Brought to you by Sourcebooks Young Readers

From the team that created the bestselling graphic novel, ILLEGAL. WAR tells the story of two young people, Kat and Adam, whose lives are impacted by the effects of war. When her city is invaded, Kat suddenly finds her life ripped apart, her family divided, and her father taken captive. Adam has been forcibly conscripted into the invading army. When their worlds collide, can they trust each other long enough to win freedom for Kat’s father? WAR is not a story about any one specific war. It is a story about the effects of each and every war on the most vulnerable group of people in the world—children.

Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

This National Book Award Finalist graphic memoir by Jarrett J. Krosoczka blends a muted color palette and powerful images to create a moving portrait of Jarrett’s youth. Krosoczka draws readers into his childhood growing up with a mother struggling with a substance abuse disorder and an absent father. Jarrett’s grandpa assumes legal custody of him when he turns three, and from there, he’s raised by his grandparents. Despite the challenges he faces, Jarrett digs into how he finds hope and healing through his art.

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha

Robin Ha’s poignant graphic memoir received several award nominations, including a Walter Dean Myers Award nomination. In Seoul, Robin and her mother face stigma and ostracization as a household with a single parent. Things take a turn when Robin’s mother moves them to Alabama and gets married. As teen Robin struggles to fit in with her new life, she shares a heart-wrenching window into the loneliness, grief, and racism she faced as an immigrant. Like Jarrett in Hey, Kiddo (above), Robin begins to find herself again through her art. This beautiful graphic memoir will touch all who read it.

Living With Viola by Rosena Fung

Written by Rosena Fung, this heartfelt graphic novel is based on Fung’s own experiences with anxiety and growing up as the daughter of Chinese immigrant parents in Canada. As Livy navigates being the new girl at school, she also tries to cope with Viola, the name she’s given to the anxiety that follows her everywhere. Fung does an excellent job of personifying Livy’s anxiety while also drawing readers into her healing journey as she meets with a therapist and learns new strategies to help her. This graphic novel received nominations for Canadian book awards, including the Ontario Library Association’s Silver Birch Award.

Curlfriends: New in Town by Sharee Miller

Sharee Miller’s NAACP Image Award-nominated graphic novel explores several relatable big topics for tweens and teens, including being the new kid in school, navigating peer pressure, making friends, and finding yourself. As Charlie starts middle school, she tries to change so she’ll fit in with the other kids at her school and make new friends. When she meets a group of Black girls called the Curlfriends, who are all very different from each other, Charlie discovers that maybe she can be herself and still feel like she belongs.

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

This Lambda Literary Award nominee by Trung Le Nguyen intertwines fairy tales with contemporary themes involving family dynamics, coming out, and identity. Tiến is the son of Vietnamese immigrants, and while he loves his family, he’s trying to figure out how to tell them he’s gay. As Tiến and his mother bond over fairy tales, he begins to find ways to connect their beloved stories to his own experiences and draw upon them for the right words to share who he truly is.

First Crush by Cassandra Calin

This delightful graphic novel is the second book in her New Girl series. It follows the relatable ups and downs of developing a crush on someone and navigating someone crushing on you. The protagonist, Lia, also deals with painful periods, bringing representation and empathy to a common topic that’s not discussed enough. As Lia catches feelings for Julien in the magazine club, she tries to figure out if he likes her back, all while not realizing her own friend Wan Yin may be falling for her, too!

Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Illustrated by Gabriela Epstein

Christina Diaz Gonzalez’s touching bilingual graphic novel promises Breakfast Club vibes while digging into big topics like making friends, facing racism, and reflecting on the experiences of the unhoused. As Latine students Jorge, Sara, Dayara, Miguel, and Nico meet in the cafeteria to work on school community service hours, they initially feel they have nothing in common, despite the administration’s belief that they do. When they meet an unhoused mother and her daughter, though, they band together to help them. Among the comics accolades is the CYBILS Award for Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels.