Staff Picks

*Named a Rainbow Book List Title*

A spooky and funny graphic novel perfect for fans of The Witch Boy and Real Friends

Dragoslava is a vampire kid. It has its perks, but sometimes being stuck as a kid forever can be a pain in the neck. And that's not even the worst part. A few centuries ago, Drago was cursed by a witch. If they don't complete every task she sets, they will be turned into worms.

When the witch wants a spellbook from Baneberry Falls, Drago sets off with their immortal friends. But mysteries await in this sleepy Midwestern town, and Drago must figure out if the keepers of the spellbook have a hidden agenda, like everyone else they've ever known.

One thing's for sure: after this accursed mission, Drago's immortal life will never be the same again!

Abidjan's favorite daughter returns in an all-new volume of writer Marguerite Abouet's beloved series

Long-time creative team Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie make a stunning comeback after a lengthy twelve-year hiatus. Aya: Claws Come Out takes us all back to Yop City--home to the hustle and bustle of the Ivory Coast.

As Solibra's newest intern, clear-eyed college student Aya finds an unexpected adversary in the beer giant's brand-new head of HR. Her friend Moussa, heir apparent to the company's CEO Mr. Sissoko vies for his father's attention while struggling to tone down his tendency to party. After being outed, Albert must find a new place to stay and grapples with the realities of insufficient student housing. His old flame Inno discovers first-hand how difficult life can be for undocumented migrants in France. Back at home, Bintou navigates the ups and downs of newfound soap opera stardom. All the while, Didier just wants to take Aya out to dinner--if she can ever find the time.

Now translated from the French by Edwige Dro, Aya and all her friends greet the bigger, bolder world of the 80s in true Abidjan style, delighting fans both old and new with vibrant but too often unseen depictions of middle-class life in Africa.

STILL LIFE

Yatora is the perfect high school student, with good grades and lots of friends. It's an effortless performance, and, ultimately... a dull one. But he wanders into the art room one day, and a lone painting captures his eye, awakening him to a kind of beauty he never knew. Compelled and consumed, he dives in headfirst--and he's about to learn how savage and unforgiving art can be...

Once upon a time in Japan lived a beautiful young woman. The beloved daughter of a silk mill owner, she was lavished with gorgeous kimonos from across the province, but her favorite was the first one he gave her. It was a deep crimson painted with soft, purring black cats, and was crafted by the finest weaver in the mill. The weaver, besotted with her beauty, professed his love to the maiden. Indifferent to his advances, she preferred the warmth of her feline finery to his, leading him down a dark path that separates the woman from one of her beloved black cats! Thus, the cat begins a fantastic voyage, from the bottom of the sea to the smokey markets of London, sometimes in the company of Sherlock Holmes himself, as he becomes a figure of myth and legend.

Travel the world on this surreal journey through the imagination of renowned artist Nancy Peña (Madame Cat), whose gorgeous style is inspired by Japanese painting.

As the twins learn more about the Communion, and themselves, they begin to hatch a plan to avenge their family and retake their royal home. While Hawke wants to return to his old life, Grayce struggles to keep the threads of her new life from unraveling, and realizes she wants to stay in the one place that will allow her to finally live as a girl.
This title will be simultaneously available in hardcover.

A New York Times Notable book! One of Barack Obama's favorite books of 2022! Winner of Canada Reads 2023!

"An exceptionally beautiful book about loneliness, labor, and survival."--Carmen Maria Machado

Before there was Kate Beaton, New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark! A Vagrant, there was Katie Beaton of the Cape Breton Beaton, specifically Mabou, a tight-knit seaside community where the lobster is as abundant as beaches, fiddles, and Gaelic folk songs. With the singular goal of paying off her student loans, Katie heads out west to take advantage of Alberta's oil rush--part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can't find it in the homeland they love so much. Katie encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands, where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet is never discussed.

Beaton's natural cartooning prowess is on full display as she draws colossal machinery and mammoth vehicles set against a sublime Albertan backdrop of wildlife, northern lights, and boreal forest. Her first full length graphic narrative, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people.

Giggle your way to sweet and silly dreams! A simple goodnight routine turns marvelously madcap in this cleverly rhymed picture book. Instead of settling down to sleep, Dad bakes bread, Mom fixes the roof, and Grandma plays cards with a ghost. And between the dog, the cat, Sister, and Brother, there's at least three different wars being waged! A modern classic perfect for read-aloud fun and bedtime alike.

- A wildly fun read-aloud book for families
- A laugh-out-loud book perfect for any child who struggles with getting ready for bed
- Written by the lead singer of the Decemberists, the silly and clever rhymes make Everyone's Awake fun for both parent and child.

Fans of Goodnight Already and Dinosaur vs Bedtime will find Everyone's Awake to be a perfect path to a good night's sleep.

- Children's books for kids ages 5-8
- Family read-aloud oboks
- Books for bedtime

Colin Meloy is the lead singer and songwriter of The Decemberists, and the author of several children's books, including the New York Times bestselling Wildwood series. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Shawn Harris is an artist and musician who lives in California's Mojave Desert. He is the illustrator of several award-winning children's books including Her Right Foot and What Can a Citizen Do?

The City Enduring, a booming metropolis at the edge of the universe, hasn't experienced a violent crime in generations. The Emotion Exploit has erased its citizens' full range of feelings, allowing three resident races to overlook their turbulent history and coexist peacefully--until now.

Rookie Green Lantern Sojourner "Jo" Mullein is still adjusting to her assignment to protect this strange world when a brutal murder rattles its social order, threatening to undo centu r ies of controversia l pro gress . As the populace rises up against the legacy of the Emotion Exploit and leaders grapple for power under threat of a new war, Jo must rely on her unique instincts--as a Green Lantern and the only human in this sector--to solve the crime and guide the City Enduring toward a more promi sing future.

Hugo Award-winning author N.K. Jemisin joins bestselling Naomi artist Jamal Campbell in the Eisner Award-nominated sci-fi murder mystery Far Sector, collecting all 12 issues, concept art and character designs, and an introduction by Gerard Way.

Award-winning author and artist Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in Flamer, his debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love.

"This book will save lives." --Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author of National Book Award Finalist Hey, Kiddo

I know I'm not gay. Gay boys like other boys. I hate boys. They're mean, and scary, and they're always destroying something or saying something dumb or both.

I hate that word. Gay. It makes me feel . . . unsafe.

It's the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone's going through changes--but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can't stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.

Godwin Books

In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia's intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears.

Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity--what it means and how to think about it--for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.

"It's also a great resource for those who identify as nonbinary or asexual as well as for those who know someone who identifies that way and wish to better understand." -- SLJ (starred review)