Great Graphic Novels for Kids

For a couple years now I've wanted to do this list. More than any other request, I have people ask what graphic novels would be suitable for their children. And this is one of the questions I most want to answer. After all, if you spark a child's interest in the medium with good, solid storytelling and non-exploitative narrative, what better chance of converting them to the medium when they're older, right?

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." And all that.

But the problem is: it's a tough question to answer. Part of the reason it's taken me as long as it has to produce even this beginning of a list is that different kids are different kids and different parents are different parents. What I mean by that is that a book suitable to one seven-year-old might be too mature for another ten-year-old. And one parent might find no issue in, say, the rather chaste depictions of violence in Tintin while another might be very concerned with a comics story that makes free use of gunplay.

Basically, any list of recommendations for children will be founded on a list of caveats a mile deep. And really, I don't want to bother with any of that. I just want to recommend some good books.

The Rules

Still: we've got to start somewhere and I do want to make this list as widely useful as possible. So with that, here's what I'll propose.

I'll divide this into four categories: comics for 1) pre-k, 2) lower elementary, 3) upper elementary, and 4) junior high.11Ideally, I'll later add in recommendations for high schoolers as well. I feel less of a rush here because many high schoolers can read most of the books that I regularly recommend to adults. These categories won't be a perfect fit for any particular child save for the one existing in my imagination. My daughter's only three and I'm told my taste in reading in elementary school was... precocious.

So with that in mind, parents will want to take my recommendations and run them through whatever filters govern their own households and mindsets.

Reading to Kids

Obviously, reading to kids can make far more advanced books accessible to a younger set. I'm currently reading Bone to my three-year-old daughter (I wrote this sentence in 2012!). It's an epic fantasy adventure with themes meant for more mature readers. There's a lot of danger and several notable deaths. There're limbs lost and even a tongue gets clawed off. Left to her own, the story would probably give her nightmares. But because I am reading it to her, I can control somewhat how she'll interpret elements. I don't lie to her and pretend the dead people are just sleeping, but I help her not to dwell overlong on those things and I play up the humour in other spots and am able to help her identify with the book's heroes.

So if you see a good book in a more mature category, don't feel as if it's out of reach necessarily. Just play a part in your child's discovery of that book. You'll probably both have a lot of fun.

A Final Note to Parents

Don't treat graphic novels as a gateway drug to get kids to read "real books." Comics are a medium of their own and while there's some crossover appeal, your goal should be to inculcate in your children an appreciation for quality in our cultural artifacts. If they get the bug for good comics, they may well begin pursuing the most literary and worthwhile of the medium—just as if they caught the bug for good novels, they'd be likely to pursue the literary giants of eras past and present.

Graphic novels have their own things to say and their own way of saying those things. Enjoy them for what they are and seek out the stuff that challenges you and your children to grow in empathy, understanding, and knowledge.

Also, fun stuff is fine too!

Table of Contents

Pre-K Recommendations (Age 5 and Under)

Chi's Sweet Home

Created by: Konami Kanata

ISBN: 1942993161 (Amazon)

4 vols

Genre: Adventure, cats

Man, my kids loved these when they were young and all through lower elementary school. A kitten gets separated from his mother and is quickly adopted by a young family. The books involve Chi getting involved in scrapes, discovering new things, and trying to figure out where his other family is.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Apart from the initial peril of going missing, Chi's Sweet Home is a genial, light-hearted affair.

Owly

Created by: Andy Runton

ISBN: 1891830627 (Amazon)

Pages: 160

Genre: Adventure

Read the Review

The Owly books feature adorable, almost wordless stories about Owly (a sometimes lonely owl) and the various friends he/she makes in the forest. Books seem themed about vaguely moral lessons on fear, hope, love, etc. Wonderful books for non-readers to learn visual storytelling.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: No concerns here.

Korgi

Created by: Christian Slade

ISBN: 1891830902 (Amazon)

Pages: 80

Genre: Fantasy

Korgi is also wordless and portrays a fantasy world featuring an adorable village of "fox-like" creatures—who actually strongly resemble Welsh Corgis. They go on adventures and wander and are cute.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Korgi enters a dark place where troll-type creatures live. Some small, adventure-style danger.

The Secret of the Stone Frog

Created by: David Nytra

ISBN: 1935179187 (Amazon)

Pages: 80

Genre: Fantasy

The Secret of the Stone Frog is pretty much wordless. Two young siblings follow a path and then get off the path, leading to dreamlike, Nemo-esque adventures.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Some danger to the children. Large bees.

Long Tail Kitty

Created by: Lark Pien

ISBN: 1934706442 (Amazon)

Pages: 51

Genre: Adventure

Long-Tail Kitty features easygoing episodic romps through Long-Tail Kitty's town, where the feline meets new friends and experiences new things. Awash with simple joy.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Not really much anything of concern to most parents.

Mr. Wuffles!

Created by: David Wiesner

ISBN: 0618756612 (Amazon)

Pages: 32

Genre: Adventure

Mr. Wuffles! is an excellent nearly wordless story about intergalactic friendship in the face of a common foe. It emphasizes shared goals and culture and the memory of good friends gone. I'd describe it as being like Shaun Tan's The Arrival but for young kids. So much great detail in every page.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: A cat that wants to eat the miniature alien protagonists. Also, aliens (if you run a decidedly anti-alien household).

Alison and Her Rainy Day Robot by Fred Chao

Created by: Fred Chao

ISBN: ? (Buyolympia)

Pages: 64

Genre: Fantasy

Alison is bored and so, with the help of a monkey and some penguins, she builds a robot to help her have SO MUCH FUN until the sun comes back out. Only the robot only wants to do boring things, like clean up Alison's room or make a gazpacho.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: None at all.

Guinea Pig: Pet Shop Private Eye

Created by: Colleen AF Venable

ISBN: 0761354794 (Amazon)

Pages: 46

Genre: Detective/Comedy

Has words. There are so far six books in the Guinea Pig: Pet Shop Private Eye series. The title is ambidextrous, with Sasspants (the guinea pig) removing the G from Pig in the title, rendering it Guinea PI (of course, PI is short for Private Eye). The stories are funny and have simple mysteries to solve and are filled with amusing characters. The reading level's probably around what's appropriate for second graders, but the stories are enjoyable for kids much younger.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: None at all..

Johnny Boo: The Best Little Ghost in the World

Created by: James Kochalka

ISBN: 1603090134 (Amazon)

Pages: 40

Genre: Adventure

Read the Review

Has words. Johnny Boo is an inconsequential, though fun, story of a happy-go-lucky ghost and his miniature ghostly friend Squiggle. They do little more than pal around excitedly. If anything, it's a story of friendship and learning how to relate to others.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Not really much anything of concern to most parents.

Monkess the Homunculus

Created by: Seth T. Hahne (this is me)

ISBN: 0692445633 (Amazon)

Pages: 48

Genre: Adventure

Watch the book being read

Has words. Monkess the Homunculus features a 100-year-old little girl who was created by scientists in the South Pacific and is functionally immortal. She meets a puffin and they become best friends.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Monkess encounters dangerous things like lava and a tsunami, but her invulnerable nature make these events opportunities for play rather than moments of terror. There is the barest allusion to the fact that, time being what it is, the scientists who created her are no longer alive. On one page, we see a science lab/library with a couple creature skulls on display. (You can see all the pages in the video linked above to determine if these elements will be too much for your children.)

Little Robot

Created by: Ben Hatke

ISBN: 1626720800 (Amazon)

Pages: 144

Genre: Adventure

Has words. But not many. The little robot falls off a truck and is fixed by a socially awkward little girl. They are then pursued by robotic forces sent to recover the little robot. Most everybody ends up being friends.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: The little lost robot is pursued by a scary looking scorpion robot that intends to bring it back to the robot facility BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. There is school-ditching afoot.

Lower Elementary Recommendations (Ages 6–9)

Zita the Spacegirl

Created by: Ben Hatke

ISBN: 1596434465 (Amazon)

3 vols

Genre: Sci Fi Adventure

Read the Review

Special article: "Why I ❤ Zita the Spacegirl"

The Zita books tell the story of a girl who is accidentally sucked to the opposite end of the universe and gradually learns to become brave and selfless and kind of heroic. She is pushed to become a better person first through circumstances, then through example. Delightful and imaginative.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Light violence and danger. Sci-fi zapping.

