentine’s Day, making homemade valentines for all of her friends and classmates. But when she moves to high school, her romantic view of true love is shattered when her grandmother tells her the family is cursed in love, and that Val’s own mother is not dead, as she has always believed, but in fact abandoned her family when Val was a baby. But Val isn’t quite ready to give up on true love. Hoping to avoid her family’s curse, Val makes a deal with St. Valentine—if she can’t find true love in the next year, she’ll turn her heart over to him. 

Yang pushes the rom-com trope of true love as he explores love in a variety of relationships, from friends to family. He even develops the love of one’s culture through characters that come from a diverse mix of Asian backgrounds, each bringing a unique, rich heritage to the shared celebration of the Lunar New Year. Pham supports this with expressive illustrations that show a wide range of emotions. Mostly monochromatic panels with pops of color are full of details, and highlight the drama and humor of the story.

Fans of Yang’s previous works will not be disappointed in this latest offering. Readers who enjoy sweet romantic comedies with a touch of angst, like Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy or Super Fake Love Song will find plenty to adore in this charming romance. Those who appreciate a good love triangle will enjoy Val’s struggle to choose between two lion dancers. Recommend this to fans of lighthearted comics with colorful, expressive illustrations like Pumpkinheads or Crumbs.

-Heather Christensen

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: February 13, 2024
Release Date: October 3, 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.