Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel

Written by: Hope Larson. 

First line: It was a dark and stormy night.

Why you should read this book: The Newbury-winning A Wrinkle in Time is one of the great classic science fiction stories for children, so impactful and heartfelt, fantastical in nature and yet eminently believable, but I notice it doesn't often get checked out from my library, so when I saw this adaptation, I thought perhaps it would direct kids back toward the novel. I'm ordinarily skeptical of graphic adaptations, but this one is executed with obvious love and respect and remains faithful to the source material but also shines with its own light and life as a complete, standalone work. The blue, black, and white illustrations (somehow so perfect for a story about fighting darkness) depict intense emotions and strange phenomena with simple but perfect lines.

Why you shouldn't read this book: All graphic adaptations have the effect of speeding the story up immensely (might not be a downside for some readers). 

All Is Nat Lost

Written by: Maria Scrivan First line: Hi, I'm Natalie! My class is learning about American independence so, Midway Middle School is taking a trip to Philadelphia Why you should read this book: Nat really wants to join her class for an overnight trip to Philadelphia, but her parents worry so much about whether she's responsible that she's afraid they won't let her go especially after she loses her bike. When they finally agree, Nat is overjoyed, and everything seems to be going well until she loses her phone and she and her friend lose the rest of the group! Now it's Nat and Flo in the big city, frantically trying to complete the scavenger hunt and find their way back to the rest of their class.

Why you shouldn't read this book: I imagine there is a species of parent that would lose their minds over a story about two pre-adolescent girls who get lost in a big city and not only does nothing bad happen to them, things work out pretty well.

Garlic and the Vampire

Written by: Bree Paulsen

First line: I tried to wake you so it's your fault if you're late today. 

Why you should read this book: Garlic, an anthropomorphic vegetable given life by Witch Agnes along with numerous other fruit and vegetable folks, is clumsy and anxious but dedicated to her work: providing garlic to the people of the village. One day, chaos and terror arrives in the form of a vampire inhabiting an ancient castle in the woods, and the other vegetables decide that Garlic, who naturally repels vampires, must go into the woods to investigate. Can Garlic overcome her fear and anxiety and defeat an enemy whose name strikes fear into her heart in this cozy tale of unearned terror? 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's a little bit silly, even for a children's vampire story.

The Days Are Just Packed

Written by: Bill Watterson

First line: MOMMM

Why you should read this book: If you find yourself yearning for a simpler era, one in which the entire country was rallied around the philosophical musings of an impulsive six-year-old and his more mature but equally prone to chaos tiger companion, perhaps it's time to revisit the magical world of Calvin and Hobbes. This collection from the early '90s has it all: dissociative daydreams, rhyming verse, Calvin harassing his father, Calvin harassing his mother, Calvin harassing his teacher, and, of course, Calvin harassing the little girl next door. Just all around late twentieth century joy from a time where everyone consumed the same media and people felt OK about little children reading the news.

Why you shouldn't read this book: This work is not to be consumed by authoritarians. 

The New Girl

Written by: Cassandra Calin

First line: Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport Otopeni, Romania

Why you should read this book: Leaving her grandparents and all her friends behind in Romania to start a new life in Montreal when she doesn't even speak French is hard enough, but Lia hasn't even gotten on the plane when nature throws another wrench in her plans: Lia gets her first period in the airport, and seems destined for monthly debilitation. Even though she's in a special language class where nobody else speaks French either, Lia feels lost, lonely, and increasingly frustrated with her inability to communicate with the people around her, along with her regular menstrual difficulties, which are also impacting her social life. But, in time, she does learn French, and she does make really good friends, and she does find ways to make her monthly flow less incredibly traumatic. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you're the kind of person who flips out at the very thought of menstruation, be aware that Lia just keeps getting her period throughout the book. 

It Won't Always Be Like This

Written by: Malaka Gharib 

First line: Ugh, how lame!

Why you should read this book: Malaka's already out of her element visiting her father in Egypt, where she barely speaks the language, and she doesn't appreciate the fact that he's only telling her about her new stepmother as she's on the doorstep of his house. Who is this strange woman who has captivated her father's attention and how does Malaka fit into her father's world now that he has a new wife? Throughout the years and across the continent, Malaka learns about Hala, and comes to love her, and embrace her as part of her family, and then finally comes to understand her own place in her father's family. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You have very strong feelings about head scarves.

Fresh Start

Written by: Gale Galligan

First line: You thought you had a plan, your life was set in stone...but then you made a tiny friend who taught you how to grow. 

Why you should read this book: Weird, gender-nonconforming kid Ollie Herisson is the daughter of a diplomat, so she's never taken friendship seriously, because her family moves every two years, and so do most of the kids she meets at international schools, so she never expects those relationships to mean anything. With this mindset, she really hurts her best friend on the last day of school in Germany, and she doesn't make a great impression on the first day of school in America. Then her parents tell her that they've decided to stay in one place until she and her sister finish school, and now she has to reexamine her entire belief system, including her prejudices about the kids she meets, and her relationship with her cultural heritage, and the way she interacts with her sister, along with how she thinks about anime, cosplay, storytelling, and apologies.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think anime, cosplay, and friends are stupid. 