Bone

Created by: Jeff Smith

ISBN: 188896314X (Amazon)

Pages: 1300

Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Read the Review

Bone is a fantasy epic. Something like Lord of the Rings but with more humour and heart. One of the best graphic novels ever yet made. Gorgeous art and engaging story. I've been reading it to my three-year-old daughter and she adores it.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: As with any good fantasy-epic, amidst the light and hope, there is death, darkness, and the sense that all is lost. The violence though is not gratuitous and serves well the story of a kingdom's struggle to survive against evil forces that would see it doomed.

Chi's Sweet Home

Created by: Konami Kanata

ISBN: 1942993161 (Amazon)

4 vols

Genre: Adventure, cats

Man, my kids loved these when they were young and all through lower elementary school. A kitten gets separated from his mother and is quickly adopted by a young family. The books involve Chi getting involved in scrapes, discovering new things, and trying to figure out where his other family is.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Apart from the initial peril of going missing, Chi's Sweet Home is a genial, light-hearted affair.

Akissi

Created by: Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin

ISBN: 190926301X (Amazon)

Pages: 48

Genre: Daily life and adventures

Akissi is a young girl living in West Africa. The book contains several short vignettes about her daily life and the mischief she gets into. Fun and funny.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Poverty. In the final chapter Akissi gets worms, which children may find gross or funny or both”Akissi herself lands in the final category.

The Shark King

Created by: R. Kikuo Johnson

ISBN: 1935179160 (Amazon)

Pages: 40

Genre: Hawaiian fable

Johnson's short story breathes life into a Hawaiian folk tale about the child of the Shark King, a local demigod.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing objectionable unless you worry about a man who is also a shark or a shark who is also a man. Also, common law marriage to (and bearing the child of) said shark-man man-shark.

Hilda and the Troll / Hilda and the Midnight Giant / Hilda and the Bird Parade / Hilda and the Black Hound

Created by: Luke Pearson

ISBN: 1909263141 (Amazon) / 1907704256 (Amazon) / 1909263060 (Amazon) / 1909263184 (Amazon)

Pages: 24 / 40 / 44 / 64

Genre: Fantasy

Read the Hilda and the Troll Review / Read the Hilda and the Bird Parade

Has words. Hilda is a little girl, precocious and imaginative and good, who lives in the mountains where trolls and giants and other mythical beings live and move freely. These are whimsical stories and a lot of fun. They are short albums and are delightful bedtime reads.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing really. [Update: I had forgotten that a lost giant in the first volume, is confusedly checking a map and says "Damn it."]

Tintin

Created by: Hergé

ISBN: 0316358142 (Amazon)

Pages: 192

Genre: Adventure

I first began reading Tintin in 1st or 2nd grade (by 2nd grade I was definitely trying to get it to count for book reports). Tintin, the unaging, boyish protagonist, is equal parts investigator, adventurer, and target for saps to the head. He gets into wonderful scrapes and manages out of them with panache. The cast of recurring characters is suitably colourful and features a retired (and ornery) sea captain, bumbling twin detectives, a scientist of absent mind and distant ear, and a little white dog that's smarter than everyone but Tintin himself. Each of the recent editions holds three complete Tintin adventures.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: No small amount of (bloodless) gunplay and the occasional death. The sea captain has the mouth of a sailor, but his constant cursing is limited to things of the "Blue blistering barnacles!" variety.

Also, Hergé, writing from Europe in the early-to-mid twentieth century often betrays his culture's common racist perceptions. Apart from the difficult-to-get-ahold of Tintin in the Congo though, this is generally confined to portraying non-white ethnicities and non-European cultures through stereotyped lenses. Asians are mysterious and exotic, Indians are mysterious and exotic, Peruvians are mysterious, exotic, and prone to fearing eclipses. Etc. It's simultaneously distasteful and understandable (once one remembers the cultural circumstance in which Hergé lived). While the author began to recant of his worst offenses, these are still troublesome moments for parents to keep in mind.

Guinea Pig: Pet Shop Private Eye

Created by: Colleen AF Venable

ISBN: 0761354794 (Amazon)

Pages: 46

Genre: Detective/Comedy

Has words. There are so far six books in the Guinea Pig: Pet Shop Private Eye series. The title is ambidextrous, with Sasspants (the guinea pig) removing the G from Pig in the title, rendering it Guinea PI (of course, PI is short for Private Eye). The stories are funny and have simple mysteries to solve and are filled with amusing characters. The reading level's probably around what's appropriate for second graders, but the stories are enjoyable for kids much younger.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: None at all..

Monkess the Homunculus

Created by: Seth T. Hahne (this is me)

ISBN: 0692445633 (Amazon)

Pages: 48

Genre: Adventure

Watch the book being read

Has words. Monkess the Homunculus features a 100-year-old little girl who was created by scientists in the South Pacific and is functionally immortal. She meets a puffin and they become best friends.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Monkess encounters dangerous things like lava and a tsunami, but her invulnerable nature make these events opportunities for play rather than moments of terror. There is the barest allusion to the fact that, time being what it is, the scientists who created her are no longer alive. On one page, we see a science lab/library with a couple creature skulls on display. (You can see all the pages in the video linked above to determine if these elements will be too much for your children.)

Little Robot

Created by: Ben Hatke

ISBN: 1626720800 (Amazon)

Pages: 144

Genre: Adventure

Has words. But not many. The little robot falls off a truck and is fixed by a socially awkward little girl. They are then pursued by robotic forces sent to recover the little robot. Most everybody ends up being friends.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: The little lost robot is pursued by a scary looking scorpion robot that intends to bring it back to the robot facility BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. There is school-ditching afoot.

Leave It to Chance

Created by: James Robison and Paul Smith

ISBN: 1582402531 (Amazon)

Pages: 112

Genre: Supernatural Adventure

Read the Review

The two slim volumes of the Nancy Drew-inspired Leave It to Chance are rollicking, fun adventures in the realm of fantasy and the supernatural. The heroine is a precocious 13-year-old and has a pet dragon.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: The heroine deals with issues such as a deceased mother and a widowed father with outmoded views on the female nature.

Herobear and the Kid

Created by: Mike Kunkel

ISBN: 0972125914 (Amazon)

Pages: 220

Genre: Action Adventure

Kunkel's drawings are a taste of classical animation—only without the movement. The range of expression in his characters is a beauty and they aid his able portrayal of a dynamic kid admirably. Herobear steals flavours from the tired old superhero genre and breathes fresh life into it. A sentimental look at childhood, fantasy, and the importance of familial love.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Other than light violence of the POW-BIF-BAM variety, there is nothing that should be objectionable to most parents.

Uncle Scrooge

Created by: Carl Barks

ISBN: 1606995359 (Amazon)

Pages: 240

Genre: Adventure



Happily, Fantagraphics is republishing collections of Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge stories. I found these in the library when I was in second grade and poured over them despite bearing a childish antipathy toward Disney characters. Barks' tales are fun and inventive.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing I can remember, but it has been thirty years since I read these.

Primates

Created by: Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks

ISBN: 1596438657 (Amazon)

Pages: 144

Genre: Biography, Science, Non-Fiction

Read the Review

Ottaviani and Wicks offer a delightful capsule of the foremost three names in primate ethnology, exploring the scientific work of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing, really.

The Twin Knights

Created by: Osamu Tezuka

ISBN: 1939130018 (Amazon)

Pages: 320

Genre: Fantasy



A princess and prince are separated in infancy by polarized political rivals. The prince grows up in the forest, raised by a deer in the form of an older sister (a deer he hopes to kill as a gift to his older sister). The princess grows up alternating her appearance between that of herself and her lost brother so that the kingdom will not know that the prince is gone. There's some pretty Shakespearean lunacy afoot.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Peril, adventure violence, deaths of main characters, starvation, torture, but done in a Disney-esque manner.

The Kurdles

Created by: Robert Goodin

ISBN: 1606998323 (Amazon)

Pages: 60

Genre: Mundane Fantasy

Read the Review

Sally, a teddy bear, is thrown out the window of a car and into the rain and mud by a bratty little girl. On her way to maybe find home and make sense of her plight, she runs into a grizzled unicorn, a scarecrow (I think), and a pentapus who need her help dealing with their house, which has grown a lovely purple pelt and has begun to sing.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Abandonment, frustration, sarcasm.

Avatar the Last Airbender: The Promise

Created by: Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiro

ISBN: 1616550740 (Amazon)

Pages: 240

Genre: Fantasy



Continuing from the television show's conclusion, Aang the Avatar seeks to maintain harmony in the world after Sozen's defeat. The clash of cultures in new, blended civilizations mean a potential collision between Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Same kind of adventure peril material as found in the television program.

