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Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2024) Featured Review: Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa

Belle of the Ball
by Mari Costa
Publisher: First Second
Publication Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN-13: 9781250784124

Quiet high schooler/mascot Belle has a crush on head cheerleader Gina. Gina, a high achiever, has an on-and-off relationship with her jock girlfriend, Chloe, who is currently failing her English class. In order for Chloe and Gina to be on the same ten year plan, Gina befriends Belle to convince her to tutor Chloe. After a rocky start, Belle and Chloe start to bond over their shared interests and childhood friendship. As Gina finds herself working more and more towards achieving her academic dream, and Chloe and Belle get closer, it becomes clear that the things these three initially thought they wanted may have changed.

Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa takes a simple premise, a high school love triangle, but develops it into a sapphic romcom story that sparks with humor and emotion throughout. All three protagonists feel realistic and likable in a way that makes you root for all three. The artist’s decision to provide distinct body types, hairstyles, and expressions for each character’s design is another way she successfully develops the character-driven story. The choice of a pink color palette gives the book a swoon-worthy vibe. It successfully merges art and dialogue seamlessly in its narrative, and provides an enjoyable experience for readers who will definitely want more.

Hand this comic to fans of the graphic novel series Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, or The Girl From the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag, all books that share similarities in light romance stories with a strong emotional core. This is also a perfect book for fans of sapphic romance stories that follow enemies to lovers, such as the book She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen.

—Rachel Johannigmeier

Other Nominated Titles

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.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2022) Nominations Round-Up, Winter

Each quarter, the Selected Lists teams compile the titles that have been officially nominated to date. These books have been suggested by the team or through the title suggestion form, read by multiple members of the team, and received approval to be designated an official nomination. At the end of the year, the final list of nominations and each Selected List’s Top Ten will be chosen from these titles.

A-Okay. By Jarad Greene. HarperCollins Children’s Books/Harper Alley, $12.99 (9780063032859).

Jay deals with acne, acne medicine side effects, friend drama, and figuring out romantic feelings, during a tumultuous eighth grade year.

Blackout. By Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon. HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books, $19.99 (9780063088092).

Six distinct but connected stories highlight black resilience and love in the midst of a New York City-wide blackout.

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2022) Featured Review of My Last Summer with Cass by Mark Crilley

My Last Summer with Cass by Mark Crilley
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers / Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 9780759555457

Childhood friends Megan and Cass, separated for years by a move, have reconnected for a summer adventure in New York City where Cass currently lives. Both are artists, but each have different ways of exploring and learning about art—rebellious Megan challenges Cass’s way of creative thinking and way of life. They collaborate on a personal art project that could bring them both to a new level of artistry, but is it too big of a step for them as artists and as friends?

A coming-of-age tale with an artistic flair, My Last Summer with Cass brushes all the right strokes of the challenge of growing up and sometimes growing apart. Going off to college always creates that complication, and the question of saving versus giving up on a childhood friendship is one that all teens can end up relating to. The soft and subtle coloring beautifully complements and elevates the expressive artwork. This is a heartfelt tale about standing up for yourself, even if sometimes the person you have to stand up to is you.

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2022) Featured Review of Cheer Up!: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier and Val Wise

Cheer Up!: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier and Val Wise
Oni Press
Publication Date: August 10, 2021
ISBN: 9781620109557

When brilliant but antisocial lesbian Annie joins the cheerleading team to round out her college applications, she rekindles her friendship with BeBe, the newly elected captain of the squad. While Annie’s outspokenness often alienates others, BeBe, a transgender girl, struggles to please everyone, especially her teammates and her parents. As BeBe learns to advocate for herself in the face of microaggressions, Annie discovers that opening herself up to others might not be so bad after all.

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2022) Nominations Round-Up, Summer

Due to the large number of nominees, not all titles are shown here. See full list below.

Each quarter, the Selected Lists teams compile the titles that have been officially nominated to date. These books have been suggested by the team or through the title suggestion form, read by multiple members of the team, and received approval to be designated an official nomination. At the end of the year, the final list of nominations and each Selected List’s Top Ten will be chosen from these titles.

Amari and the Night Brothers. By B.B. Alston. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (9780062975164).

Amari’s brother Quinton has disappeared, and her only hope of finding him is to follow in his footsteps and become a Junior Agent with the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs.

Amber and Clay. By Laura Amy Schlitz. Candlewick Press, $22.99 (9781536201222).

In ancient Greece, two unlikely friends Rhaskos and Melisto find their lives intertwined in a search for freedom and purpose. As a ghost bound to Rhaskos, Melisto must help free him before she can find her own rest in the Halls of Hades.

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2022) Featured Review of Dustborn by Erin Bowman

Dustborn by Erin Bowman
HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-0358244431

Delta of Dead River knows that survival in the Wasteland means two things: a family you can trust and a shoot first, ask questions later attitude. But there are some secrets that should never be shared, ones that put everyone in danger. When her village is attacked by the mysterious General and her family is kidnapped, Delta knows they are after her and the secret map branded on her back. With everyone she knows gone and in danger, Delta sets off to rescue them with the help of an old childhood friend, Asher. But the search for her family and the lost paradise of Verdant is long and perilous, filled with solar flares, geomagnetic storms, armed enemies, and endless seas of dust and desert.

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2021) Nominees Round Up, December 7 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Amazing Audiobooks nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow; Narrated by Andrea Laing and Jennifer Haralson
Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-1250755018

Tavia and Effie are best friends living their lives and trying to survive their junior year of high school. Set in a current-day Portland where magic and fantastic creatures are part of the norm, the girls each have secrets that could destroy their families and communities. Effie is running from literal demons in her past, finding solace in her seasonal Renaissance Fair performances as a mermaid. Tavia is hiding her powers as a siren, one of the most feared magical creatures, after a recent siren murder trial becomes national news. When Tavia lets her powers escape during a traffic stop, the girls’ carefully balanced lives begin to tumble. This book is part contemporary fiction, part black fantasy and part social justice.