Speechless

Written by: Aron Nels Steinke

First line: Mira? Mira, is everything OK?

Why you should read this book: Mira suffers from selective mutism: she has no trouble expressing herself at home--she spends hours creating original animations and uploading them to the internet--but she's never been able to speak out loud in school. It doesn't help that her former best friend Chloe has become her biggest bully and is also living in her house and kissing up to her mom. But Mira manages to make one friend who's willing to work around her disabilities, and a new therapist who sees her and understands what she's going through, and suddenly she's expressing herself all over the place. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think children should be seen and not heard. 

Super Boba Cafe

Written by: Nidhi Chanani

First line: OHMYGODTHISISHOWIDIEOHGODDDTHEWATERAH

Why you should read this book: Aria's excited to spend the summer with Nainai, her grandmother, and determined to put her sleepy little neighborhood boba cafe on the map by leveraging the power of kittens and social media, but her plan is too good. The shop is suddenly, virally successful, making it hard to ignore some of the Nainai's more peculiar behavior, especially the way she vanishes every night into her secret kitchen. Aria is determined to uncover Nainai's secret, and then, when she realizes the seriousness of her grandmother's secret work, to find a way to make life easier for her heroic grandmother. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't care if California falls into the ocean. 

Nana & Kaoru Volume 6

Written by: Ryuta Amazume

First line: Is my mom really...DEAD?

Why you should read this book: Kaoru's mom is not really dead, but she does manage to guilt trip him into moving to Okinawa, and he justifies his abandonment of Nana because she's going to leave him for university anyway, so what's the point of torturing himself for another year? In Okinawa, he finds that his skills as a ropemaster are in high demand, and he enjoys a scene with his favorite fetish model before realizing that BDSM, for him, is inextricably entangled with his emotions for Nana; meanwhile, Nana realizes that she can't live without Kaoru. She travels to Okinawa twice to salvage their relationship, which still seems undecided until the (very) satisfying (but somewhat unbelievable) climax of the story, after which the young couple agree that whatever the future holds, they will make their decisions together. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't really understand BDSM.

Nana & Kaoru Volume 5

Written by: Ryuta Amazume

First line: "Zero points"? What" What does he mean?

Why you should read this book: Forced to confront their emotions by a crotchety old leather master, Nana and Kaoru both acknowledge their bond and the symbolic nature of a collar to keep them tied together, after which Kaoru makes Nana a bespoke collar, with love, leading to a fun, full-circle encounter in the field where he first took her after her first collaring. There's a fun sequence where Tachi and Mitsuko top Kaoru in the basement of the bondage shop (deepening his relationship with Nana), after which we get a very different story about a couple in their twenties, toying with BDSM to save their relationship, who are both advised with great perspicacity by the now wise in the ways of kink teenagers Kaoru and Nana. But the book ends with the main characters once again being forced to confront the fact that they have only a year of high school left, and there are no guarantees in life, because loved ones can disappear in an instant. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: This one actually has sex in it, but, due to Japanese censorship laws, the male genitals are drawn as magic markers.

Frizzy

Written by: Claribel A Ortega and Rose Bousamra

First line: 

Why you should read this book: Ever since she was little, Marlene has been subject to the painful and weekly humiliation of having her textured hair straightened at the salon, but no matter what she does, she can't seem to keep her hair "presentable" according to her family's expectations. It doesn't help that some of her Latino family are white and she is constantly being compared to those with naturally straight hair, or that nobody even talks about how racism is impacting her self-image. Can Marlene find the secret to keeping her curly hair curly without being attacked for how she looks?

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're the perfect cousin everyone else in your family is being told to be more like. 

Speak Up!

Written by: Rebecca Burgess

First line: A new day, a new planet to explore.

Why you should read this book: Mia has autism, and she's struggling with bullies and sensory issues at school, and only her best friend, Charlie (who goes to a different school) knows her secret: that she is the singer and songwriter for the internet sensation, Elle-Q. Mia's mom is desperate for her to learn how to "fit in" by making prolonged eye contact, while Charlie is pushing Mia to take Elle-Q to the next level (a live performance for all their virtual fans), both of which feel impossible to Mia. Hardly anyone seems to realize all the thoughts Mia has inside her; saying them out loud is hard, but if she can't figure out how to express herself, nobody will ever know.

Why you shouldn't read this book: I personally found it very difficult to read the mom's recommendations, which sound exactly like something you'd read in a pop psychology book for parents of autistic children, written by neurotypical people who torture autistic children for a living. 

Bad Dreams in the Night

Written by: Adam Ellis 

First line: My favorite movie as a kid is something nobody seems to have heard of. 

