Staff Picks - Graphic Novels | Arlington Public Library

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1) Rolling blackouts: dispatches from Turkey, Syria, and Iraq

Author

Notes

A fascinating behind the scenes look at journalism and one moment in an ongoing crisis - Lesley H

Description

Cartoonist Sarah Glidden accompanies her two friends--reporters and founders of a journalism non-profit--as they research potential stories on the effects of the Iraq War on the Middle East and, specifically, the war's refugees. Joining the trio is a childhood friend and former Marine whose past service in Iraq adds an unexpected and sometimes unwelcome viewpoint, both to the people they come across and perhaps even themselves. As the crew works their...

Author

Nishioka kyōdai (Manga creator duo)

Notes

A feverish and surreal manga interpretation of Kafka's work, this slim and slightly claustrophobic book is both a dizzying visual translation and a translation (into English from Japanese) of a translation (from the original German into Japanese). - Emily L

Description

"Nine of Franz Kafka's most memorable tales are here given fresh life with dazzling graphic renderings by the brother-and sister manga creators Nishioka Kyōdai . With their distinctive, surreal style of illustration, they have reimagined the fantastic, the imperceptible and the bizarre in Kafka's work, creating a hauntingly powerful visual world. These stories of enigmatic figures and uncanny transformations are stripped to their core, offering profound...

3) Everything is an emergency: an OCD story in words and pictures

Author

Katzenstein, Jason

Notes

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can seem like a simple personality quirk to those who don't live with it, but New Yorker and MAD Magazine cartoonist Katzenstein's graphic memoir introduces readers to the complexity of growing up and living with OCD. - Alex Z

Description

"Jason Adam Katzenstein is just trying to live his life, but he keeps getting sidetracked by his over-active, anxious brain. Mundane events like shaking hands or sharing a drink snowball into absolute catastrophes. Jason has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a mental illness that compels him to perform rituals in order to protect himself from dangers that don't really exist. He checks, washes, over-thinks, rinse, repeat. He does his best to hide his...

4) A story about cancer (with a happy ending)

Author

Desjardins, India

Notes

Why do all stories about cancer have a sad ending? That was the motivation for India Desjardin to write a story that had a different outcome. It is still a terrifying description of what cancer is like for a small child and the impact on the family/caregivers. - Todd P

Description

When she is ten years old, a girl is diagnosed with leukemia and describes her journey through the next five years, including her medical treatments, her relationships with nurses and other patients, and falling in love.

5) A guest in the house

Author

Notes

Abby has just moved into her new widowed husband's lake house and is haunted by his deceased wife and her own repressed desires in this stunningly illustrated horror graphic novel. - Elizabeth H

Description

"After many lonely years, Abby's just gotten married. She met her new husband--a recently widowed dentist--when he arrived in town with his young daughter, seeking a new start. Although it's strange living in the shadow of her predecessor, Abby does her best to be a good wife and mother. But the more she learns about her new husband's first wife, the more things don't add up. And Abby starts to wonder ... was Sheila's death really by natural causes?...

6) Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir

Author

Notes

This is a book everyone should read! This adult graphic novel memoir is about a whole life but the aspects dealing with the author's aging parents is difficult to read but valuable to anyone who still has a living parent. An important subject handled with honesty and humor. - Mike N

Formats:

eBook, Graphic Novel, Kindle

Description

#1 New York Times Bestseller
2014 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST

In her first memoir, New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast brings her signature wit to the topic of aging parents. Spanning the last several years of their lives and told through four-color cartoons, family photos, and documents, and a narrative as rife with laughs as it is with tears, Chast's memoir is both comfort and comic relief for anyone...

7) The Great British Bump-Off

Author

Series

The Great British Bump-Off

Notes

A fun graphic novel for fans of mysteries and the Great British Baking Show. This whodunit parodies the characters and format of the show, leaving readers both satisfied with the tasty treat they've enjoyed and hungry for the next crime. - Marna L

Formats:

eComic, Graphic Novel, Kindle

Description

An Agatha Christie-style murder mystery set in the world of English competitive baking from Giant Days’ John Allison and Max Sarin.
When she enters her country’s most beloved baking competition, Shauna Wickle’s goal is to delight the judges, charm the nation, and make a few friends along the way. But when a fellow contestant is poisoned, it falls to her to apprehend the culprit while avoiding premature elimination...

Author

Notes

Growing up is already hard enough but when you feel like you don't fit in, it feels even worse. Aiden is away at summer camp and amidst campfires and surviving in the woods, he also faces challenges of acceptance and finding his own identity. A sincere and emotional read. - Deborah K

Formats:

eComic, Graphic Novel, Kindle

Description

Named one of Kirkus' best books of the 21st century.

Award-winning author and artist Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in Flamer, his debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love.
"This book will save lives." —Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author of National Book Award Finalist Hey, Kiddo
I know I'm not gay. Gay boys like other boys. I hate boys. They're

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9) Rabbit Chase

Author

LaPensée , Elizabeth

Notes

A non-binary Anishinaabe middle schooler wanders off on a field trip and has an Alice in Wonderland adventure. She spends time with spirits trying to stop development of their land while also dealing with being bullied for being non-binary. Wonderful illustrations. - Mike N

Formats:

eComic, Graphic Novel, Kindle

Description

A BookRiot "Don't-Miss 2022 Queer Graphic Novels & Memoirs"

Anishinaabe culture and storytelling meet Alice in Wonderland in this coming-of-age graphic novel that explores Indigenous and gender issues through a fresh yet familiar looking glass.

