Graphic Novels
Real friends
Shannon Hale
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Hale
Kids, Graphic Novels
Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale and New York Times bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham join forces in this graphic memoir about how hard it is to find your real friends--and why it's worth the journey. When her best friend Adrienne starts hanging out with the most popular girl in class, Shannon questions with whether she and Adrienne will stay friends, and if she is part of the clique.
This one summer
Mariko Tamaki
GRAPHIC NOVEL Tamaki
Young Adult, Graphic Novels
Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It's her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had, completing her summer family. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and Rose and Windy have gotten tangled up in a tragedy-in-the-making in the small town of Awago Beach. It's a summer of secrets and heartache, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.
Added by Casey
Spinning
Tillie Walden
796.912092 /Walden
Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Memoir, LGBTQ+
Ignatz Award winner Tillie Walden's powerful graphic memoir captures what it's like to come of age, come out, and come to terms with leaving behind everything you used to know. It was the same every morning. Wake up, grab the ice skates, and head to the rink while the world was still dark. Weekends were spent in glitter and tights at competitions. Perform. Smile. And do it again. She was good. She won. And she hated it. For ten years, figure skating was Tillie Walden's life. She woke before dawn for morning lessons, went straight to group practice after school, and spent weekends competing at ice rinks across the state. Skating was a central piece of her identity, her safe haven from the stress of school, bullies, and family. But as she switched schools, got into art, and fell in love with her first girlfriend, she began to question how the close-minded world of figure skating fit in with the rest of her life, and whether all the work was worth it given the reality: that she, and her friends on the team, were nowhere close to Olympic hopefuls. The more Tillie thought about it, the more Tillie realized she'd outgrown her passion--and she finally needed to find her own voice.
Added by Casey
The best we could do : an illustrated memoir
Thi Bui
BIOGRAPHY Bui, Thi
Graphic Novels, Memoir, Biographies, History
The author describes her experiences as a young Vietnamese immigrant, highlighting her family's move from their war-torn home to the United States in graphic novel format.
Combining genealogy, auto-biography, history and graphic novel, Thi Bui's memoir is haunting and beautiful. -Casey
Daredevil : The man without fear!
Brian Michael Bendis
COMIC Daredevil 2001 Ultimate
Graphic Novels
Further adventures of Daredevil. Premise: Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, Matt Murdock is blinded by a radioactive substance that falls from an oncoming vehicle. While he no longer can see, the radioactive exposure heightens his remaining senses beyond normal human ability. His father, a boxer named Jack Murdock, supports him and protects his gifted son as he grows up, but is killed by gangsters after refusing to throw a fight. Matt seeks out revenge against his father's killers as the red-suited superhero Daredevil, going on to fight against evil as the "Man without fear."
I highly recommend Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis Ultimate Collection Volume 1 and the rest of the volumes to anyone who loved Daredevil show on Netflix. -Brian
Grayson
Tim Seeley
COMIC Grayson
Graphic Novels
"Dick Grayson. Former Sidekick. Former Superhero. Former dead man. Agent of Spyral?! A thrilling new chapter of Dick Grayson's life begins here. A super-spy espionage thriller that will shock you and prove one thing: you might think you know Nightwing--but you don't know Dick. --
Grayson by Tom King and Tim Seeley was easily the best thing to come out of DC Comic's The New 52 publishing initiative. It follows the former Robin, Dick Grayson, after he was outed as Nightwing, killed (he got better) and recruited to become a spy for the organization Spyral. Comics! I'd describe Grayson as a crazy sci-fi, spy-thriller. I don't know how newbie friendly it is. King and Seeley took a lot of Grant Morrizon's bizarre ideas from his tenure on Batman and ran with them. Batman Incorporated would be a good place to start if you want the background of Grant Morrison's influence. Otherwise, you can start with The New 52 Nightwing then Forever Evil. -Brian
Locke & key
Joe Hill
COMIC Locke
Graphic Novels
The story of the Keyhouse, a New England mansion, with doors that transform all who walk through them... and home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it opens the most terrible door of all.
I recommend it to comic book fans who are looking for a new series to inhale or anyone looking for an eerie read. -Brian
Batman
Scott Snyder
COMIC Batman New Fifty-Two
Graphic Novels
This is the first volume of one of the best Batman runs ever. -Brian
Star wars : Doctor Aphra
Kieron Gillen
COMIC Star Wars Doctor
Graphic Novels
"Following her time in the clutches of Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra has barely escaped with her life. If the Dark Lord of the Sith ever learns of her survival, he'll hunt her to the ends of the galaxy. But for now, it's time for a return to what she does best. With droids Triple-Zero and BeeTee-One in tow, as well as Wookiee Black Krrsantan, she's off in search of rare artifacts from the galactic center to the Outer Rim -- and everywhere in between. Aphra's got debts to pay, after all. Just as long as she can stay one step ahead of the Empire, some bounty hunters...and just about everyone else in the galaxy!"--Back cover of Volume 1.
It's hard to introduce an original character into the Star Wars universe and have them fit naturally, but writer Kieron Gillen did a phenomenal job of creating one in Aphra. She's anti-hero that you can't help but love. Seriously, give her a spin-off movie or something. -Brian
The prince and the dressmaker
Jen Wang
GRAPHIC NOVEL Wang
Graphic Novels, LGBTQ+, Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride--or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia--the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion!
Sweet, poignant and beautiful--don't miss this one! -Casey
Last week Publisher’s Weekly announced their best books of 2017 list. While looking over the children’s list I came across a couple titles that I had somehow missed, so I have set out to read them before the end of the year. The first one I grabbed was Real Friends by Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale, with artwork by LeUyen Pham. This graphic novel is a semi autobiographical account of Shannon growing up from Kindergarten to fifth grade and finding her real friends. If I told you this book did not bring up memories of my own childhood and finding friends or that I am now going through this with my own 10 year old daughter, I would be lying. I can vividly remember my mother soothing my tears and giving me her best advice on how to deal with the cruel words or actions of the girls. I now have her advice and this book to talk to my daughter with when situations, like being a part of the club arise’s. Like Shannon in the book, there were days when I was part of the club and other days when I suddenly found myself on the outs. That said, I still really enjoyed this book and Shannon’s story. LeUyen did a wonderful job with her artwork to bring out the emotions from Hale’s characters with facial expressions. You will truly feel Shannon’s insecurities, her happiness, her sadness, and her confusion. More importantly, though, you will feel. You’ll be feeling the entire time, but you’ll root for Shannon, and a lot of that comes from Phan’s artwork. This story was perfect for my 10-year-old and really for any child. Real Friends looks at the complex relationships among elementary school girls and by reading it together we were able to discuss important feelings and our reactions. The book echoes to readers that good friends don’t treat you badly and that in the end, all the hard work and the journey that comes with it are worth it. -Angie