Holiday Book Picks

In Above the Trenches, author-illustrator Nathan Hale takes to the skies with the flying aces of World War I to reveal another Hazardous Tale in American history in the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel series.

"Yippee! We're going back to World War One!" said nobody ever--except maybe the Hangman.

When the Great War began in 1914, America had plans to stay out of it. But some young men were so eager to fight, they joined the French Foreign Legion. From deep in the mud and blood of the Western Front, these young volunteers looked to the sky and saw the future--the airplane.

The first American pilots to fight in World War One flew for the French military. France created a squadron of volunteer Americans called the Lafayette Escadrille (named after the great Marquis de Lafayette).

This book is about that volunteer squadron: How they got into the French military. How they learned to fly. How they fought--and died. And how these American pilots would go down in history with other legendary flying aces like the Red Baron and his Flying Circus.

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales are graphic novels that tell the thrilling, shocking, gruesome, and TRUE stories of American history. Read them all--if you dare!

It's spooky, it's kooky, it'll have you playing hooky--it's another Toilet-bound Hanako-kun artbook, Aidalro Illustrations 2! This installment contains over two hundred images, including all the color pages published in Monthly GFantasy from 2019-2021, art from the creator's Twitter account, and all-new illustrations found exclusively in this book!

A slightly creepy Christmas comedy by the acclaimed creator of Saint Young Men and Arakawa Under the Bridge that inspired a live-action film! You better watch out: this tale about Santa's workshop for kids on the naughty list is coming to town.

Hino Miharu spends Christmas the same way every year, working alone at a dead-end part-time job at a convenience store. He'd do just about anything to land a full-time gig, but when he runs into a shadowy Santa Claus dressed all in black, he has no idea he's encountered the real deal. Well, almost. While the normal Santa Claus who dresses in red and white oversees Christmas for all the good boys and girls, his dark counterpart is in charge of handling the bad children--and Miharu just wound up on the naughty list. Gobbled up by a slavering, talking sack, he's spirited away to the Arctic, where he finds himself the newest employee of a massive Christmas operation. Yeah, the pay and benefits are great, and his coworkers sure are cute, but is this the dream job he's been hoping for, or the beginning of a Christmas nightmare?!

"A field guide to the ethereal and mystical parts of our cooking that give it soul. It sings with the energy of intuition and tradition, spice and spirit that are behind the power of our ancestral pots and pans to make community and legacy." - Michael W. Twitty, culinary historian and James Beard Award-winning author of The Cooking Gene and Koshersoul

A fully illustrated guide to intuitive cooking! This beginner-friendly cookbook includes a primer on tools, ingredients, and using your own five senses to make delicious food, as well as twenty vegetarian recipes from worldwide cuisines.

Have you ever met someone who never uses recipes, yet makes incredible meals every time? It seems to be a magic preserved only in the hands of grandmothers, or any passionate provider. An ancient, special knowledge that takes a lifetime to perfect. But that's not always true. You can start learning now, and you probably know far more than you think.

Inside this fully illustrated cookbook is an introduction to intuitive food preparation! Meaning less reliance on teaspoons, grams, degrees, and exact cook times, and more on the way humans have always cooked: by tasting, watching, smelling, listening, feeling, and remembering. Follow along with home chef Mariah-Rose Marie to learn how to measure with your hands, season with your senses, balance flavors on the fly, remember ratios, and more--all with minimal equipment and minimal spending.

You can practice your new knowledge with the twenty delicious vegetarian recipes collected from family, friends, and contributors throughout the globe. From Persian kashk-e bademjan and Icelandic skyrterta to Mexican-Taiwanese horchata con boba, the recipes range from traditional to transformed, reflecting the way foods--like people--migrate, mix, adapt, and are remembered. This book was created with international and financial accessibility in mind, and the hope that readers of all backgrounds will find appreciation for the myriad people and flavors of our shared world.

So grab your trusty cast iron skillet, and get cooking!

Death and Sparkles are back in their second hilarious adventure! This zany yet philosophical graphic novel features a most unlikely pair of BFFs: Death, a grim reaper who's never had a friend, and Sparkles, the Last Unicorn, a celebrity influencer who is somehow immune to Death's touch.

Death and Sparkles never imagined they would become besties for life . . . or rather, death. And they didn't expect to get pulled into another wild adventure so soon. But when Sparkles's horn begins to glow mysteriously and the pair discovers a message left by his unicorn parents, Death reluctantly follows Sparkles on a search to find out what it all means.

Sparkles is 100 percent sure the answer will be revealed through some hard-hitting, epic dance moves. Death wants to make sure there is minimal collateral damage. With nothing but golden cupcake bling as their compass, they embark on a journey into the depths of the sewers.

Wacky chaos ensues once again for the BFFs in this continuation to the Death & Sparkles book series as a unicorn, a grim reaper, and a group of vengeance-driven mole men hoping to steal Sparkles's golden cupcake face off!

HILARIOUS BUDDY COMEDY KIDS COMIC: Move over, Wayne and Garth! Move over, Beavis and Butt-Head! Readers will love this spin on the classic mismatched buddy dynamic featuring two of the most powerful beings around: the guy in charge of taking everyone's life when it's their time and the most magical creature still in existence on Earth. Never have two beings been less alike or more adorable.

PERFECT FOR RELUCTANT READERS: With bright, vibrant illustrations; big, fun fonts; expressive sound effects; an irreverent spirit; and a heart full of cupcakes, this graphic novel will entice even the most skeptical of young readers.

