Our teen book spotlight this week is all about graphic novels!!! Graphic novels are amazing in that they are so visual allowing you to not only read the story but to see it as well! I love graphic novels because they offer something for everyone; there are fiction titles as well as nonfiction and even written story retellings. If you are looking to try something new this year or you have been reading graphic novels for years, we have some amazing selections for you (and we are always getting new titles in!)--everything from realistic high school stories to nonfiction and adventure fantasy. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #yagreatgraphicnovels as well as on Libby and Hoopla. Check back next week for a new teen book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown--The Dirty Thirties got their name for a reason. It began on Sunday, April 14, 1935. A fierce wind raced across the Great Plains region of the United States blowing millions upon millions of dust specks and sand grains into the air, creating what became known as the Dust Bowl. The wave of black blew across the land, scouring the paint off of cars and homes, and choking animals and people alike. Brown offers a graphic novel featuring true stories from eyewitnesses to the Dust Bowl, as well as reports from experts on why farming practices and government agricultural policies actually contributed to the Dust Bowl's origins.
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell--Every autumn, seasonal best friends Deja and Josiah work in a pumpkin patch together, and every Halloween they say goodbye only to reunite the following September. This year, as they are both seniors, they know that this is the last goodbye. While Josiah has resigned himself to feeling melancholy, Deja decides they should go out with a bang by searching out Josiah's crush, the beautiful girl who works in the Fudge Shoppe.
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson--When Lord Ballister Blackheart discovers that his former best friend, Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin, has taken control of the benignly named but evil Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics, Blackheart disguises himself as a villain to expose the nefarious workings of the organization. Blackheart is helped on his mission by Nimona, a spirited shapeshifter with pink hair who can go from docile cat to fire-breathing dragon in a nanosecond, and who has a predilection for violent displays of strength.
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen--Charlie, the basketball team captain, and Nate, the president of the Robotics Club, are unlikely friends whose unlikely friendship is about to be severely tested: Charlie's ex-girlfriend—captain of the cheerleaders—is pitting one boy against the other in order to make the Robotics Club lose funding, which would then go to getting the cheerleaders new uniforms. The one who decides will be the new student council president—a title for which both Charlie and Nate are running.
I am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina--Alfonso Jones can't wait to play the role of Hamlet in his school's hip-hop rendition of the classic Shakespearean play. He also wants to let his best friend, Danetta, know how he really feels about her. But as he is buying his first suit, an off-duty police officer mistakes a clothes hanger for a gun, and he shoots Alfonso. When Alfonso wakes up in the afterlife, he's on a ghost train guided by well-known victims of police shootings, who teach him what he needs to know about this subterranean spiritual world. Meanwhile, Alfonso's family and friends struggle with their grief and seek justice for Alfonso in the streets. As they confront their new realities, both Alfonso and those he loves realize the work that lies ahead in the fight for justice.
Battling Boy by Paul Pope--What would happen if evil were to triumph over good? This premise is exactly what happens in Pope's graphic novel, which focuses on the Earth city of Arcopolis, which has long been prone to attacks by the villain Sadisto and his army. For a time, the hero Haggard West was able to keep the city relatively safe, but when Haggard falls to Sadisto, the city is left entirely at his mercy. Enter Battling Boy, the 13-year-old child of a god on a faraway world, who has been tasked with proving his mettle by aiding the people of Earth. Traveling across the cosmos, Battling Boy finds Arcopolis in a state of disarray, and his work is cut out for him as he begins the difficult task of setting things straight.