December 29, 2020
During the month of January, embark on your quest to explore the genre of Graphic Novels! Graphic novels are full-length stories that are published in comic-strip or sequential art format. Unlike American comic books and most manga (Japanese), manhua (Chinese), or manhwa (Korean), which have serialized narratives (multiple volumes to get the whole story), graphic novels have complete narratives in a single book or volume.
Unfortunately, in years past, graphic novels and comic books alike have developed the stigma of not being "real" books. This is absolutely false! In fact, graphic novels can be a great way to introduce or encourage reading in children and teens. For more on this subject, check out the article "I'm Just Not a Reader..." by Youth Services Librarian, Colleen Olive.
Not sure where to start your quest? Take a look at this great list of graphic novels for all different ages. Don't forget to collect your Charming Chapters Genre charm when you return your graphic novel to the library! The library is offering curbside service, so just call the library at 208-798-2525 when you get here or ring the doorbell at the 5th Street entrance to get your charm.
CHILDREN
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton
Narwhal is a happy-go-lucky narwhal. Jelly is a no-nonsense jellyfish. The two might not have a lot in common, but they do they love waffles, parties and adventures. Join Narwhal and Jelly as they discover the whole wide ocean together. A wonderfully silly early graphic novel series featuring three stories. In the first, Jelly learns that Narwhal is a really good friend. Then Narwhal and Jelly form their own pod of awesomeness with their ocean friends. And finally, Narwhal and Jelly read the best book ever -- even though it doesn't have any words...or pictures!
Fox & Rabbit by Beth Ferry, Illustrated by Gergely Dudas
Easygoing Fox and anxious Rabbit seem like total opposites, but they are the best of friends, discovering their favorite things and overcoming their fears together.
Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song
Belly and Norma are the best of squirrels . . . or so they think! After discovering donuts for the first time, they are determined to get some for themselves, even if they have to outsmart the food truck driver to do it!
MIDDLE GRADES
Fantastic Tales of Nothing by Alejandra Green & Fanny Rodriguez
Welcome to Nothing! Despite its name, this is a fantastic land where humans and magical volken coexist peacefully--at least they try . . . This is the tale of Nathan, an ordinary human (or so he thinks) living an ordinary life (or so he wishes). Everything changes when he meets Haven, a mysterious creature who is neither human nor volken. Oh, and the two of them are being chased by volken mercenaries--a grumpy wolf named Bardou and a delightful crow named Sina. Nathan soon learns he has mysterious powers, even though humans aren't supposed to have magic. But there's no time to dwell on that because this discovery sets the group on a perilous quest across windswept terrain, through haunted forests, and in ancient tombs. Nathan and his unlikely friends must prevent an impending war and defeat a dark evil to save their land. No pressure, of course. If they fail, everything will turn into, well . . . nothing.
Twins by Varian Johnson, Illustrated by Shannon Wright
Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran -- a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable outfits that set her apart from Maureen. A girl who seems happy to share only two classes with her sister! Maureen and Francine are growing apart and there's nothing Maureen can do to stop it. Are sisters really forever? Or will middle school change things for good?
When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed
Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in a refugee camp, and when an opportunity for Omar to get an education comes along, he must decide between going to school every day or caring for his nonverbal brother in this intimate and touching portrayal of family and daily life in a refugee camp.
TEENS
Displacement by Kiku Hughes
Kiku is on vacation in San Francisco when suddenly she finds herself displaced to the 1940s Japanese-American internment camp that her late grandmother, Ernestina, was forcibly relocated to during World War II. These displacements keep occurring until Kiku finds herself stuck back in time. Living alongside her young grandmother and other Japanese-American citizens in internment camps, Kiku gets the education she never received in history class. She witnesses the lives of Japanese-Americans who were denied their civil liberties and suffered greatly, but managed to cultivate community and commit acts of resistance in order to surviveI.
Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia, Illustrated by Gabriel Picolo with Roby Haynes, Lettered by Gabriela Downie
Seventeen-year-old Garfield Logan finally impresses the social elite at his high school, but popularity comes at a price when he undergoes sudden physical changes as the dares from his new friends escalate.
Willie Nelson: A Graphic History by T. J. Kirsch, Illustrated by Adam Walmsley
Since he was a child in Hill County, Texas, he has been writing and performing for adoring crowds. Though his mainstream success did not come until later in his life, he has been determined to take his unique sound and voice to the people even before he was a household name. There have been tragedies, missteps, IRS troubles, good times and bad along the way, but Willie continues to shine his positive outlook and project his humble voice out into the world. In this graphic novel biography, all the chapters represent a different era of his life and struggles - each illustrated by a unique indie comics tale.