Fairy Tale Comics

Created by: Emily Carroll, Luke Pearson, Los Bros Hernandez, David Mazzucchelli, etc.

ISBN: 1596438231 (Amazon)

Pages: 128

Genre: Fairy tales



An anthology of fairy tales from a handful of cultures, retold by some great comicbook creators. Especially delightful are Emily Carroll's "12 Dancing Princesses," Luke Pearson's "The Boy Who Drew Cats," and Joseph Lambert's "Rabbit Will Not Help."

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Fairy tale violence—e.g., the witch still gets pushed into the oven by Hansel and Gretel.

Marvel's Oz Adaptations

Created by: Eric Shanower and Skottie Young

ISBN: 0785145907 (Amazon)

Pages: 216

Genre: Fantasy

Read the Review

Skottie Young's art helps burst Eric Shanower's adaptations of L. Baum's works into vibrant life. These are fun ways to explore the mythology of Oz.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Only the standard warning that all adventure stories should incur: there are moments of peril, which are of course designed to frighten or otherwise produce anxiety in readers.

Upper Elementary Recommendations (Ages 10–12)

Cleopatra In Space

Created by: Mike Maihack

ISBN: 0545528437 (Amazon)

4+ vols

Genre: adventure, Egyptology, time travel, talking cats

Young Cleopatra”you know, from History”gets sucked far into the future to fight off a conquering alien horde. She's prophesied of course. Only she doesn't really want to. One, because she misses home. Two, because she's kind of a prisoner of the future with no apparent way back. And three, because she's only almost 15. It's a good raucous adventure that, so far, spans four volumes with more on the way.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Light violence and peril and injury and some death and a little kissing and blushing.

Mighty Jack

Created by: Ben Hatke

ISBN: 1626722641 (Amazon)

Pages: 208

Genre: Fable retelling, adventure

Jack trades his mom's car for some beans and while that seems pretty dumb, it makes his little sister happy and makes him popular with the sword-wielding homeschooled archer girl down the street. So it can't all be bad.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Light violence and danger and injury and a little girl being kidnapped by a plant.

Zita the Spacegirl

Created by: Ben Hatke

ISBN: 1596434465 (Amazon)

3 vols

Genre: Sci Fi Adventure

Read the Review

Special article: "Why I ❤ Zita the Spacegirl"

The Zita books tell the story of a girl who is accidentally sucked to the opposite end of the universe and gradually learns to become brave and selfless and kind of heroic. She is pushed to become a better person first through circumstances, then through example. Delightful and imaginative.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Light violence and danger. Sci-fi zapping.

Bone

Created by: Jeff Smith

ISBN: 188896314X (Amazon)

Pages: 1300

Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Read the Review

Bone is a fantasy epic. Something like Lord of the Rings but with more humour and heart. One of the best graphic novels ever yet made. Gorgeous art and engaging story. I've been reading it to my three-year-old daughter and she adores it.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: As with any good fantasy-epic, amidst the light and hope, there is death, darkness, and the sense that all is lost. The violence though is not gratuitous and serves well the story of a kingdom's struggle to survive against evil forces that would see it doomed.

Anne Of Green Gables

Adaptation by: Maraiah Marsden and Breena Thummler

ISBN: 144947960X (Amazon)

Pages: 232

Genre: adaptation, 19th century Canadian orphan fantasy

Anne Of Green Gables is a bright, scattered, fun telling of a classic story. It's enjoyable and heartfelt and the art is unique and whimsical.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Orphan life and the death of Matthew, Anne's foster father.

The Oyster War

Created by: Ben Towle

ISBN: 1620102625 (Amazon)

Pages: 168

Genre: fighting fishermen of the 19th century

A lean crew forms a local navy to ward off oyster pirates in 19th-century Chesapeake Bay. Antics, sneaking, fighting, treasure, and the supernatural ensue.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Violence, death, spooky folklore come to life.

Newsprints

Created by: Ru Xu

ISBN: 0545803128 (Amazon)

Pages: 208

Genre: girl-pretending-to-be-a-boy-in-a-man's-world, adventure, orphans

A young orphan dresses as a boy so she can work as a newsboy. She gets into a tangle involving government shenanigans and the ongoing war. A nice little adventure.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Light violence and peril.

Hilda and the Troll / Hilda and the Midnight Giant / Hilda and the Bird Parade / Hilda and the Black Hound

Created by: Luke Pearson

ISBN: 1909263141 (Amazon) / 1907704256 (Amazon) / 1909263060 (Amazon) / 1909263184 (Amazon)

Pages: 24 / 40 / 44 / 64

Genre: Fantasy

Read the Hilda and the Troll Review / Read the Hilda and the Bird Parade

Has words. Hilda is a little girl, precocious and imaginative and good, who lives in the mountains where trolls and giants and other mythical beings live and move freely. These are whimsical stories and a lot of fun. They are short albums and are delightful bedtime reads.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing really. [Update: I had forgotten that a lost giant in the first volume, is confusedly checking a map and says "Damn it."]

The Lost Boy

Created by: Greg Ruth

ISBN: 0439823323 (Amazon)

192 pages

Genre: Hometown Fantasy, Talking Animals, World-Saving



Read the Review

Gorgeously illustrated story of children saving our world and a world layered just beneath or atop our own. Nate has just moved to the neighbourhood and finds an old reel-to-reel tape recorder that reveals a strange history to the town, a town where just on the edges of one's vision are crickets in top hats riding the backs of dogs, where squirrels beckon, and where monsters lie in wait. Nate hears the recorded history of Walt, a boy from the '60s, and sets out to investigate alongside Tabitha, a town girl who is much more familiar with the situation. Awesome story. Highly recommended.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Fantasy violence and the threat of death. One character falls into a bottomless chasm. It's implied that Walt's father is an abusive drunk.

The Shark King

Created by: R. Kikuo Johnson

ISBN: 1935179160 (Amazon)

Pages: 40

Genre: Hawaiian fable

Johnson's short story breathes life into a Hawaiian folk tale about the child of the Shark King, a local demigod.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing objectionable unless you worry about a man who is also a shark or a shark who is also a man. Also, common law marriage to (and bearing the child of) said shark-man man-shark.

Usagi Yojimbo

Created by: Stan Sakai

ISBN: 0930193881 (Amazon)

Volumes: 26+

Genre: Historical Adventure

Read the Review

Translated, Usagi Yojimbo means "Rabbit Bodyguard." Usagi Yojimbo is a long-running series following the masterless samurai, Usagi, as he traverses the warrior's path seeking enlightenment, adventure, and engagement with the wide world around him (that of feudal Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate, circa A.D 1627). While primarily a story of one rabbit's (all the characters are zoomorphs) adventure through life, UY is also intensely educational of a bygone culture. One of my favourite series of all time.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: It is rare when one of Sakai's stories does not feature death; however, these are handled well and death is not treated flippantly. There is also the matter of an illegitimate child—though the implications of this might be lost on less savvy children and his conception occurs off-camera and by implication alone.

Mouse Guard

Created by: David Petersen

ISBN: 1932386572 (Amazon)

Pages: 192

Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Read the Review

Mouse Guard is gorgeously illustrated and follows various mice (who are members of the guard) through various medieval-style adventures as they protect the realm and their queen from dangers within and without. The battle between a mouse and a snake in the first chapter should win some fans.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Typical adventure violence. Nothing too gruesome. Characters will occasionally die.

Leave It to Chance

Created by: James Robison and Paul Smith

ISBN: 1582402531 (Amazon)

Pages: 112

Genre: Supernatural Adventure

Read the Review

The two slim volumes of the Nancy Drew-inspired Leave It to Chance are rollicking, fun adventures in the realm of fantasy and the supernatural. The heroine is a precocious 13-year-old and has a pet dragon.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: The heroine deals with issues such as a deceased mother and a widowed father with outmoded views on the female nature.

Primates

Created by: Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks

ISBN: 1596438657 (Amazon)

Pages: 144

Genre: Biography, Science, Non-Fiction

Read the Review

Ottaviani and Wicks offer a delightful capsule of the foremost three names in primate ethnology, exploring the scientific work of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing, really.

The Twin Knights

Created by: Osamu Tezuka

ISBN: 1939130018 (Amazon)

Pages: 320

Genre: Fantasy



A princess and prince are separated in infancy by polarized political rivals. The prince grows up in the forest, raised by a deer in the form of an older sister (a deer he hopes to kill as a gift to his older sister). The princess grows up alternating her appearance between that of herself and her lost brother so that the kingdom will not know that the prince is gone. There's some pretty Shakespearean lunacy afoot.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Peril, adventure violence, deaths of main characters, starvation, torture, but done in a Disney-esque manner.