Aimée, a non-binary Anishinaabe middle-schooler, is on a class trip to offer gifts to Paayehnsag, the water spirits known to protect the land. While stories are told

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10) Stars in their eyes

Author

Walton, Jessica

Description

Maisie is on her way to her first fancon and she can't wait to meet her idol, an action star who had an above-the-knee amputation, just like Maisie. But then she meets Ollie. Ollie is a cute volunteer working the show, and they geek out about nerd culture, just as much as Maisie does. After spending the day together, Maisie notices feelings for Ollie that she's never had before. Could Ollie feel the same way?

11) Chunky: A Graphic Novel

Author

Mercado, Yehudi

Notes

Hudi's parents want him to play a sport to lose a little weight. He doesn't want to, but his imaginary friend Chunky cheers him on from the sidelines, even when Hudi isn't very good. Will Hudi ever find an activity to excel at? A funny graphic novel about finding your place. - Michelle M

Formats:

eComic, Graphic Novel, Kindle

Description

In this full-color middle grade graphic memoir for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jerry Craft, Yehudi Mercado draws inspiration from his childhood struggle with his weight while finding friendship with his imaginary mascot, Chunky, as he navigates growing up in a working class Mexican-Jewish family.

Hudi needs to lose weight, according to his doctors. Concerned about the serious medical issue Hudi had when he was younger, his

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12) Lunar New Year love story

Author

Yang, Gene Luen

Notes

Just in time for the Lunar New Year! I can't wait to recommend this book to the middle graders in my life. There was a sweetness to high school romances while incorporating different Asian cultures celebrating the same holidays and the nuances within those families. - Katherine C

Description

Graphic novel superstars Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham join forces in this heartwarming rom-com about fate, family, and falling in love. Val is ready to give up on love. It's led to nothing but secrets and heartbreak, and she's pretty sure she's cursed--no one in her family, for generations, has ever had any luck with love. But then a chance encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Is it real love? Could this be her chance...

13) The Tea Dragon Society

Author

O'Neill, Kay (Cartoonist)

Series

Tea dragon series volume 1

Notes

The Tea Dragon Society, an Eisner Award-winning book, is the coziest of cozy fantasy stories. This graphic novel for kids features a heart-warming cast of wonderfully diverse characters, the joy of found family, and the cutest drawings of dragons you will ever see. - Sarah D.

Formats:

eComic, Graphic Novel, Kindle

Description

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.

14) victory stand raising my fist for justice

This entry no longer exists in the catalog

15) Family style: memories of an American from Vietnam

Author

Notes

For Thien, childhood memories of fleeing Vietnam and the stresses of living in a refugee camp in Thailand are intermingled with the joys of food, friendships, and family. When his family resettles in America, Thien's subsequent struggles are balanced by moments of hope. - Emily L

Description

"Thien's first memory isn't a sight or a sound. It's the sweetness of watermelon and the saltiness of fish. It's the taste of the foods he ate while adrift at sea as his family fled Vietnam. After the Pham family arrives at a refugee camp in Thailand, they struggle to survive. Things don't get much easier once they resettle in California. And through each chapter of their lives, food takes on a new meaning. Strawberries come to signify struggle as...

16) Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands

Author

Notes

In this graphic memoir, Kate Beaton tells the poignant and, at times, harrowing tale of the two years she spent working in the Oil Sands of Alberta, Canada. It is an artful looks at humanity, nature, and what drives people to leave home in search of their fortune. - Maggie P

Formats:

Description

Before there was Kate Beaton, New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark! A Vagrant, there was Katie Beaton of the Cape Breton Beaton, specifically Mabou, a tight-knit seaside community where the lobster is as abundant as beaches, fiddles, and Gaelic folk songs. With the singular goal of paying off her student loans, Katie heads out west to take advantage of Alberta's oil rush—part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment...

17) i left the house today

This entry no longer exists in the catalog

18) Almost American Girl: A Graphic Memoir

Author

Notes

An amazing and beautiful coming-of-age story about surviving high school in a new country, with a new language and a new step-family. It's also a poignant reminder how our parents' actions appear more human and heroic the older we get and more we understand them. - Charlotte M

Formats:

Description

Harvey Award Nominee, Best Children or Young Adult Book

A powerful and moving teen graphic novel memoir about immigration, belonging, and how arts can save a life—perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and Hey, Kiddo.

For as long as she can remember, it's been Robin and her mom against the world. Growing up as the only child of a single mother in Seoul,

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19) Banned Book Club

Author

Notes

A college freshman in 1983, Kim Hyun Sook learns all art is political, even her traditional dance group and Shakespeare! After joining a book club that reads books banned by the repressive South Korean government, she starts to fight back. A gripping true story! - Jennifer R

Formats:

eBook, Graphic Novel, Kindle

Description

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Highly recommended for readers passionate about activism." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, Starred Review

"Sure to inspire today's youthful generation of tenacious changemakers." — BOOKLIST, Starred Review

"The messages of hope are universal." — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, Starred Review

"A timely read about friendship amid chaos."

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20) They Called Us Enemy

Author

Notes

George Takei, best known as Star Trek’s Hikaru Sulu, recounts his family’s internment during World War II. Declared US enemies by President Roosevelt in 1942, thousands of American citizens of Japanese descent are imprisoned in 10 relocation centers during the war.

Formats:

Description

George Takei has captured hearts and minds worldwide with his captivating stage presence and outspoken commitment to equal rights. But long before he braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father's—and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future. In a stunning graphic memoir, Takei revisits his haunting childhood in American concentration camps,

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