Why you should read this book: A collection of short horror stories presented in comic format, this book runs the gamut from creepy to horrifying, touching on various subgenres, putting new twists on old stories and probably showcasing the author's own fear. There's sci-fi horror, gothic horror, true crime horror, and just weird horror. Nothing too graphic, they're mostly chilling and atmospheric, sometimes touching or even comedic, but also spooky.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Some of it is a bit gruesome. 

Nana & Kaoru volume 1

Written by: Ryuta Amazume

First line: Show me the back, too.

Why you should read this book: Kaoru is a perverted slacker who spends most of his time and money on BDSM porn and Nana is the student council top-of-the-class overachiever, the object of Kaoru's fantasy and completely out of his league. When the guidance counselor tells Nana she needs to relax on the same day that Nana finds the bondage costume Kaoru bought in her exact size, the two embark on a personal journey of growth through fetish, with loser Kaoru developing confidence as a master and Nana finding release from stress through their depraved "breathers." This is a sweet, softcore BDSM romance.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're offended by how other people get off. 

The Tryout

Written by: Christina Soontornvat and Joanna Cacao

First line: Breathe... Just breathe...

Why you should read this book: This is a memoir that recounts the trauma of the author's experience. As one of two students of color in her suburban school, Christina has more than the usual reservations about starting middle school, but when she and her best friend Megan decide to try out for the cheerleading squad, she begins to develop a little optimism and self-esteem. Cheerleading is a lot of work, and as she trains, Christina starts to feel Megan slipping away from her, even as she develops a greater understanding of her own cultural heritage and her parents' struggles as a mixed-race couple. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think more things ought to be popularity contests. 

American Terrorist

Written by: Tyler and Wendy Chin-Tanner and Andy MacDonald

First line: We're here. Everyone out.

Why you should read this book: Frighteningly prescient, relevant, and meaningful, this is modern and believable story of four ordinary American professionals--a lawyer, a schoolteacher, a scientist, and a journalist--who are branded as terrorists and outcasts for little more than wanting to speak truth to power. Owen is simply reporting on the stories that mainstream media outlets aren't interested in sharing when Hannah and Shannon, both troubled by the realization that the corporations they trusted have no honor and no concern for them, enter his life, and the three run to Michael for help. Realizing they can never clear their names or return to their old lives, they embark on a grass roots campaign of truth-telling and truth-revealing that have the power to create change in the only way that remains to them.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think companies care about you. 

Girls with Slingshots Volume 2

Written by: Daniel Corsetto

First line: She slammed into Thea's life at a roller derby bout and it was love at first collision. 

Why you should read this book: Volume 2 contains the second 1000 comics of this complete series, and begins to focus more seriously on the issues that were hinted at in volume 1: that everybody needs to grow up sooner or later, or else they will end up very lonely and unfulfilled. While Jamie works out her situation with Erin, Hazel loses Zack because she doesn't want to take the responsibility for life that Zack is seeking in a romantic partner. Although it's still fun and funny, things get real, with other characters moving in more adult phases of their life, eventually prodding Hazel to start thinking about her past, and the events that led to her character formation and her assumptions about the world.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't see why you should have to change when the world could just accommodate your desire for great sex and a cool apartment. 

Girls with Slingshots Volume 1

Written by: Daniel Corsetto

First line: If you've read Girls with Slingshots, you know that the classy exterior of these books encases a collection of dick and fart jokes (although not enough of either IMO), stories featuring a potty-mouthed cactus, Clarice the dominatrix flinging a dildo at her coworker's head, Hazel counting used condoms in the trash can to recall a drunken one-night stand, the death and resurrection of a gassy, deranged cat, the physically impossible game of Strip Laser Tag, lesbian sex in the employee's break room, hangovers, STDs, and a lot of puking.

Why you should read this book: Volume one contains the first 1000 comics (plus some new bonus comics) of this complete web series about a group of friends navigating their twenties and questions of sex, love, employment, housing. Hazel Tellington and her best friend Jamie McJack, along with a huge cast of characters (including cats and talking houseplants) drink, love, learn, and do all the insane things that cartoon young adults can get away with. In this volume, Hazel begins her writing career and falls in love with a cabdriver named Zack, while Jamie unpacks her complicated sexuality and falls for the asexual Erin. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're judgy about drinking and promiscuity. 

Camp

Written by: Kayla Miller

First line: Olive! Earth to Olive! Are you listening?

Why you should read this book: Olive is excited about all the new activities she'll try and all the new friends she and Willow will make at overnight camp, but she doesn't anticipate that Willow is going to reject new experiences and demand that Olive serve as her emotional support human all summer! Olive does everything she can think of to help Willow feel safe and comfortable, but it's never enough, and when Willow won't even let Olive dance one dance with one boy, unthinkable words are said, and unthinkable actions are performed. How can Olive, who is friends with everyone, fix a problem that is caused by one of her friends not wanting her to be friends with everyone?

Why you shouldn't read this book: You still have unresolved trauma from an overnight camp you attended in the twentieth century.