LIBRARY BLOG
In honor of National Library Week, I’ve handpicked some of my favorite fantastical graphic novels for tweens. These books, written in comic book form, are great not only for the reluctant readers in your life, but for all readers. Just grab one of these reads and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime.
Beetle & the Hollowbones
Aliza Layne
In the eerie town of ‘Allows, some people get to be magical sorceresses, while other people have their spirits trapped in the mall for all ghastly eternity. Then there’s twelve-year-old goblin-witch Beetle, who’s caught in between. She’d rather skip being homeschooled completely and spend time with her best friend, Blob Ghost. But the mall is getting boring, and BG is cursed to haunt it, tethered there by some unseen force. And now Beetle’s old best friend, Kat, is back in town for a sorcery apprenticeship with her aunt Hollowbone. Kat is everything Beetle wants to be: beautiful, cool, great at magic, and kind of famous online. Beetle’s quickly being left in the dust. But Kat’s mentor has set her own vile scheme in motion. If Blob Ghost doesn’t escape the mall soon, their afterlife might be coming to a very sticky end. Now, Beetle has less than a week to rescue her best ghost, encourage Kat to stand up for herself, and confront the magic she’s been avoiding for far too long. And hopefully ride a broom without crashing.
Cleopatra in Space
Mike Maihack
When a young Cleopatra (yes, THAT Cleopatra) finds a mysterious tablet that zaps her to the far, REALLY far future, she learns of an ancient prophecy that says she is destined to save the galaxy from the tyrannical rule of the evil Xaius Octavian. She enrolls in Yasiro Academy, a high-tech school with classes like algebra, biology, and alien languages (which Cleo could do without), and combat training (which is more Cleo’s style). With help from her teacher Khensu, Cleo learns what it takes to be a great leader, all while trying to figure out how she’s going to get her homework done, make friends, and avoid detention.
Lily the Thief
Janne Kukkonen
Lily is a young novice who dreams of being a master thief. That’s not easy when the Guildmaster of Thieves assigns you only the lowliest jobs: pick-pocketing, trespassing, and petty theft. But on one of these meager quests, Lily unearths a plot involving a mysterious cult and long-forgotten gods–a secret that could destroy the whole world. Lily must fight to save the same people who have branded her an outcast. Can she use her cunning to put an ancient evil to rest?
Making Friends
Kristen Gudsnuk
6th grade was so much easier for Dany because she knew exactly what to expect out of life. Now that Dany is in 7th grade, she’s in a new middle school and her friends are in different classes, drifting away. She is totally and completely lost. But then she inherits a magic sketchbook from her eccentric great-aunt and discovers that anything she sketches in it comes to life. So, she draws Madison–the most amazing, perfect, and awesome best friend ever. The thing is, even when you create a best friend, there’s no guarantee they’ll always be your best friend…and sometimes making a friend is a lot easier than keeping one.
Oh My Gods!
Stephanie Cooke, Insha Fitzpatrick, and Juliana Moon
Karen is just an average thirteen-year-old from New Jersey who loves to play video games with her friends and watch movies with her mom. But when she moves to Greece to live with her eccentric, mysterious father, Zed, suddenly everything she thought about herself–about life–is up in the air. Starting a new school can be difficult, but starting school at Mt. Olympus Junior High, where students are gods and goddesses, just might take the cake. Greek mythology…a little less myth, a little more eek! And if Karen’s classmates are immortal beings, who does that make her? Before she can figure it all out, her fellow students start getting turned to stone and Karen seems to be the likely culprit. OMGs! Can Karen clear her name, find out who is causing the stone-cold chaos, and maybe, possibly make some new friends while she’s at it?
The Okay Witch
Emma Steinkellner
Magic is harder than it looks. Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she’s about to discover that witches aren’t just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens. Founder’s Bluff, Massachusetts, has a centuries-old history of witch drama, and surprise: Moth’s family is at the center of it all! When Moth’s new powers show up, things get totally out of control. She meets a talking cat, falls into an enchanted diary, and unlocks a hidden witch world. Secrets surface from generations past as Moth unravels the complicated legacy at the heart of her town, her family, and herself. In this spellbinding graphic novel debut, Emma Steinkellner spins a story packed with humor and heart about the weird and wonderful adventures of a witch-in-progress.
Princess Princess Ever After
Katie O’Neill
When the heroic princess Amira rescues the kind-hearted princess Sadie from her tower prison, neither expects to find a true friend in the bargain. Yet as they adventure across the kingdom, they discover that they bring out the very best in the other person. They’ll need to join forces and use all the know-how, kindness, and bravery they have in order to defeat their greatest foe yet: a jealous sorceress, who wants to get rid of Sadie once and for all. Join Sadie and Amira, two very different princesses with very different strengths, on their journey to figure out what “happily ever after” really means–and how they can find it with each other.
This Was Our Pact
Ryan Andrews
Let’s follow the lanterns… It’s the night of the annual Autumn Equinox Festival, when the town gathers to float paper lanterns down the river. Legend has it that after drifting out of sight, they’ll soar off to the Milky Way and turn into brilliant stars, but could that actually be true? This year, Ben and his classmates are determined to find out where those lanterns really go, and to ensure success in their mission, they’ve made a pact with two simple rules: No one turns for home. No one looks back. The plan is to follow the river on their bikes for as long as it takes to learn the truth, but it isn’t long before the pact is broken by all except for Ben and (much to Ben’s disappointment) Nathaniel, the only kid who just doesn’t seem to fit in. Together, Nathaniel and Ben will travel farther than anyone has ever gone, down a winding road full of magic, wonder, and unexpected friendship.
The Witch Boy
Molly Knox Ostertag
In thirteen-year-old Aster’s family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while the boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn’t shifted…and he’s still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be. When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help–as a witch. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical and non-conforming Charlie, to convince Aster to try practicing his skills. And it will require even more courage to save his family…and be truly himself.
-Olivia Mosely, Youth Services Clerk