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword/How Mirka Met a Meteorite

Created by: Barry Deutsch

ISBN: 1419706195 (Amazon)

Pages: 144

Genre: Adventure

Mirka (an 11-year-old girl in an insular Orthodox Jewish community) fights bullies, discovers a witch, wrestles a talking pig, honours the Sabbath, confronts a troll, and dreams big dreams. All on her way to obtaining a sword (with which she hopes to one day slay a dragon.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Elements of danger (Mirka nearly drowns but is maybe rescued by the ghost of her dead mother). Violence in the form of fisticuffs and rock-throwing (in confrontation with bullies). Mirka hopes to kill mythical creatures. There is a confrontational relationship between Mirka and her step-mother, but it proves ultimately to be healthy and loving (and actually pretty heart-warming).

Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey

Created by: Nick Bertozzi

ISBN: 1596434511 (Amazon)

Pages: 128

Genre: Biographical sketch

Retells the adventure of Shackleton's failed Endurance expedition, in which (miraculously) no explorer lost his life. An amazing testimony to human fortitude in the face of a lot of bad luck (and quite a bit of good luck).

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Constant threat of death by freezing and starvation. Parents may know ahead of time that all the explorers survive, but young readers likely won't. Also, all the dogs die.

Lewis & Clark

Created by: Nick Bertozzi

ISBN: 1596434503 (Amazon)

Pages: 144

Genre: Biographical sketch

Bertozzi takes the story of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Sacajawea (along with some of their mythos and apocryphal tales) and weaves it into an interesting summary of their trip across the US and hope to find a water passage across the continent. It's good and invites the opportunity for young readers to raise questions at their own speed about some of the shenanigans that go along with the story and era. Why does Clark have a slave that he knew since he was a boy? Why doesn't that slave seek his freedom? Is Lewis crazy? What is that shadow creature he talks to? Why is Sacajawea with that French guy whom she apparently despises? Why won't her people take her back? Do Lewis and Clark really eat dogs? Why was Lewis so drunk as a governor? Wait, *how* did Lewis die? These are all questions that Bertozzi's story prompts but never belabours. It's a good way to approach some dodgy folk doing a pretty heroic kind of a thing.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Threat of danger from environment and conflict with native Americans. Oblique references to slavery, depression, suicide, racism, and Toussaint Charbonneau's abusive captive/captor relationship with Sacajawea. All very oblique, leaving room for young readers to raise the question with their parents if/when they notice those things. Well, oblique save for the racism. The explorer's group is pretty overt in believing the Shoshone, Lakota, Mandan, Arikara, and Chinook are all "savages."

Straford Zoo: Macbeth

Created by: Ian Lendler and Zach Giallongo

ISBN: 1596439157 (Amazon)

Pages: 80

Genre: Shakespeare adaptation

A very funny introduction to the works of Shakespeare for youner readers. The conceit is that at the Stratford Zoo, after the zoo closes (in what looks like a Goodnight Gorilla homage), the animals let themselves out of their cages and perform Shakespeare. In this first volume, the animals take on Macbeth. It's pretty great and readers need have no familiarity with Shakespeare to enjoy (though familiar readers will laugh when they see the Queen played by a leopard scrubbing ferociously at her own spotted fur, saying "Out! Out! Dumb spot!").

Thematic Concerns for Parents: It's Shakespeare's Macbeth, so... murder, betrayal, insanity, pride. All camped up substantially though.

Clan Apis

Created by: Jay Hosler

ISBN: 096772550X (Amazon)

Pages: 158

Genre: Nature Documentary

Absolutely the most engaging documentary on bees I've ever encountered. Holster, well-qualified for the task, crafts a story that follows the life of a single bee, Nyuki, from birth to maturation to timely death—all the while explaining the nuanced and cultured life of the colourful insect.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Again, there are elements of danger and, in the end, the protagonist dies a lonely-yet-fulfilled life.

Tommysaurus Rex

Created by: Doug TenNapel

ISBN: 0545483832 (Amazon)

Pages: 112

Genre: Family Drama

Tommysaurus Rex tells the story of a boy whose only friend, a golden retriever named Tommy, is killed by an errant driver. In order to remedy his abiding depression over his loss, his parents ship him off to grandfather's farm for sage advice, hard work, and a surprise discovery: a tyrannosaurus that would like to be his pet. A fun, warm, sad, and hopeful story.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: As any story themed around the loss of a loved one, this tale does feature death—yet does so in most cases tenderly. Death is real and must be dealt with, even for children, and TenNapel shows us one positive way. Other worthwhile themes explored are forgiveness, mercy, and love.

Twin Spica

Created by: Kou Yaginuma

ISBN: 1934287849 (Amazon)

Volumes: 12

Genre: Sci-Fi Drama

Read the Review

Twin Spica tells the story of Asumi, a young teenager enrolling in the first year of Japan's space program. She intends to be an astronaut and the series follows her struggles to be chosen as Japan's first graduate to go to space. The book focuses on themes of friendship, loyalty, and following dreams. It's a poignant book, occasionally tinged with great sadness.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: The book deals with bereftness a lot. Many of the characters were affected by a disaster early in Japan's space program that took the life of Asumi's mother. One of the main characters, a lion-headed ghost whom only Asumi can see, was a pilot in that early doomed flight.

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series

Created by: Nathan Hale

ISBN: 1419708082 (Amazon)

7 vols

Genre: war, history



A fantastic series in which Hale explores in a simple and entertaining manner events from the Donner Party to WWI to the Alamo to the Underground Railroad. Excellent, top-notch series.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: non-gratuitous exploration of violent themes.

Smile

Created by: Raina Telgemeier

ISBN: 0545132053 (Amazon)

Pages: 224

Genre: Memoir

Read the Review

Autobiographical memoir of author Raina Telgemeier's pre-junior-high fall that left her with seriously messed up teeth and a lot of dental surgery. Follows her through the tumult of junior high and into her early years of high school. A lot of fun and a nice look at friendship and alienation and the way kids grow apart as they develop at different rates.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Raina's accident and the ensuing doctor's visits and x-rays, while discretely portrayed and cartoony enough, still made me queasy. Your child's mileage may vary.

El Deafo

Created by: Cece Bell

ISBN: 1419712179 (Amazon)

Pages: 248

Genre: Memoir, disability



Autobiographical of Bell, who lost her hearing to illness at age 4. Narrative takes her up through the close of elementary school and chronicles the struggles she faces along the way.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: mostly just kids being rude to each other.

A Wrinkle in Time

Created by: Hope Larson

ISBN: 0374386153 (Amazon)

Pages: 392

Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy

Read the Review

Probably faithful adaptation of the classic sci-fi fantasy. If you liked the original, you may adore this adaptation.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Lots of faux-math jargon?

The War at Ellsmere

Created by: Faith Erin Hicks

ISBN: 159362140X (Amazon)

Pages: 144

Genre: School Drama

Read the Review

A girl arrives at a prestigious boarding school as their annual charity case and falls afoul of the popular girls. The standard fighting begins. Still, it's an amusing tale.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing so far as I can remember. Mean girls?

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutennant

Created by: Tony Cliff

ISBN: 1596438134 (Amazon)

Pages: 176

Genre: 18th century Mediterranean adventure

Read the Review

Bored upperclass woman Delilah Dirk, befriends Selim while breaking into and then out of a Turkish stronghold. Adventure awaits and both will have to decide what manner of life they hope to pursue if they should ever be able to stop running for their lives.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Adventure violence and glorified adventure theft.

Mary Jane Loves Spider-Man

Created by: Sean McKeever and Takeshi Miyazawa

ISBN: 078511467X (Amazon)

Pages: around 100 pages per volume

Genre: Romance and Superheroes

Read the Review

A new take on the Spider-Man mythos from the vantage of a highschool-aged Mary Jane Watson. A delightful book that focuses more on romantic entanglements and high school drama than it does on superheroing.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Mary Jane goes through the typical high school struggles with self-esteem, gossip, lies, and navigating bundles of emotional drama. No sex or drugs though.

New Frontier

Created by: Darwyn Cooke

ISBN: 1401203507 (Amazon)

Pages: 208

Genre: Superheroes

Darwyn Cooke retells and refashions the first meeting of the Justice League (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, etc) in a playful manner. The book is two volumes of genuinely fun superheroing.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Some characters die.