BIG THEMES: Self-awareness, empathy, bravery, commercialism, celebrity influencers, and the courage to stand up for what you believe in, even if it's the hard thing to do--all these important themes weave throughout the book in subtle ways.

LIKE LIVING IN CANDYLAND: Rob Justus's vivid, expressive art is an endless delight. With tons to see on every page and countless visual gags throughout, this book will delight graphic novel fans and bring new readers to the genre.

Perfect for:

Fans of graphic novels and comic books

Unicorn enthusiasts

Reluctant readers

Parents, teachers, educators, and librarians seeking engaging and funny kids' books

Fans of Hilda and the Troll, Steven Universe, Wings of Fire, The Dragon Prince, The Legend of Korra, and Avatar: The Last Airbender

Powerful graphic journalism that highlights the contrasting realities of a Ukrainian journalist and a Russian artist grappling with their own individual experiences of Russia's war on Ukraine--collected, edited, and illustrated by award-winning author Nora Krug

Immediately after Russia began its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Nora Krug reached out to two anonymous subjects--"K.," a Ukrainian journalist, and "D.," a Russian artist--and began what would become a year of correspondence. Based on her weekly interviews with K. and D., Krug created this collection of illustrated accounts that chronicles two contrasting viewpoints from opposing sides of the first year in this ongoing war.

With millions displaced, injured, or killed as a result of the invasion, Krug presents a look at the devastating effects on an everyday, individual level. K.'s diary documents a year of emotional and existential distress. She experiences loss in every sense of the word: the death of those close to her, the disconnection from her family and friends, and the devastation of her country--but her account is also a story about bravery and survival in the face of dire uncertainty.

In juxtaposition, D.'s narrative details his disdain for his government's murderous actions and his attempts at emigrating his family abroad. He navigates his own struggle with cultural identity, guilt, and lack of action in the face of a tyrannical regime--a perspective that is necessary in challenging readers to confront the political actions of their own countries. Krug approaches Diaries of War with the immense skill and thoughtfulness required to document these two complicated experiences for the purpose of encouraging critical thinking.

Published as an Op-Comic series with the Los Angeles Times, with a portion of the entries unique to this book, Diaries of War is a harrowing real-time record of an international conflict that continues to devastate countless lives.

Explore the wonderful world of Japanese sayings. Did you know the Japanese have a word for when you're not hungry but want to eat (because your mouth is lonely)? Or that there's a word to express the way sunlight filters through the leaves of trees? Discover 50 lighthearted expressions you never knew you needed in your life, in this charming collection of 50 illustrated translations.

The FLAVOR GIRLS are the new Magical Girls that Sailor Moon fans have been waiting for!

Naoko, Camille, and V are the FLAVOR GIRLS, Sacred Fruit Guardians of Earth! They defend the earth from the threat of ever-looming Agarthians, whose motives regarding earth and humanity are still unknown. Sara, just a U.N. applicant trying her best to help, finds herself in over her head when she's thrown into this crisis in a way she never could have imagined! As the Flavor Girls hone their sacred fruit powers with their master Himiko, can their newest member help them save the planet from impending destruction? From writer and artist Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky (Persephone), comes a new Magical Girl all-ages adventure with an environmental twist for fans of Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Power Rangers! Collects Flavor Girls #1-3.

This fully illustrated book celebrates the history of thirty trans, gender expansive, and nonbinary heroes throughout the world.

Explore the history of trans and nonbinary people throughout the world in this gorgeously illustrated nonfiction book for young teens. Readers will be educated and enlightened about gender-expansive people who have made a difference in our history and who continue to help raise awareness of diversity and inclusion in current society. Introductory materials give readers an insight into pronoun usage, the history of the word "transgender," and more before providing engaging and fascinating information about thirty trans, gender expansive, and nonbinary people who have helped shape our world. From Callon of Epidaurus (the first intersex individual to receive surgery) to Elliot Page (a trans actor) to Tomoya Hosoda (the first trans politician in Japan), this book will open up dialogue and help educate young adults on the history, legacy, and future of trans, gender expansive, and nonbinary people and their rights at a time when protecting those rights is needed more than ever. The book is complete with sidebars about trans topics, a reference guide, and a glossary of terminology.

*Now an acclaimed live-action Netflix series!*

Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. The bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the fifth volume of the much-loved HEARTSTOPPER series, featuring gorgeous two-color artwork.

Nick and Charlie are in love. They've finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick's house. He wants to take their relationship to the next level... but can he find the confidence he needs? And with Nick going off to university next year, is everything about to change?

By Alice Oseman, winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper encompasses all the small moments of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

Contains discussions around mental health and eating disorders, and sexual references.

The beloved, multi-award-winning duo of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen tackle a perennial question.

When Santa arrives at a child's house on Christmas Eve, does he go down the chimney feetfirst or headfirst? What if he gets stuck? What if there's no chimney? Maybe he slides under the door, as thin as a piece of paper? Or is it possible he pours himself through the faucet? What happens once he's inside? Whether it's shape-shifting or impromptu laundry use, Mac Barnett's iconic talent for earnest deadpan humor and Jon Klassen's irresistibly funny art honor the timeless question with answers both ridiculous and plausible, mounting in hilarity as the night continues. Channeling a child's fanciful explanations (and begging for further speculation), this latest collaboration by a New York Times best-selling team will find a secure spot among family holiday traditions.