Graphic Novels

Inbetweens by Faith Erin Hicks – Book Recommendation

| Tasha
Cover image for Inbetweens by Faith Erin Hicks, featuring two girls lying on the ground together, one drawing a series of small creatures, the other holding a book.

Inbetweens by Faith Erin Hicks

  • Publisher: First Second
  • Publication Date: March 31, 2026
  • Reviewed from Netgalley e-galley
  • ISBN: 9781250838759

Twin sisters, Sloane and Ash, no longer look alike thanks to different hairstyles and colors. They do share a love of art and animation. The two of them decide to spend their summer vacation attending Ormidale College’s animation program for high school students. Ash is excited to start, certain of her skills and sure she is going to love being taught by one of her animation heroes. Sloane is more hesitant, unsure of the new environment and making new friends, and not quite as sure of what she wants to do in the future. The two girls must navigate challenging assignments, others being better at animation than they are, sexism by one of the teachers, and finding out that animation is more than just Disney movies. 

Hicks is a master of the graphic novel format for middle schoolers and teens. Here she deftly shows how two very different sisters find their way and discover more about themselves through learning animation. Particularly nice is the fact that the confident Ash is not the one who makes the first connections and friendships with others. The clear sexism on display by one of the teachers is clearly shown and then explained by one of the other adults as an ongoing issue in animation studios.

Charming, fresh and full of animation tips and art love. Appropriate for ages 12+.

Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier – book Recommendation

| Tasha
Cover image for Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier, illustrated by AJ Dungo, featuring one pane with a group of students holding signs and protesting and another pane with a girl lying down and reading a book.

Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier, illustrated by AJ Dungo

  • Publisher: Ten Speed
  • Publication Date: February 3, 2026
  • Reviewed from library copy
  • ISBN: 9780593838044

When Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, a graphic novel that shares the atrocities that happened in Iran, gets pulled from classrooms in Chicago Public Schools, the teachers, principals and librarians must comply. Some teachers move their classroom titles to the school libraries to keep them from being destroyed. But it is the students who stand up and rise up to protest them being removed. This graphic novel about a true event that happened in Chicago in 2013 shares the stories of several of the teens who took action when the school district made the decision to remove the title from curriculum. The book shows how students dealing with other events in their lives found community and solace in shared action. 

The author of this work won an award from ALA for his work exposing this story of book censorship. His afterwords about the claims of Chicago Public Schools and what eventually was proven is alone brilliant to read. In the graphic novel, he shows students and teens the power of collaboration, protest and resistance. Throughout he shares how a variety of students can take their own unique form of action and how it all comes together to force changes to be made. The art is dynamic and marvelously modern, almost like art from a protest sign or banner. 

Brilliant, rage-filled and action inducing, this graphic novel is entirely perfect for our time. Appropriate for ages 12+.

The Lionharts by Mike Lawrence – Book Recommendation

| Tasha
Cover image for The Lionharts by Mike Lawrence. Features an older woman with an axe, a wizard with a long gray beard, and two boys, one with a bow and the other with daggers. A dragon looms in the darkness behind them.

The Lionharts by Mike Lawrence 

  • Publisher: Abrams
  • Publication Date: March 3, 2026
  • Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
  • ISBN: 9781419759970

Alder and Flynt have grown up in a family that quests and goes on adventures. Their grandparents, Grammy and Baba, were once famous but are now retired spending time baking and reading. But the family business isn’t going well for the next generation, so when a new contract comes in that will pay more, they quickly agree to take it. When their parents don’t return from the job, the boys head out on their own to rescue them. Their grandparents rescue them before they can end up in too much trouble and they all set off to find out what happened to the boys’ parents. Along the way, the boys meet many of their grandparents’ previous foes who are now friends. When they find their parents, a secret is revealed that will change their family forever.

This middle grade graphic novel has a Dungeons & Dragons flair about it. With diverse characters, including some with green skin or pointed ears, the book has an interesting and surprising cast. Readers will love the action scenes just as much as the moments of laughter and warmth as they come right after another thanks to the brisk pace. The twist at the end is a great reveal that is incredibly satisfying. 

Grab your sword and head out on this adventure. Appropriate for ages 8-12.

2026 Great Graphic Novels for Teens

| Tasha

The Young Adult Library Services Association has selected their list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens. The list includes nonfiction and fiction graphic literature. A top ten was selected; here are those titles:

TOP TEN

Eden of Witches by Yumeji (Volumes 1-5)

Halfway There: A Graphic Memoir of Self-Discovery by Christine Mari

Hunger’s Bite by Taylor Robin

Kindergarten Wars by You Chiba

Love, Misha by Askel Aden

Meat Eaters by Meredith McClaren

Monster Locker, Volume 1 by Jorge Aguirre

Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout

Spacewalking with You, Volume 1 by Inuhiko Doronoda

You and Me on Repeat by Mary Shyne

Steam by Shaenon K. Garrity – Book Recommendation

| Tasha
The cover image for Steam by Shaenon K. Garrity, illustrated by Emily Holden. Two girls sit together in a coffee shop tapping their coffee cups together. The steam forms a heart.

Steam by Shaenon K. Garrity, illustrated by Emily Holden

  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
  • Publication Date: February 03, 2026
  • Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
  • ISBN: 9781534495869

When Ruby, a super genius raised in a university lab, escapes captivity, she must find a way to live among normal humans. She gets a job at a coffee shop near the university as a barista. She attempts to fulfill her function by helping the regulars at the coffee shop find love while still not giving her true identity away. As she starts pairing staff and customers the love takes off, and Ruby herself may have found her match too. But the lab hasn’t given up trying to get Ruby back for themselves, insisting that she isn’t human after all.

