Graphic Novels
Salt magic
Hope Larson
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Larson
Graphic Novels
Twelve-year-old Vonceil Taggart, willing to risk everything to set things right, leaves her family's Oklahoma farm in 1919 seeking the salt witch who cast a spell that turned their spring to saltwater.
Team photograph
Lauren Haldeman
BIOGRAPHY Haldeman, Lauren
Memoir, Literary Fiction, Graphic Novels
"In her extraordinary graphic novel—which masterfully incorporates poetry and elements of memoir—Lauren Haldeman layers the warfare of soccer over the battlefields now called Bull Run Regional Park, where, growing up, her soccer team would practice and compete. The park and surrounding town of Fairfax Station Virginia set the landscape for the book, where the narrator regularly encounters spectral visions of wounded soldiers and very real artifacts of war— “wounded wraiths and faceless shapes” float in her hallway at night, and bullet shells, buttons, and human bones surface around the soccer fields in daylight. The narrator turns to poetry and history to make sense of the town and its bloodshed, of its forever attachment to injustice and its inability to restore erased identities. Team Photograph is a journey from research to illumination, and the result is a tender yet powerful reckoning of time and place, proof that the past and the present are inexorably fused together." --publisher
Iowa City poet and illustrator Lauren Haldeman has created a fascinating literary nonfiction memoir that I couldn't stop paging through. I've only just started the book, but I can't wait to keep reading. -Melody
Sir Ladybug
Tabor, Corey R., author.
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Tabor Sir
Graphic Novels, Early Readers
"Ladies and gentlebugs, presenting the duke of the dandelion patch, champion of truth and justice, the one, the only -- Sir Ladybug! With his herald, Pell, and his trusty squire, Sterling, he never shies away from a quest, no matter how dangerous..."
Added by Casey
Measuring up
Lily LaMotte
jGRAPHIC NOVEL LaMotte
Graphic Novels
"Having just moved to Seattle from Taiwan, twelve-year-old Cici enters a cooking competition to win the chance to see her grandmother again, but she only knows how to cook Taiwanese food."--Provided by publisher.
A patron told me this is his favorite book so I had to see if it measured up to my expectations...and it did! I loved how the protagonist learned to blend her Taiwanese culture with her new American identity, and the illustration style and pacing were just perfect. I love to see a story about kids taking interests and finding passion in their hobbies, in this story, cooking and art. Fans of Master Chef Junior will love this high intensity cooking contest comic! -Mari
Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan
Sasami Nitori
MANGA Nitori Wonder
Graphic Novels, Animals
An adorable, full-color manga series about a young man who rescues a very special cat. There's more to this kitty than meets the eye! Kyuu-chan loves snacks, cuddles, and bow ties, but most of all Kyuu loves Hinata, the young professional who adopted this mischievous wonder cat into his home. As the two adjust to life together, they discover that they have a lot to learn from each other.
I started reading these comics online, and I found out recently that they're excerpts from a manga series. They usually brighten my day! So kawaii :). -Hanna
Expedition backyard : exploring nature from country to city
Rosemary Mosco
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Mosco
Graphic Novels, Nature, Adventure, Fantasy
Mole and Vole always venture out into the world to see what nature they can find, but after an accidental move from the country to the city, the best friends have to learn to discover new plants and animals in their new environment.
Onward adventurers! This adorable graphic novel is perfect for the season, newly independent readers, and family sharing. Simply lovely! -Casey
The Sandman
Neil Gaiman
COMIC Sandman
Fiction, Graphic Novels
An attempt to summon and imprison Death, instead results in the capture of her brother, Morpheus, the Sandman, who after making his escape must regain the tools of his powers. Follow the King of Dreams, brother of the Endless, as he travels through a myriad of landscapes to meet with the gods, demons, and others who inhabit both Earth and the other realms.
I read Volume 1 after watching the Netflix series, it seems like the video series is fairly straightforward adaptation as far as the story structure goes. It was interesting to see where the art overlaps and diverges in the comic series. -Jason
Stepping stones
Lucy Knisley
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Knisley
Kids, Graphic Novels
"Jen moves out to the country and has to put up with her mom and her mom's new boyfriend, as well as his kids. Suddenly part of a larger family in a new place, Jen isn't sure there is a place for her in this different world."--
Beautifully illustrated sweet graphic novel that almost anyone can relate to. The realness of the subject matter made this a quick and enjoyable read. I can't wait for my hold on the second book in the series comes in! -Angie
Miss Quinces
Kat Fajardo
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Fajardo
Diverse Characters, Graphic Novels
"Sue just wants to spend the summer reading and making comics at sleepaway camp with her friends, but instead she gets stuck going to Honduras to visit relatives with her parents and two sisters. They live way out in the country, which means no texting, no cable, and no Internet! The trip takes a turn for the worse when Sue's mother announces that they'll be having a surprise quinceera for Sue, which is the last thing she wants. She can't imagine wearing a big, floofy, colorful dress! What is Sue going to do? And how will she survive all this "quality" time with her rambunctious family?"--
Fans of Raina Telgemeier and Victoria Jamieson will love this funny coming-of-age story about family, friendship and expressing your true self! -Mari
Took : a ghost story graphic novel
Mary Downing Hahn
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Hahn
Horror, Graphic Novels
"They say that a ghost witch lives in the woods, up on Brewster's Hill. They say her companion, Bloody Bones, has a pig skull for a face and stands taller than a man, his skeleton gleaming white in the moonlight. They say that the witch takes young girls, and no one ever sees them again. Daniel doesn't believe the stories about the witch or her beast. He figures the kids on the bus are just trying to scare him, since he's new. But when his sister, Erica, disappears into the woods one day and doesn't come home, Daniel knows something is terribly wrong. Has Erica been 'took'?"--Back cover.
The two most common requests I hear on the bookmobile are "where are your comics," and "do you have any scary books?" Mary Downing Hahn has always been a favorite of mine for ghost stories, so I was so excited to see one of her novels turned into a graphic novel. This creepy story is even creepier with illustrations! And now it can reach a whole new audience of kids who enjoy graphic novels! -Mari
Hope Larson can do no wrong really, but even so I loved this unique and intriguing fairytale, and didn't put it down until it was done! -Mari