Summer Reading 2021: Graphic Novels & Graphic Nonfiction

The ongoing struggle for women's rights has spanned human history, touched nearly every culture on Earth, and encompassed a wide range of issues, such as the right to vote, work, get an education, own property, exercise bodily autonomy, and beyond. This book covers the key figures and events that have advanced women's rights from antiquity to the modern era, and illuminates the progressive movements led by women that have shaped history, including abolition, suffrage, labor, civil rights, LGBTQ liberation, reproductive rights, and more. Comics and graphic novels; Historical comics; History books; Social issues.

Jeremy Heere is your average high school dork. Day after day, he dryly notes the small humiliations that come his way. Until the day he learns about the "squip." A pill-sized supercomputer that you swallow, the squip is guaranteed to bring you whatever you most desire in life. By instructing him on everything from what to wear, to how to talk and walk, the squip transforms Jeremy from geek to the coolest guy in class. But Jeremy discovers that there is a dark side to handing over control of your life--and it can have disastrous consequences. Comics and Graphic novels; Science fiction comics.

Gene understands stories – especially comics – but he doesn’t get sports. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men’s varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that’s been decades in the making. Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he’s seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. What he doesn’t know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons’s lives, but his own life as well. Autobiographical comics; Autobiographies and memoirs; Biographies; Comics and Graphic novels; Sports and recreation.

The last week at Scouting camp highlights accomplishments and humiliations that last a lifetime. Aiden, an overweight, biracial (Filipino and white), soon-to-be high schooler, is in his last week of Boy Scout camp in 1995. Each day documents events, from bonding over fireside songs and learning important skills to the micro- and macroaggressions that follow an adolescent boy of color who presents as effeminate and is queer. As the summer progresses, he finds himself with a lot of questions and compounding emotions, culminating in his self-discovery. Comics and Graphic novels; Realistic fiction.

Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can't wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. Morgan has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl. Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn't seem so stifling anymore. But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they're each trying to hide will find its way to the surface...whether Morgan is ready or not. Comics and Graphic novels; Fantasy fiction; LGBTQIA comics.

Sophomores Abby, Brit, Christine, and Sasha are fed up. Hazelton High never has enough tampons. Or pads. Or adults who will listen. Sick of an administration that puts football before female health, the girls confront a world that shrugs--or worse, squirms--at the thought of a menstruation revolution. They band together to make a change. It’s no easy task, but they have each other’s backs. That is, until one of the girls goes rogue, testing the limits of their friendship and pushing the friends to question the power of their own voices. Comics and Graphic novels; Humorous comics; Webcomics.

In the Central African Republic, children grow up in a state of insecurity, poverty, and malnutrition. The 2013 conflict only exacerbated this situation. The Central African Republic has become what many call "a house without windows." Through illustrations and photos, this comic takes you into the heart of this "forgotten crisis." Watch children at work in a diamond mine, observe life in a refugee camp, and meet the street children of Bangui. Comics and graphic novels; History writing; Politics and global affairs.

The daughter of parents with unfulfilled dreams themselves, Malaka navigated her childhood chasing her parents' ideals, learning to code-switch between her family's Filipino and Egyptian customs, adapting to white culture to fit in, crushing on skater boys, and trying to understand the tension between holding onto cultural values and trying to be an all-American kid. Autobiographical comics; Autobiographies and memoirs; Comics and Graphic novels; Life stories; Society and culture.

As Will, fifteen, sets out to avenge his brother Shawn's fatal shooting, seven ghosts who knew Shawn board the elevator and reveal truths Will needs to know. Jason Reynolds's electrifying novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds--the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he's going to murder the guy who killed his brother. African American fiction; Comics and Graphic novels; Realistic fiction.

Real life isn't a fairytale. But Tien still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tien, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through? Is there a way to tell them he's gay? Comics and Graphic novels; Fairy tale and folklore-inspired fiction; LGBTQIA comics.

One summer day, Ren meets Luna at a beachside basketball court and a friendship is born. But when Luna moves to back to Oahu, Ren’s messages to her friend go unanswered. Years go by. Then Luna returns, hoping to rekindle their friendship. Ren is hesitant. She's dealing with a lot, including family troubles, dropping grades, and the newly formed women's basketball team at their high school. With Ren’s new friends and Luna all on the basketball team, the lines between their lives on and off the court begin to blur. During their first season, this diverse and endearing group of teens are challenged in ways that make them reevaluate just who and how they trust. Basketball stories; Comics and Graphic novels; Realistic fiction; Sports fiction.

Megan and Cass grew up joined at the brush. Every year, their families vacationed together in Michigan, where the girls relaxed by the lake and created art - from scribbles as toddlers to sophisticated portraits in their teenage years. Together they grew as artists and friends. The summer after her junior year of high school, Megan arranges to stay with Cass and her mother at their apartment in New York City. The girls begin collaborating on a piece that pushes both of their artistic boundaries, one that will be showcased in a local gallery. But when a secret comes to light and one of them crosses a line, will their friendship be able to survive? Comics and graphic novels; Coming-of-age stories.

Though Nubia is Amazonian, the world won’t accept her as a hero in the same way they do Wonder Woman. Her moms do their best to keep her safe, but Nubia can't deny the fire within her. When her best friend, Quisha, is threatened by a boy who thinks he owns the town, Nubia will risk everything to become the hero society tells her she isn't and to prove she is worthy. Comics and Graphic novels; LGBTQIA+ comics.

In two interwoven timelines, a ragtag crew travels to the deepest reaches of space, rebuilding beautiful, broken structures to piece the past together, and two girls meet in boarding school and fall deeply in love, only to learn the pain of loss. Comics and Graphic novels; Science fiction comics; Webcomics.

Teaming up with fellow misfits in her new hometown, an aspiring young artist fights suburban apathy using rebellious works of art, in a compilation that includes the first two graphic-novel series installments, The Plain Janes and Janes in Love, plus a never-before-seen third story, Janes Attack Back. Comics and graphic novels.

High school seniors Deja and Josiah ("Josie") are working their final shift at the world's corniest pumpkin patch. Josie already misses his days at the patch, while Deja is on a mission to experience as many things as possible on her last night, including eating plenty of Frito pie. Along the way, she wants to yank Josie out of his comfort zone and open up his world—no regrets allowed. Comics and Graphic novels; Realistic fiction.

In this anthology of seven comics essays, author and graphic novelist Nate Powell addresses living in an era of what he calls “necessary protest.” Each essay tracks Powell’s journey from the night of the 2016 election—promising his four-year-old daughter that Trump will never win, to the reality of the Republican presidency, protesting the administration’s policies, and navigating the complications of teaching his children how to raise their own voices in a world that is becoming increasingly dangerous and more and more polarized. Autobiographical comics; Comics and graphic novels; Life stories; Society and culture.

"Speak up for yourself—we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless—an outcast—because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. Through her work on an art project, she is finally able to face what really happened that night: She was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Books to movies; Classics; Comics and Graphic novels; Realistic fiction.

Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It's her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had, completing her summer family. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and Rose and Windy have gotten tangled up in the dangerous activities of older teens. It's a summer of secrets and heartache, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other. Canadian fiction; Comics and Graphic novels.