This graphic novel for teens is a delightful mix of lighthearted romance, caffeine and technology. There is just enough action to keep the book from being too frothy and compelling romantic pairings that are intelligent and embrace queerness and all ages. The illustrations echo the feel of the story with a lightness and an underlying love of the characters. Filled with found family and a built community, Ruby’s own humanness is the key to her survival in the end.

Grab a coffee and fall in love. Appropriate for ages 13+.

A Kid Like Me by Norm Feuti – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

A Kid Like Me by Norm Feuti

  • Publisher: HarperAlley
  • Publication Date: February 03, 2026
  • Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
  • ISBN: 9780063354111

Ethan lives in a trailer park near his best friend, Ricky. As they head to middle school, the school includes kids from wealthier neighborhoods. Ricky decides that they need a new group of friends, but Ricky’s picks of new friends are more into wrestling than what Ethan likes. Ethan loves the card game Bio Battle, something that Ricky doesn’t understand. So Ethan starts to make new friends too, but soon the differences between him and his classmates continue to create issues. Ethan can’t have a new fancy phone, his shoes and backpack are falling apart, and he gets his clothes second hand. Is there any way to bridge the differences without losing himself along the way?

In this graphic novel, Feuti sensitively captures the difficulties that living in poverty create for children. Whether it is the place you live, the car you drive, your parents’ jobs, what you wear, or the items you buy, it all becomes somehow deeper and more personal than that for the child experiencing it. Gaming is such a great opportunity for kids with like interests to meet and start being friends. I love how it is depicted and then the final moment of the book where new opportunities arise. Feuti does a great job of showing the issues and also offering a way through shame to the other side.

A middle school graphic novel full of empathy, friendships and gaming.

Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen 

Publisher: Random House 

Publication Date: October 7, 2025

Reviewed from library copy

ISBN: 9780593125472

Angelica is burned out after trying to do too much. So when she gets an internship at the Log House Theater in town, she decides to focus all her attention on that. Oh, and perhaps also on texting with an account that seems to be related to the theater’s famous Per the Bear. As Angelica gets closer to Per, she is losing connections with her mother and her best friend. Meanwhile, Gable has returned to town and is living with his grandmother after his grandfather died. All of them are involved in the theater too. Gable had been best friends with Angelica before moving away, and now he happens to be the person behind Per the Bear in the costume and on the account. 

What could have been just a frothy fun romance based on the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon becomes something much deeper in the hands of Nguyen. He deftly incorporates queerness into the tale as well as offering a story of loss, grief and community that resonates throughout the book. Beautifully designed and filled with lovely moments of connection and humor, this is a graphic novel worth sharing with your own Per.

Fun, deep and delightful. Appropriate for ages 12+.

The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur: A Graphic Novel Based on a True Story by Allan Wolf – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur: A Graphic Novel Based on a True Story by Allan Wolf, illustrated by Jose Pimienta

Publisher: Candlewick

Publication Date: Oct 7, 2025

Reviewed from library copy

ISBN: 9781536217438

This graphic work of nonfiction for middle schoolers is superb. It tells the story of Lake Peigneur in Louisiana from the lake’s point of view. The lake tells of the misfortune that happened there when an oil rig accidentally punctured the local salt mine’s tunnels. The result was incredibly dangerous for everyone in the area since the water from the lake drained into the salt mine, forming a water vortex that could swallow barges. Boats on the surface had to fight to get to shore and then contend with the lowering water levels. The shore eroded and trees were sucked down until suddenly a geyser erupted as air escaped the mine shafts. As the disaster unfolded, people stayed calm and followed their training, resulting in no one losing their life. 

A remarkable tale that creates a book that is fast moving and incredibly gripping. Few people know of the disaster outside of Louisiana since no one lost their life. It’s a look at nature’s response to a man-made issue and the power of water itself. Brilliantly told, the book sticks with the various people in danger, from the miners to the tug boat to the gardeners on shore. The use of the lake as the narrator is clever since there were so many human perspectives. 

A thrilling look at nature and disaster. Appropriate for ages 8-12.

On Starlit Shores by Bex Glendining – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

On Starlit Shores by Bex Glendining 

Publisher: Abrams Fanfare

Publication Date: September 30, 2025

Reviewed from library copy

ISBN: 9781419765049

Alex hasn’t been back to Indigo Harbour where her grandmother lived in years. Now her grandmother has died and Alex offers to help pack up her house. Her best friend Grim comes with her and the two explore Indigo Harbour, meeting the people who were close to Alex’s grandmother. When Alex discovers that her grandmother had a beloved girlfriend that she never knew about, she sets out to meet her. But Indigo Harbour has a certain magic about it. It’s a magic that makes people who leave forget it, that protects those who live there and that offers sanctuary to resident witches. Alex must remember her own memories and build new ones to discover who her grandmother was. 

This YA graphic novel uses magical realism to grapple with loss. It takes a magical place, offering solace to those who may not have visited relatives as much as they would have liked in retrospect and giving space for grief. The beautiful town is a mix of warm acceptance for the queer characters as well as being a space for magical beings. The use of metaphor throughout is thoughtfully done, supporting the Alex through her journey. 

A beautiful graphic novel about loss and love. Appropriate for ages 13+.