Avatar the Last Airbender: The Promise

Created by: Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiro

ISBN: 1616550740 (Amazon)

Pages: 240

Genre: Fantasy



Continuing from the television show's conclusion, Aang the Avatar seeks to maintain harmony in the world after Sozen's defeat. The clash of cultures in new, blended civilizations mean a potential collision between Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Same kind of adventure peril material as found in the television program.

Space Dumplins

Created by: Craig Thompson

ISBN: 0545565413 (Amazon)

320 pages

Genre: Sci-Fi adventure



Lushly illustrated. For all the scatalogical humour, Space Dumplins is a long and thought-provoking adventure.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Lots and lots of poop humor. The dad's job is a lumberjack, which in space means he collects whale poops (logs), which are converted to fuel. His wife works in the Roids (short for asteroids but... you know). There is a massive whale spill polluting everything (whale diarrhea). Etc.

Sidekicks

Created by: J. Torres and Takeshi Miyazawa

ISBN: 1929998767 (Amazon)

Pages: 144

Genre: Superheroes and Highschool Drama

A young teenaged girl gets accepted to a private high school that trains its student body to become proper superheroes. Superpowers plus highschool drama: quite a bit of fun. Unfortunately incomplete story as only one volume was ever published, but the story demands more (and the "Volume 1" on the cover suggests this was originally intended.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing really.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger

Created by: Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee

ISBN: 0785141219 (Amazon)

Pages: 128 per volume

Genre: Superheroes

Read the Review

A two-volume and positively delightful reboot of the Thor mythos focusing on Thor's relationship with Jane Foster. Super cute, actiony, and enjoyable—and self-contained series.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing really. Thor does, apparently sleep with Jane one romantic evening, but its so far off camera that probably only grown-ups will pick up the cue. This is it right here: Thor's blankets on the couch are folded.

LAIKA

Created by: Nick Abadzis

ISBN: 1596431016 (Amazon)

Pages: 208

Genre: History of space exploration

Laika review

A historical fiction lending backstory to the life of perhaps the most famous of all the cosmonauts, a little dog named Laika who proved the potential of surviving a rocket launch out of the atmosphere in the midst of the Cold War's race to space. Like all dog stories, LAIKA has a sad ending, firmly entrenching it in the tradition of Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows—but any student of mid-20th-century history already knows the dog's fate.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Commies! Cruelty to animals, sometimes for the glory of science, sometimes for the glory of the state, and sometimes because people can be awful.

Haikyu!!

Created by: Haruichi Furudate

ISBN: 1421587661 (Amazon)

Pages: 192

Genre: Sports, volleyball

An engaging series about a raw highschool volleyball team learnign to work together as a team. A lot of fun.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing really.

Sherlock Holmes adaptations

Created by: Ian Edginton and I.N.J. Culbard

ISBN: 1402770820 (Amazon)

Pages: 144

Genre: Detective

Study in Scarlet Review / Hound of the Baskervilles Review

Edgington and Culbard have so far adapted, I believe, four of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes adventures. And they're each pretty wonderful. So far as I'm aware, these are very faithful adaptations.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Basically anything that was present in the original novels and shorts. Holmes uses period-appropriate narcotics. There are murders. A Study in Scarlet portrays Mormons of the day in starkly negative terms, common from that era of the cultural history.

The Ice Wanderer

Created by: Jirô Taniguchi

ISBN: 8496427331 (Amazon)

Pages: 240

Genre: Survival

Read the Review

A collection of Jiro Taniguchi's short stories, mainly survivalist in theme and somewhat inspired by Jack London's work (one story is even an adaptation from a harrowing episode from White Fang). Exciting and beautiful work that gives one a sense of the danger and majesty of the natural world.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: As with most survival literature, there is an element of death and danger present. In one story, two young teens get stuck in a storm at sea in a small boat. Because of the cold and rain, the girl's shirt becomes slightly and realistically nippley.

Castle Waiting

Created by: Linda Medley

ISBN: 1560977477 (Amazon)

Pages: 856

Genre: Faerytale Drama

Read the Review

A young woman finds refuge in a formerly magic castle, now repurposed as a sanctuary for those in need. Castle Waiting is sort of a reinvestigation of faery tale worlds and is both enjoyable and girl-friendly.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Jane, the protagonist, arrives at the sanctuary, fleeing an abusive husband and pregnant with a baby not her husband's. The book does not dwell on these sadnesses however and Jane and the book put these things into the past.

Broxo

Created by: Zack Giallongo

ISBN: 1596435518 (Amazon)

Pages: 240

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Read the Review

A young woman (a warrior princess) travels to a remote courner of the world to seek out a lost clan. Danger and adventure greet her. Fun and exciting use of familiar sword-and-sorcery tropes.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Fantasy violence. The undead. Witchy stuff. There is a bathing scene where Broxo ignorantly intrudes on Zora's bathing in a river. No nudity, but awkwardness on Zora's part and obliviousness on Broxo's.

reMIND

Created by: Jason Brubaker

ISBN: 0983114900 (Amazon)

Pages: 328

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Read the Review

A young woman's cat goes missing. It reappears some time later with the ability to talk. A tumultuous undersea adventure begins. Burstingly colourfaul art, exciting moments, and thoughtful characters build the foundation for a wonderful story.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Fantasy violence.

Anne Of Green Gables

Adaptation by: Maraiah Marsden and Breena Thummler

ISBN: 144947960X (Amazon)

Pages: 232

Genre: adaptation, 19th century Canadian orphan fantasy

Anne Of Green Gables is a bright, scattered, fun telling of a classic story. It's enjoyable and heartfelt and the art is unique and whimsical.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Orphan life and the death of Matthew, Anne's foster father.

Battling Boy

Created by: Paul Pope

ISBN: 1596431458 (Amazon)

Pages: 208

Genre: Superhero adventure



A cool and fun superhero adventure that subtracts the slick boredom of the overly refined and overpolished superheroes from Marvel and DC. Battling Boy makes adventure seem tough and dangerous. A thrilling read for the hero-inclined.

Series features two companion books telling the origin of young female heroine, Aurora West, that may be better than the main series.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Death of a hero character early on to set up the conflict. Adventure violence.

Ghosts

Created by: Raina Telgameier

ISBN: 0545540623 (Amazon)

Pages: 256

Genre: an adjusting to a new town adventure

Ghosts is about a girl whose family moves from Southern to Northern California for the health of her little sister. The new town is haunted, but maybe in a good way.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Ghosts and discussion of afterlife, one character is under constant threat of death from her cystic fibrosis, some critics have called foul on the book's use of dia de los muertos themes and its use of a California mission.

Marvel's Oz Adaptations

Created by: Eric Shanower and Skottie Young

ISBN: 0785145907 (Amazon)

Pages: 216

Genre: Fantasy

Read the Review

Skottie Young's art helps burst Eric Shanower's adaptations of L. Baum's works into vibrant life. These are fun ways to explore the mythology of Oz.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Only the standard warning that all adventure stories should incur: there are moments of peril, which are of course designed to frighten or otherwise produce anxiety in readers.

Junior High Recommendations (Ages 13–15)

A Silent Voice

Created by: Yoshitoki Oima

ISBN: 163236056X (Amazon)

Pages: 192

Genre: Elementary/Highschool Drama

Read the Review

A Silent Voice follows a boy and girl through elementary school to high school and beyond. The girl is deaf and is instantly alienated in her class when the boy embarks on a tireless campaign to bully her. Then, when his pranks one day go too far, the class turns on him and he is relentlessly bullied all the way through the remainder of elementary school. By the time he reaches high school, he has determined to kill himself rather than continue to live in misery. As a last act, he apologizes to the deaf girl and is surprised when they begin a tentative friendship. That's at the end of volume 1. Super amazing series.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Bullying, violence (in the form of punching and kicking), kids wanting to die because their lives are so miserable. Scattered bad words (surprisingly few for a series about high school students).

Mighty Jack

Created by: Ben Hatke

ISBN: 1626722641 (Amazon)

Pages: 208

Genre: Fable retelling, adventure

Jack trades his mom's car for some beans and while that seems pretty dumb, it makes his little sister happy and makes him popular with the sword-wielding homeschooled archer girl down the street. So it can't all be bad.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Light violence and danger and injury and a little girl being kidnapped by a plant.

This One Summer

Created by: Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

ISBN: 1626720940 (Amazon)

Pages: 320

Genre: Summer vacation, coming-of-age.

