Graphic Novels
Parachute kids
Betty C. Tang
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Tang
Graphic Novels
After their two-week family tour of Los Angeles, ten-year-old Feng Li Lin and her older brother and sister learn they will remain in California while their parents return to Taiwan, forcing them to navigate a new school, a new language, bullies, racism, and the pressures of running a household.
Numb to this : memoir of a mass shooting
Kindra Neely
371.782 /Neely
Nonfiction, Graphic Novels
Kindra Neely never expected it to happen to her. No one does. Sure, she'd sometimes been close to gun violence, like when the house down the street from her childhood home in Texas was targeted in a drive-by shooting. But now she lived in Oregon, where she spent her time swimming in rivers with friends or attending classes at the bucolic Umpqua Community College. And then, one day, it happend: a mass shooting shattered her college campus. Over the span of a few minutes, on October 1, 2015, eight students and a professor lost their lives. And suddenly, Kindra became a survivor. This empathetic and ultimately hopeful graphic memoir recounts Kindra's journey forward from those few minutes that changed everything. It wasn't easy. Every time Kindra took a step toward peace and wholeness, a new mass shooting devastated her again. Las Vegas. Parkland. She was hopeless at times, feeling as if no one was listening. Not even at the worldwide demonstration March for Our Lives. But finally, Kindra learned that--for her--the path toward hope wound through art, helping others, and sharing her story.
The brilliance of nonfiction in graphic novel form is the depth of emotion that only images can convey. It's one thing to read a paragraph written with literary lusciousness, words that catapult you to a scene and a feeling, but its a completely different experience to look into a character's illustrated eyes and read the expression on her face. While I am a sucker for survivors' tales, I also tend to turn away from horrific news, unable to take in the violence and tragedy and still get my work done. But ignorance isn't healthy! What is healthy is taking time to sit with a survivor's story and absorb it into yourself, learning what panic attacks and PTSD look like up close. It's really hard to put this book down once you pick it up. -Melody
Heartstopper
Oseman, Alice, author, artist.
GRAPHIC NOVEL Oseman Heartstopper
LGBTQ+, Young Adult, Romance, Graphic Novels
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out. This edition features beautiful two-color artwork. Absolutely delightful. Sweet, romantic, kind. Beautifully paced. I loved this book. -- Rainbow Rowell, author of Carry On Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance. But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.
This lovely graphic novel series is full of hope and joy as spring blooms while Nick and Charlie fall in love. This is perfect to read in one sitting with a sweet beverage or ice cream in hand. -Bailey
The Tea Dragon Society
O'Neill, Katie (Cartoonist), author, illustrator.
jGRAPHIC NOVEL O'Neill
Graphic Novels, LGBTQ+
After discovering a lost Tea Dragon in the marketplace, apprentice blacksmith Greta learns about the dying art form of Tea Dragon caretaking from the kind tea shop owners.
This adorable graphic novel series is ultimate spring vibes--full of whimsy, bright colors, and beautiful stories of friendship, reading it feels like a late-spring picnic. -Bailey
The magic fish
Trung, Le Nguyen, author.
GRAPHIC NOVEL Trung
Young Adult, Graphic Novels
"Real life isn't a fairytale. But Tíên still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tíên, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through? Is there a way to tell them he's gay?"--
This lovely graphic novel is perfect for spring, with a beautiful color pallet and a delightful story of a boy trying to share himself through stories. -Bailey
Drama
Telgemeier, Raina, author.
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Telgemeier
Graphic Novels
Callie rides an emotional roller coaster while serving on the stage crew for a middle school production of Moon over Mississippi as various relationships start and end, and others never quite get going.
Somehow I have yet to read ANY Raina Telgemeier!? I need to rectify this in 2023. -Casey
Lore Olympus
Smythe, Rachel (Comics artist), author, artist.
GRAPHIC NOVEL Smythe Lore
Graphic Novels, Fantasy
A reimagining of Persephone and Hades' story from Greek mythology. Scandalous gossip, wild parties, toxic relationships, power plays, and sex are all part of the lives of the gods that Persephone must navigate to find her own power.
Added by Casey
Snow, glass, apples
Gaiman, Neil, author.
GRAPHIC NOVEL Gaiman
Graphic Novels, Fantasy
"A not-so-evil queen is terrified of her monstrous stepdaughter and determined to repel this creature and save her kingdom from a world where happy endings aren't so happily ever after. From the Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, World Fantasy, Nebula award-winning, and New York Times bestselling writer Neil Gaiman comes this graphic novel adaptation by Colleen Doran"--
I've read surprisingly little of Neil Gaiman's extensive catalog and am going to do something about that in 2023. This title is right up my alley too! -Casey
Crumbs
Stirling, Danie, author, artist.
GRAPHIC NOVEL Stirling
Graphic Novels, Fantasy
"Falling in love just got sweeter in this charming, romantic YA graphic novel. Ray, a young seer struggling with her powers, discovers first love and friendship in her town's magic bakery."--Amazon.com
Added by Casey
A career in books : a novel about friends, money, and the occasional duck bun
Kate Gavino
GRAPHIC NOVEL Gavino
Graphic Novels
"Shirin, Nina, and Silvia have just gotten their first jobs in publishing, at a University Press, a traditional publisher, and a trust-fund kid's "indie" publisher, respectively. And it's... great? They know they're paying their dues and the challenges they meet (Shirin's boss just assumes she knows Cantonese, Nina cannot get promoted by sheer force of will, and Silvia has to deal with daily microaggressions) are just part of "a career in books." When they meet their elderly neighbor, Veronica Vo, and discover she's a Booker Prize winner dubbed the "Tampax Tolstoy" by the press, each woman finds a thread of inspiration from Veronica's life to carry on her own path. And the result is full of twists and revelations that surprise not only the reader but the women themselves." --publisher's website.
A coming of adulthood story about three best friends, all three Asian-American women in their 20s, navigating entry level publishing jobs and sharing an small Brooklyn apartment. I enjoyed this wonderfully detailed graphic slice of life story, and particularly identified with their hilarious and pop culture-heavy dialogue, as well as their frequent celebrations of good food and drink. Read this if you want to feel like you are part of this strong friendship of smart women, and/or want to peek into the not exactly glamorous publishing world of New York City. -Mari
The "parachute kid" phenomenon dates back to the 1980s. This term refers students who are sent to live and study in the United States,in this case from Taiwan, without their parents, at probably too young an age. I didn't know what the title meant before reading the graphic and TBH I didn't read the synopsis, so it was very shocking in the story when the three sibling protagonists end up living alone in America, and even more surprising to find out there is a generation of kids with this experience. I can't imagine going through what the siblings go through, not to mention how hard it would be living without parents in a country that doesn't speak your primary language. It's illuminating to read about the hardships the protagonists go through and to see just a small window into the adversity kids must face being immigrants in America alone. -Mari