Katie's Picks
Day 1
Gotta get up. Gotta keep moving. This map - it says I have to cross over here. Wait, what's that...? And so begins a graphic novel story unlike any other: 49 Days. In Buddhist tradition, a person must travel for forty-nine days after they die, before they can fully cross over. Here in this book, readers travel with one Korean American girl, Kit, on her journey, while also spending time with her family and friends left behind. Agnes Lee has captivated readers across the world for years with her illustrations for the New York Times Metropolitan Diary. Her debut graphic novel is an unforgettable story of death, grief, love, and how we keep moving forward.P R A I S E ★ "49 Days is an unusual, profoundly moving graphic novel whose elegance belies its complexity and whose emotional impact only grows upon rereading."
--BookPage (starred) ★ "A gorgeous, resonating, even mystical creation with little text, overflowing with unsaid feelings... Gently, nudgingly, Lee brilliantly intertwines the past, present, and future."
--Booklist (starred) ★ "A moving portrayal of mortality and its aftermath."
--Kirkus (starred) "Middle and high school readers will relate to the universal experiences of love, loss, and family tradition."
--School Library Journal "Expressive, fluid...an exemplar of what it means to trust the audience."
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "A deeply moving exploration of life after death, making peace with regret and life's inevitabilities, and learning how to move on."
--Publishers Weekly
Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn't kidding about the "Forever" part . . .
Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who's been dead for a century. Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend--even a ghost--is just what she needs. Or so she thinks.Spooky, sardonic, and secretly sincere, Anya's Ghost is a wonderfully entertaining debut graphic novel from author/artist Vera Brosgol. This title has Common Core connections. Anya's Ghost is a 2011 Kirkus Best Teen Books of the Year title.
One of School Library Journal's Best Fiction Books of 2011.
One of Horn Book's Best Fiction Books of 2011.
Winner of the 2012 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Young Adults (Ages 12-17)
Good night, Elephant. It's bedtime at the zoo, and all the animals are going to sleep. Or are they? Who's that short, furry guy with the key in his hand and the mischievous grin? Good night, Giraffe.
Good night, Hyena. Sneak along behind the zookeeper's back, and see who gets the last laugh in this riotous good-night romp. Also available in Spanish as Buenos noches, Gorila. Look for Peggy Rathmann's other lively favorites 10 Minutes Till Bedtime and The Day the Babies Crawled Away.
"Turns with the unpredictable intensity of a dream." -- FOREWORD (Starred Review)
"An offbeat quest wrapped up in dark fantasy." -- BOOKLIST
"An unmissable addition to the pantheon of adult fantasy literature." -- BROKEN FRONTIER
An anonymous parcel delivery boy arrives at a sprawling, chaotic mansion, in search of The Resident, who must sign for the package he bears, but this isn't nearly as simple a task as it should be. The mansion hosts an endless, frenzied party, and the partygoers impede his every step. As the quest takes him further into the dripping, black bowels of the labyrinthine house, his mission galvanizes into his single purpose for existence, and his determination to find The Resident may well prove his undoing.
A phantasmagoric dark fantasy unlike anything you've ever explored before, from the wild imagination behind RICE BOY and THE HARROWING OF HELL.
Akiko Miyakoshi returns with a beguiling, quietly magical appreciation of life's little pleasures.
Little Shrew is diligent in all parts of life. He's a hard worker and follows a strict schedule from morning to night. But even a life that runs like clockwork can be filled with unexpected pockets of joy, such as solving a puzzle for the very first time, enjoying the scent of freshly baked bread, seeing the vast beauty of a shimmering blue ocean or delighting in a visit with friends.
This collection of three short stories -- perfect for emerging readers -- is illustrated in Miyakoshi's signature soft monochrome palette with pops of color. The charming tales celebrate enduring friendships, dreams for the future and the little pleasures that make everyday life more meaningful.
Unrequited love, underage drinking, and teen angst rule at a high school for mutants and witches
The New York Times and New Yorker illustrator Jillian Tamaki is best known for co-creating the award-winning young adult graphic novels Skim and This One Summer--moody and atmospheric bestsellers. SuperMutant Magic Academy, which she has been serializing online for the past four years, paints a teenaged world filled with just as much ennui and uncertainty, but also with a sharp dose of humor and irreverence. Tamaki deftly plays superhero and high-school Hollywood tropes against what adolescence is really like: The SuperMutant Magic Academy is a prep school for mutants and witches, but their paranormal abilities take a backseat to everyday teen concerns.Science experiments go awry, bake sales are upstaged, and the new kid at school is a cat who will determine the course of human destiny. In one strip, lizard-headed Trixie frets about her nonexistent modeling career; in another, the immortal Everlasting Boy tries to escape this mortal coil to no avail. Throughout it all, closeted Marsha obsesses about her unrequited crush, the cat-eared Wendy. Whether the magic is mundane or miraculous, Tamaki's jokes are precise and devastating.
SuperMutant Magic Academy has won two Ignatz Awards. This volume combines the most popular content from the webcomic with a selection of all-new, never-before-seen strips that conclude Tamaki's account of life at the academy.