Read the Review

Two girls on the starting edge of the teenage years spend a summer together at the lake, playing, watching scary movies, having crushes, getting in trouble, and just kind of be-ing in the midst of other people with their own lives and problems. Delightful, lovely, and heartful. Partly nostalgia, partly fresh, This One Summer explores the boundary between childhood and young-womanhood as well as the tricky negotiation that family plays in community.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Puberty and teen pregnancy. Miscarriage and depression. Some language, both vulgarities and misogynistic slurs like "slut," which happily a character is taken to task for. The book is rather PG (or maybe stretching into PG-13), but does deal with some grown-up topics but does so in a smart and accessible way. It's kind of like growing up.

Bone

Created by: Jeff Smith

ISBN: 188896314X (Amazon)

Pages: 1300

Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Read the Review

Bone is a fantasy epic. Something like Lord of the Rings but with more humour and heart. One of the best graphic novels ever yet made. Gorgeous art and engaging story. I've been reading it to my three-year-old daughter and she adores it.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: As with any good fantasy-epic, amidst the light and hope, there is death, darkness, and the sense that all is lost. The violence though is not gratuitous and serves well the story of a kingdom's struggle to survive against evil forces that would see it doomed.

The Lost Boy

Created by: Greg Ruth

ISBN: 0439823323 (Amazon)

192 pages

Genre: Hometown Fantasy, Talking Animals, World-Saving



Read the Review

Gorgeously illustrated story of children saving our world and a world layered just beneath or atop our own. Nate has just moved to the neighbourhood and finds an old reel-to-reel tape recorder that reveals a strange history to the town, a town where just on the edges of one's vision are crickets in top hats riding the backs of dogs, where squirrels beckon, and where monsters lie in wait. Nate hears the recorded history of Walt, a boy from the '60s, and sets out to investigate alongside Tabitha, a town girl who is much more familiar with the situation. Awesome story. Highly recommended.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Fantasy violence and the threat of death. One character falls into a bottomless chasm. It's implied that Walt's father is an abusive drunk.

Usagi Yojimbo

Created by: Stan Sakai

ISBN: 0930193881 (Amazon)

Volumes: 26+

Genre: Historical Adventure

Read the Review

Translated, Usagi Yojimbo means "Rabbit Bodyguard." Usagi Yojimbo is a long-running series following the masterless samurai, Usagi, as he traverses the warrior's path seeking enlightenment, adventure, and engagement with the wide world around him (that of feudal Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate, circa A.D 1627). While primarily a story of one rabbit's (all the characters are zoomorphs) adventure through life, UY is also intensely educational of a bygone culture. One of my favourite series of all time.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: It is rare when one of Sakai's stories does not feature death; however, these are handled well and death is not treated flippantly. There is also the matter of an illegitimate child—though the implications of this might be lost on less savvy children and his conception occurs off-camera and by implication alone.

Ghosts

Created by: Raina Telgameier

ISBN: 0545540623 (Amazon)

Pages: 256

Genre: an adjusting to a new town adventure

Ghosts is about a girl whose family moves from Southern to Northern California for the health of her little sister. The new town is haunted, but maybe in a good way.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Ghosts and discussion of afterlife, one character is under constant threat of death from her cystic fibrosis, some critics have called foul on the book's use of dia de los muertos themes and its use of a California mission.

Mouse Guard

Created by: David Petersen

ISBN: 1932386572 (Amazon)

Pages: 192

Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Read the Review

Mouse Guard is gorgeously illustrated and follows various mice (who are members of the guard) through various medieval-style adventures as they protect the realm and their queen from dangers within and without. The battle between a mouse and a snake in the first chapter should win some fans.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Typical adventure violence. Nothing too gruesome. Characters will occasionally die.

Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind

Created by: Hayao Miyazaki

ISBN: 1421550644 (Amazon)

Pages: 1104

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Adventure

Read the Review

One thousand years after mankind almost destroyed itself, Princess Nausicaä gets caught up in a continent-spanning adventure in the midst of a costly war between two nations and the evolving environmental chaos. Wildly imaginative, Nausicaä's thoughtful protagonists, sympathetic antagonists, political intrigue, and environmental message make it one of the best and most engaging graphic novels out there.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: In the midst of war, Miyazaki doesn't shy away from depicting death. A for-the-most-part-pacifist, though, he never uses his art to glorify violence and Nausicaä herself does what she can to prevent the deaths of even her enemies. Late in the story, there is a page in which Nausicaä is being rejuvenated in an herbal bath. She is briefly seen topless, though the scene is rather chaste and she is drawn with little detail. Here is that page.

Cross Game

Created by: Mitsuro Adachi

ISBN: 1421537583 (Amazon)

Volumes: 8

Genre: Sports Romance

Read the Review

Cross Game is a a delightful, compulsive read. It's a romance incognito as a baseball drama. I mean, to be fair, it's a baseball drama. But it was the romance that drew me in so soundly. That and the robust family and relational dynamics. Cross Game excels as well at depicting grief and brings the reader into the grieving process. It's a book that capitalizes on heart and humour. It's an exciting work and one that uses subtlety in its storytelling, encouraging readers to learn to pay attention to the visual-verbal details the author leaves around. Both my wife and I consumed this too quickly, reading late-late into the night. Even when we had work the next day.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Cross Game deals with the death of a main character early on in its first volume. It can be very sad in places. Also: while much more tame than Adachi's other works, the book features a small amount of fan service (i.e. the sexual objectification of females for the excitement of its young male readership). This is indicative of what will very occasionally pop up in the book's eight volumes. (reads right-to-left in Japanese style)

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series

Created by: Nathan Hale

ISBN: 1419708082 (Amazon)

6 vols

Genre: war, history



A fantastic series in which Hale explores in a simple and entertaining manner events from the Donner Party to WWI to the Alamo to the Underground Railroad. Excellent, top-notch series.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: non-gratuitous exploration of violent themes.

Audubon, On The Wings Of The World

Created by: Fabien Grolleau and Jérémie Royer

ISBN: 1910620157 (Amazon)

Pages: 184

Genre: Biography

The story of James Audubon and his drive to catalogue all the wildlife in America. Audubon is a sumptuous book, filled to brim with illustrations of forests, rivers, animals, and birds. It was a delight to discover the mania that lit the life of John James Audubon, a man of whom my only prior knowledge was his connection by name to the Audubon Society.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Shooting animals, fisticuffs.

Thornhill

Created by: Pam Smy

ISBN: 162672654X (Amazon)

Pages: 544

Genre: Mystery, ghosts

In the present day, a girl moves into a new home across from the ruin of an old foster home from the '80s. The story flips back and forth between her exploration of that place's history and journal entries from a bullied girl who lived there 30 years ago.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Bullying, dodgy foster homes, topic of suicide.

Jane, The Fox, And Me

Created by: Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault

ISBN: 1554983606 (Amazon)

Pages: 104

Genre: coming-of-age, self-image

About a girl who is concerned about her weight and feels the brunt of social antagonism at her school (even though just a year prior she was friends with all the popular girls). She also likes reading and over the course of the story moves through the text of Jane Eyre. It's sweet without succumbing to that overly treacle sentimentalism that costs too many books their laurels. And it's beautifully illustrated.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Examines the concept of poor self-image and weight.

In Real Life

Created by: Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang

ISBN: 1596436581 (Amazon)

Pages: 192

Genre: YA cyber drama

A teenage girl joins a female-positive guild in a popular MMO game (kind of a World of Warcraft stand-in) where she is confronted with the issue of the "Chinese gold farmer" and the reality of the people behind those game-breaking avatars. She is predictably righteous and naive and nearly ruins everything. BUt things turn out okay and lessons are learned. I good introduction to cross-cultural distinctions for young readers accustomed to the privileged West.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Some small-scale online, in-game bullying (what we call griefing). Confrontation with the reality of sweatshop labour and the awkwardnessprivilege of being north of Mexico in North-America.

Spera

Created by: James Tierney

ISBN: 1936393301 (Amazon)

Pages: 176

Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Read the Review

Spera is a series of fantasy stories in which two princesses escape their kingdoms (and certain doom) to adventure through to the fabled land of Spera. One is a delicate and stereotypical princess, the other is tomboyish and a natural fighter. The stories deal with struggle and friendship and the adequacy of their stark differences.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: The kind of fantasy violence and dark enemies native to the genre. Nothing too spooky.

The Shadow Hero

Created by: Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew

ISBN: 1596436972 (Amazon)

Pages: 176

Genre: Mid-20th century superhero

A young Chinese-American, in 1940s Chinatown, happens upon the powers of the Green Turtle. Examines race and identity.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Typical superhero violence. Uncle-Ben-style death of father figure. Confrontation of racist attitudes.