ADULTS
Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio by Derf Backderf
On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard gunned down unarmed college students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University. In a deadly barrage of 67 shots, 4 students were killed and 9 shot and wounded. It was the day America turned guns on its own children - a shocking event burned into our national memory. A few days prior, 10-year-old Derf Backderf saw those same Guardsmen patrolling his nearby hometown, sent in by the governor to crush a trucker strike. Using the journalism skills he employed on 'My Friend Dahmer' and 'Trashed', Backderf has conducted extensive interviews and research to explore the lives of these four young people and the events of those four days in May, when the country seemed on the brink of tearing apart.
Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV
When children begin to go missing in the town of Archer's Peak, all hope seems lost until a mysterious woman arrives to reveal that terrifying creatures are behind the chaos - and that she alone will destroy them, no matter the cost. IT'S THE MONSTERS WHO SHOULD BE AFRAID. When the children of Archer's Peak--a sleepy town in the heart of America--begin to go missing, everything seems hopeless. Most children never return, but the ones that do have terrible stories--impossible details of terrifying creatures that live in the shadows. Their only hope of finding and eliminating the threat is the arrival of a mysterious stranger, one who believes the children and claims to be the only one who sees what they can see. Her name is Erica Slaughter. She kills monsters. That is all she does, and she bears the cost because it must be done.
Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontes by Isabel Greenberg
The entrancing story of the Brontèe sisters' childhood imaginary world. Four children: Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne have invented a world so real and vivid that they can step right into it. But can reality be enough, when fiction is so enticing? And what happens to an imaginary world when its creators grow up? Plots are spiraling, characters are getting wildly out of hand, and a great deal of ink is being spilt... Welcome to Glass Town.
Paul is Dead by Paolo Baron, Illustrated by Ernesto Carbonetti
London, November 1966. John Lennon can't speak, he can't take his eyes off a photo of a car in flames with the body of Paul McCartney inside. His friend is no longer there, and that means the Beatles are no longer there, either. But John wants to know the truth, and with George and Ringo, he starts to re-examine the final hours in Paul's life. Set in the magical atmosphere of Abbey Road Studios during the writing sessions for Sgt. Pepper, the definitive version of the legend of the Paul McCartney's death.
I Know You Rider: A Memoir by Leslie Stein
I Know You Rider is Leslie Stein's rumination on the many complex questions surrounding the decision to reproduce. Opening in an abortion clinic, the book accompanies Stein through a year of her life, steeped in emotions she was not quite expecting while also looking far beyond her own experiences. She visits with a childhood friend who's just had twins and is trying to raise them as environmentally as possible, chats with another who's had a vasectomy to spare his wife a lifetime of birth control, and spends Christmas with her own mother, who aches for a grandchild.
Pulp by Ed Brubaker, Illustrated by Sean Phillips and Jacob Phillips
Max Winters, a pulp writer in 1930s New York, finds himself drawn into a story not unlike the tales he churns out at five cents a word--tales of a Wild West outlaw dispensing justice with a six-gun. But will Max be able to do the same when pursued by bank robbers, Nazi spies, and enemies from his past? One part thriller, one part meditation on a life of violence, PULP is unlike anything award-winning BRUBAKER & PHILLIPS have ever done before. This celebration of pulp fiction set in a world on the brink is another must-have hardcover from one of comics' most acclaimed teams.
Nineteen by Ancco
Ancco looks back at her own tumultuous adolescence, from the not-so-distanced lens of a twenty-something. A mother's struggles mirror her teen's. Memories of care between the cartoonist and her grandmother--before her faculties had started to fade. Quick judgments look ugly through the eyes of a teen, who's leaning into her own sense of self. Whether it's friends, family, animals, or even a stranger on the internet, the stories in Nineteen exude generosity and love, while being steeped in the malaise and distractions of youth.
Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band by Christian Staebler & Sonia Paoloni
Brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas were talented Native American rock musicians that took the 1960s Sunset Strip by storm. They influenced The Doors and jammed with Jimmy Hendrix before he was "Jimi," and the idea of a band made up of all Native Americans soon followed. Determined to control their creative vision and maintain their cultural identity, they eventually signed a deal with Epic Records in 1969. But as the American Indian Movement gained momentum the band took a stand, choosing pride in their ancestry over continued commercial reward. Created in cooperation of the Vegas family, authors Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni with artist Thibault Balahy take painstaking steps to ensure the historical accuracy of this important and often overlooked story of America's past. Part biography and part research journalism, Redbone provides a voice to a people long neglected in American history