The Boxer: The True Story of Holocaust Survivor Harry Haft

Created by: Reinhard Kleist

ISBN: 1906838771 (Amazon)

Pages: 200

Genre: Holocaust narrative, biographical

Read the Review

Follows the life and circumstances of Harry Haft, a Polish Jew sent to Auschwitz, and forced to box other camp victims for the amusement of the SS officers. Fascinating and harrowing.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: It's holocaust narrative so the story is plagued by death and tragedy. Valuable, but it is what it is.

Anya's Ghost

Created by: Vera Brosgol

ISBN: 1596437138 (Amazon)

Pages: 224

Genre: Highschool Drama

Read the Review

An American high schooler immigrated from Russia tries desperately to assimilate so completely into high school culture that her Russia-ness is forgotten. All the usual high school drama, but done very well. Also, she finds a ghost. Deals with themes of self-worth, cultural distinction, and alienation.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: The ghost convinces Anya to dress in a "sexy" manner with which Anya is uncomfortable in order to catch the eye of a guys she likes. High school is filled with players.

Haikyu!!

Created by: Haruichi Furudate

ISBN: 1421587661 (Amazon)

Pages: 192

Genre: Sports, volleyball

An engaging series about a raw highschool volleyball team learnign to work together as a team. A lot of fun.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing really.

Welcome To The Ballroom

Created by: Tomo Takeuchi

ISBN: 1632363763 (Amazon)

8+ vols

Genre: Sports, ballroom Dancing

Welcome To The Ballroom Review

A superb and thrilling series about a highschool-aged boy who joins a dance studio and gets thrown into the world of competitive ballroom dance.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Occasional dancers wearing the kinds of sometimes slinky dresses that they will sometimes wear. Nothing you wouldn't see while watching ice skating on the olympics.

Friends With Boys

Created by: Faith Erin Hicks

ISBN: 1596435569 (Amazon)

Pages: 224

Genre: Highschool Drama

Read the Review

Maggie, a formerly homeschooled girl (with three older brothers), tries to adapt in her first year of high school—and first year of not being homeschooled (after her mother unceremoniously leaves the family for new horizons). Hijinks and awkwardness abound. Also, a ghost that only Maggie can see.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: A delinquent mother who is never seen save for in flashback.

Castle Waiting

Created by: Linda Medley

ISBN: 1560977477 (Amazon)

Pages: 856

Genre: Faerytale Drama

Read the Review

A young woman finds refuge in a formerly magic castle, now repurposed as a sanctuary for those in need. Castle Waiting is sort of a reinvestigation of faery tale worlds and is both enjoyable and girl-friendly.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Jane, the protagonist, arrives at the sanctuary, fleeing an abusive husband and pregnant with a baby not her husband's. The book does not dwell on these sadnesses however and Jane and the book put these things into the past.

Broxo

Created by: Zack Giallongo

ISBN: 1596435518 (Amazon)

Pages: 240

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Read the Review

A young woman (a warrior princess) travels to a remote courner of the world to seek out a lost clan. Danger and adventure greet her. Fun and exciting use of familiar sword-and-sorcery tropes.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Fantasy violence. The undead. Witchy stuff. There is a bathing scene where Broxo ignorantly intrudes on Zora's bathing in a river. No nudity, but awkwardness on Zora's part and obliviousness on Broxo's.

reMIND

Created by: Jason Brubaker

ISBN: 0983114900 (Amazon)

Pages: 328

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

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A young woman's cat goes missing. It reappears some time later with the ability to talk. A tumultuous undersea adventure begins. Burstingly colourfaul art, exciting moments, and thoughtful characters build the foundation for a wonderful story.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Fantasy violence.

Battling Boy

Created by: Paul Pope

ISBN: 1596431458 (Amazon)

Pages: 208

Genre: Superhero adventure



A cool and fun superhero adventure that subtracts the slick boredom of the overly refined and overpolished superheroes from Marvel and DC. Battling Boy makes adventure seem tough and dangerous. A thrilling read for the hero-inclined.

Series features two companion books telling the origin of young female heroine, Aurora West, that may be better than the main series.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Death of a hero character early on to set up the conflict. Adventure violence.

Pluto

Created by: Naoki Urusawa

ISBN: 1421519186 (Amazon)

Volumes: 8

Genre: Sci-Fi

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Pluto is a futuristic thriller with a light dash of whodunnit that follows an investigation into the recent murders of famous scientists and the robots they designed. A good story compelling told, but one of the most amazing features is how deeply Urusawa invests the readers into the plight of robots.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: The story follows a detective on the trail to solving a procession of murders, so it deals with death quite frequently.

Mister Blank

Created by: Christopher Hick

ISBN: 0943151252 (Amazon)

Pages: 360

Genre: Adventure

Sam Smith's life is ripe for upheaval. A nameless employee at a megacorporation, he stumbles upon a crime and decides to do the right thing. From that moment on, he is continually caught up in larger and larger adventures, culminating at last in the a struggle that has been going on since the dawn of time. The characters are all likable, even the villains—which always makes for better storytelling.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Besides the violence and prevalent mayhem, one of the chief villains is Lillith, immortal seductress and Adam's first wife, who fell on her own and did not take Adam with her. There is sex by implication.

Treasury of Victorian Murder / Treasury of 20th Century Murder

Created by: Rick Geary

ISBN: 1561631892 (Amazon)

Pages: 80

Genre: True Crime / Non-fiction

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Each volume of Geary's collections present a non-fictional, documentary look at a particular murder or murderer. From Jack the Ripper to Lizzie Borden to H.H. Holmes to the Lindbergh Child's Kidnapping, these books offer a usually dispassionate look into two centuries of famous murders.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Beyond the fact of the murders themselves (generally treated in non-gratuitous manner), the facts of each case may deal with other moral failings (such as adultery and licentiousness and gossip). My advice: research each case before giving your nephew one of these for Christmas.

American Born Chinese

Created by: Gene Luen Yang

ISBN: 1596431520 (Amazon)

Pages: 240

Genre: Highschool Drama

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Three stories weave together and chart the immigrant experience of a non-immigrant. Children from immigrant families or minority groups may readily understand the struggles Yang records. Caucasian non-foreigners may find in this work the opportunity to gain new empathy for others who might not have so privileged an American experience.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Apart from an intentionally racist parody of how many Americans have treated the Chinese stereotype, nothing of concern. The work, though simple on the face of it, is probably too nuanced for many junior highers.

Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms

Created by: Fumiyo Kouno

ISBN: 0867196653 (Amazon)

Pages: 104

Genre: Postwar Social Issues

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Fumiyo Kouno wrestles with the human fallout of the bombing of Hiroshima in the decades after. A delicate, sensitive, and important work, I'd only recommend for mature, thoughtful kids.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Death. This book deals with death.

Domu: A Child's Dream

Created by: Katsuhiro Otomo

ISBN: 156971116X (Amazon)

Pages: 240

Genre: Supernatural Horror

A psychic horror book in which an old man uses telekinetic powers to occasionally kill members of his apartment complex. A new resident, a young girl who is herself telekinetic, finds out and does what she can to stop him.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Creepy and violent.

Joe the Barbarian

Created by: Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy

ISBN: 1401229719 (Amazon)

Pages: 224

Genre: Fantasy / Highschool Drama

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A high school student in the midst of insulin shock finds himself in a fantasy realm in which he is tasked with saving everything—the only question is whether this is real or just a terrible hallucination.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Some fantasy violence and a kid who may or may not die from insulin shock.

Persepolis, vol. 1

Created by: Marjane Satrapi

ISBN: 037571457X (Amazon)

Pages: 160

Genre: Memoir

Author Satrapi reccounts her childhood in Iran circa 1980. Historical and informative—and actually pretty charming.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Book takes a particular view of the political and religious state of Iran that some parents might take issue with. Also, while volume 1 is fantastic, volume 2 is a chore (I do not recommend it).

Beasts of Burden

Created by: Evan Dorkin, Jill Thompson

ISBN: 1595825134 (Amazon)

Pages: 184

Genre: Pet Horror

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The pets of a small suburban community form a group to investigate paranormal excesses around the town. It's like BPRD/X-Files crossed with The Incredible Journey.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Zombies and witches. And pets in mortal danger.

Elmer

Created by: Gerry Alanguilan

ISBN: 159362204X (Amazon)

Pages: 144

Genre: Fable

One day, all the chickens in the world suddenly become sentient and begin to speak the languages of the world. The book explores how the human world might assimilate a new group of persons.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: As is common throughout human history, the meeting of two distinct peoples is marked by confusion, violence, fear, and hatred. There is a lot of violence and bigotry directed at the sentient chickens.

Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey

Created by: Nick Bertozzi

ISBN: 1596434511 (Amazon)

Pages: 128

Genre: Biographical sketch

Retells the adventure of Shackleton's failed Endurance expedition, in which (miraculously) no explorer lost his life. An amazing testimony to human fortitude in the face of a lot of bad luck (and quite a bit of good luck).

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Constant threat of death by freezing and starvation. Parents may know ahead of time that all the explorers survive, but young readers likely won't. Also, all the dogs die.

Straford Zoo: Macbeth

Created by: Ian Lendler and Zach Giallongo

ISBN: 1596439157 (Amazon)

Pages: 80

Genre: Shakespeare adaptation

A very funny introduction to the works of Shakespeare for youner readers. The conceit is that at the Stratford Zoo, after the zoo closes (in what looks like a Goodnight Gorilla homage), the animals let themselves out of their cages and perform Shakespeare. In this first volume, the animals take on Macbeth. It's pretty great and readers need have no familiarity with Shakespeare to enjoy (though familiar readers will laugh when they see the Queen played by a leopard scrubbing ferociously at her own spotted fur, saying "Out! Out! Dumb spot!").

Thematic Concerns for Parents: It's Shakespeare's Macbeth, so... murder, betrayal, insanity, pride. All camped up substantially though.

Clan Apis

Created by: Jay Hosler

ISBN: 096772550X (Amazon)

Pages: 158

Genre: Nature Documentary

Absolutely the most engaging documentary on bees I've ever encountered. Holster, well-qualified for the task, crafts a story that follows the life of a single bee, Nyuki, from birth to maturation to timely death—all the while explaining the nuanced and cultured life of the colourful insect.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Again, there are elements of danger and, in the end, the protagonist dies a lonely-yet-fulfilled life.

Feynman

Created by: Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick

ISBN: 1596432594 (Amazon)

Pages: 272

Genre: Science Biography

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An enjoyable, humourous, and informative biography of 20th century physicist Richard Feynman. A great way to both explore a life and experience somewhat the wonder of science.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: As in most biography, Feynman's biographer includes his subject's foibles as well as his greatnesses, in this case, Feynman's eye for young, pretty women.

Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong

Created by: Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks

ISBN: 159643659X (Amazon)

Pages: 288

Genre:



Wacky teens doing the wacky teen things that wacky teens tend to do in stories set in high schools. Fun and funny. Geeky, robot-building students need to raise money for a competition while the cheerleader squad needs the same money for new uniforms. Stuck in the middle is Charlie, a basketball player who's best friend heads the robot-builders and ex-girlfriend leads the cheerleaders. Wacky!

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing much to object to. Willful misuse of a parent's vehicle? School vandalism? Pretty par for the course on the teenage adventure front.

March: Book One

Created by: Rep. John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

ISBN: 1603093001 (Amazon)

Pages: 128

Genre: Civil rights history, Memoir

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Congressman John Lewis recounts his history within the early Civil Rights Movement.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: True-to-history racial tension, racism, foul language appropriate to the era and conflict. Historical violence.

The Silence of Our Friends

Created by: Mark Long, Jim Demonakos and Nate Powell

ISBN: 1596436182 (Amazon)

Pages: 208

Genre: Civil rights history



A story set in 1968 Houston in the midst of the Civil Rights conflicts, a story of family, of racial tension, and of learning to love.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: True-to-history racial tension, racism, foul language appropriate to the era and conflict. Historical violence.

Newsprints

Created by: Ru Xu

ISBN: 0545803128 (Amazon)

Pages: 208

Genre: girl-pretending-to-be-a-boy-in-a-man's-world, adventure, orphans

A young orphan dresses as a boy so she can work as a newsboy. She gets into a tangle involving government shenanigans and the ongoing war. A nice little adventure.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Light violence and peril.

Boxers & Saints

Created by: Gene Luen Yang

ISBN: 1596439246 (Amazon)

Pages: 512

Genre: Historical fiction

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Two stories telling two sides of the Boxer Rebellion and the social pressures that led to it. Fantastic entry point into consideration of both a historical, international event and gaining a foothold into empathy for one who holds to and oppositional ideology.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: While drawing in simple, cartoony fashion, Yang does not shy from the fact that he is depicting a brutal historical conflict. Also, true to the historical record, some characters fear the (believed) poisonous influence of women and spread rumors that their enemies (bizarrely enough) have woven their flags from female pubic hairs. There is no sexual content apart from these rumours.

Pride of Baghdad

Created by: Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon

ISBN: 1401203140 (Amazon)

Pages: 136

Genre: War Adventure

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Some errant American bombs release a gaggle of lions into the streets of war-torn Iraq. A look at war from a slightly-fantasy angle. Honestly, this isn't one of my favourites. It's a bit simplistic and on-the-nose, but it may make a useful conversation-starter with kids about the consequences of warfare.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Animal death. Some by other animals, some by man. A bomb falls on a giraffe's head. A lionness inexplicably has a rape backstory.

Twin Spica

Created by: Kou Yaginuma

ISBN: 1934287849 (Amazon)

Volumes: 12

Genre: Sci-Fi Drama

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Twin Spica tells the story of Asumi, a young teenager enrolling in the first year of Japan's space program. She intends to be an astronaut and the series follows her struggles to be chosen as Japan's first graduate to go to space. The book focuses on themes of friendship, loyalty, and following dreams. It's a poignant book, occasionally tinged with great sadness.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: The book deals with bereftness a lot. Many of the characters were affected by a disaster early in Japan's space program that took the life of Asumi's mother. One of the main characters, a lion-headed ghost whom only Asumi can see, was a pilot in that early doomed flight.

Smile

Created by: Raina Telgemeier

ISBN: 0545132053 (Amazon)

Pages: 224

Genre: Memoir

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Autobiographical memoir of author Raina Telgemeier's pre-junior-high fall that left her with seriously messed up teeth and a lot of dental surgery. Follows her through the tumult of junior high and into her early years of high school. A lot of fun and a nice look at friendship and alienation and the way kids grow apart as they develop at different rates.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Raina's accident and the ensuing doctor's visits and x-rays, while discretely portrayed and cartoony enough, still made me queasy. Your child's mileage may vary.

A Wrinkle in Time

Created by: Hope Larson

ISBN: 0374386153 (Amazon)

Pages: 392

Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy

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Probably faithful adaptation of the classic sci-fi fantasy. If you liked the original, you may adore this adaptation.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Lots of faux-math jargon?

The War at Ellsmere

Created by: Faith Erin Hicks

ISBN: 159362140X (Amazon)

Pages: 144

Genre: School Drama

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A girl arrives at a prestigious boarding school as their annual charity case and falls afoul of the popular girls. The standard fighting begins. Still, it's an amusing tale.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Nothing so far as I can remember. Mean girls?

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutennant

Created by: Tony Cliff

ISBN: 1596438134 (Amazon)

Pages: 176

Genre: 18th century Mediterranean adventure

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Bored upperclass woman Delilah Dirk, befriends Selim while breaking into and then out of a Turkish stronghold. Adventure awaits and both will have to decide what manner of life they hope to pursue if they should ever be able to stop running for their lives.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Adventure violence and glorified adventure theft.

Mary Jane Loves Spider-Man

Created by: Sean McKeever and Takeshi Miyazawa

ISBN: 078511467X (Amazon)

Pages: around 100 pages per volume

Genre: Romance and Superheroes

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A new take on the Spider-Man mythos from the vantage of a highschool-aged Mary Jane Watson. A delightful book that focuses more on romantic entanglements and high school drama than it does on superheroing.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Mary Jane goes through the typical high school struggles with self-esteem, gossip, lies, and navigating bundles of emotional drama. No sex or drugs though.

New Frontier

Created by: Darwyn Cooke

ISBN: 1401203507 (Amazon)

Pages: 208

Genre: Superheroes

Darwyn Cooke retells and refashions the first meeting of the Justice League (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, etc) in a playful manner. The book is two volumes of genuinely fun superheroing.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Some characters die.

Louis Riel

Created by: Chester Brown

ISBN: 1894937899 (Amazon)

Pages: 280

Genre: Canadian Biography

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Fascinating and humourously written biography of the controversial figure from early Canadian history.

Thematic Concerns for Parents: Riel is a bit of a crazy religious fanatic. He, at one point, is forced to execute a man for political reasons.