YA Graphic Novels - Older Teens

Graphic novels feature some of the best storytelling you'll find anywhere. We bet you can't read just one!


Compiled by:
Sam O. and Becky F.
Almost American girl: An Illustrated Memoir

Robin Ha
(Graphic Novels - GN 741.5092 Ha)

For as long as she can remember, it's been Robin and her mom against the world. Growing up as the only child of a single mother in Seoul, Korea, wasn't always easy, but it has bonded them fiercely together. So when a vacation to visit friends in Huntsville, Alabama, unexpectedly becomes a permanent relocation--following her mother's announcement that she's getting married--Robin is devastated. Overnight, her life changes. She is dropped into a new school where she doesn't understand the language and struggles to keep up. She is completely cut off from her friends in Seoul and has no access to her beloved comics. At home, she doesn't fit in with her new stepfamily, and worst of all, she is furious with the one person she is closest to--her mother. Then one day Robin's mother enrolls her in a local comic drawing class, which opens the window to a future Robin could never have imagined.


American Vampire, Vol. 1

Scott Snyder
(Graphic Novels - GN American Vampire v. 1)

Skinner Sweet is the first vampire conceived on American soil, however, he's stronger and powered by the sun. Sweet finds himself in 1920's Los Angeles, where the young and beautiful are drawn like moths to the burning lights of Hollywood. When struggling young actress Pearl Jones' movie-star dreams are transformed into a bloody nightmare, Sweet provides her only chance for survival as well as the power to take revenge.


Basketful of Heads

Joe Hill
(Graphic Novels - Hill Basketful Of Heads)

June Branch visits her boyfriend, Liam, on Brody Island for a relaxing last weekend of summer. After an escaped group of criminals breaks into the house that June and Liam are watching, Liam is taken by them. June grabs a strange Viking axe and flees from the intruders. When one of the attackers finds her, she swings the axe and takes off his head, which rolls away and begins to babble in terror. For June to uncover the truth, she'll need to hear the facts straight from the mouths of her attackers, with ... or without their bodies attached.


Bingo Love

Tee Franklin
(Graphic Novels - GN Frankli Bingo Love)

When Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray met at church bingoin 1963, it was love at first sight. Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid-'60s, Hazel and Mari reunite again at a church bingo hall. Realizing their love for each other is still alive, what these grandmothers do next takes absolute strength and courage.


Bitch Planet, Vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine

Kelly Sue DeConnick
(Graphic Novels - GN Bitch Planet v. 1)

In a future just a few years down the road in the wrong direction, a woman's failure to comply with her patriarchal overlords will result in exile to the meanest penal planet in the galaxy. When the newest crop of fresh femmes arrive, can they work together to stay alive or will hidden agendas, crooked guards, and the deadliest sport on Earth take them to their maker?


Black Magick, Vol. 1: Awakening

Greg Rucka
(Graphic Novels - GN Black Magick v. 1)

Rowan Black is a detective with the Portsmouth PD...and a witch, two aspects of her life she has struggled to keep separate. Now someone is targeting Rowan, someone who knows her secrets and means to expose her...or worse.


Blankets

Craig Thompson
(Graphic Novels - GN 741.5092 Thompson Tho)

Loosely based on the author's life, chronicles Craig's journey from childhood to adulthood, exploring the people, experiences, and beliefs that he encountered along the way.


Bloom

Kevin Panetta
(Graphic Novels - GN Panetta Bloom)

Now that high school is over, Ari is dying to move to the big city with his ultra-hip band―if he can just persuade his dad to let him quit his job at their struggling family bakery. Though he loved working there as a kid, Ari cannot fathom a life wasting away over rising dough and hot ovens. But while interviewing candidates for his replacement, Ari meets Hector, an easygoing guy who loves baking as much as Ari wants to escape it. As they become closer over batches of bread, love is ready to bloom


Check, Please!, Vol. 1: #Hockey

Ngozi Ukazu
(Graphic Novels - GN Check Please v. 1)

Eric Bittle may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and very talented amateur pâtissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It is nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia! First of all? There's checking. And then, there is Jack-- his very attractive but moody captain.


Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant

Tony Cliff
(Graphic Novels - GN Delilah Dirk v. 1)

Delilah Dirk has traveled to Japan, Indonesia, France, and even the New World. Using the skills she's picked up on the way, Delilah's adventures continue as she plots to rob a rich and corrupt Sultan in Constantinople. With the aid of her flying boat and her newfound friend, Selim, she evades the Sultan's guards, leaves angry pirates in the dust, and fights her way through the countryside.


Die. Volume 1, Fantasy Heartbreaker

Kieron Gillen
(Graphic Novels - Die v. 1)

DIE is a pitch-black fantasy where a group of forty-something adults have to deal with the returning, unearthly horror they only just survived as teenage role-players.


The Family Trade

Justin Jordan
(Graphic Novels - GN Delilah Dirk v. 1)

In a world where alchemy exists and history didn't quite go the way that it did here, there is the Float, formally the Free Republic of Thessalia, an ocean-borne city that's at the center of business and commerce. And on the Float is the Family, a sprawling network of thieves, con men, and assassins with one goal: make sure the Float keeps floating. Jessa Wynn their youngest member, is about to learn just how dirty a job it is when she finds herself in the middle of a plot which threatens the stability of the Float.


Flamer

Mike Curato
(Graphic Novels - GN Curato Flamer)

It's the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone's going through changes--but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can't stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.


Giant Days, Vol. 1

John Allison
(Graphic Novels - GN Giant Days v. 1)

Susan, Esther, and Daisy started at university three weeks ago and became fast friends. Now, away from home for the first time, all three want to reinvent themselves. But in the face of hand-wringing boys, "personal experimentation," influenza, mystery-mold, nu-chauvinism, and the willful, unwanted intrusion of "academia," they may be lucky just to make it to spring alive.


Heathen, Vol. 1

Natasha Alterici
(Graphic Novels - GN Heathen v. 1)

Aydis is a woman. Born into a time of warfare, suffering, and subjugation of women, she is on a mission to end the oppressive reign of the god-king Odin.


Hey, Kiddo

Jarrett Krosoczka
(Graphic Novels - GN 741.5092 Krosoczka Kro)

Jarrett's family is complicated. His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and in and out of Jarrett's life. His father is a mystery -- Jarrett doesn't know where to find him, or even what his name is. Jarrett lives with his grandparents -- two very loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they were through with raising children until Jarrett came along.


I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After

Skottie Young
(Graphic Novels - GN I Hate Fairyland v. 1)

Follow Gert, a forty year old woman stuck in a six year olds body who has been stuck in the magical world of Fairylandfor nearly thirty years. Join her and her giant battle-axe on a delightfully blood soaked journey to see who will survive the girl who HATES FAIRYLAND.


The Last Halloween. 1, Children

Abby Howard
(Graphic Novels - Last Halloween v. 1)

In a gothic adventure at the end of the world, a ten-year-old girl and a motley crew of ghouls must stop an invading horde of monsters on a fateful Halloween night.


March: Book One

John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell
(Graphic Novels - GN 921 Lewis Lew)

March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.


Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening

Marjorie M. Liu
(Graphic Novels - GN Monstress v. 1)

Maika Halfwolf, a teenage survivor of a cataclysmic war between humans and their hated enemies, the Arcanics. In the face of oppression and terrible danger, Maika is both hunter and hunted, searching for answers about her mysterious past as those who seek to use her remain just one step behind, and all the while, the monster within begins to awaken.


Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal

Willow G. Wilson
(Graphic Novels - GN Ms Marvel v. 1)

Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City, until she's suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? When Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them, as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to bear?


My Favorite Thing is Monsters, Vol. 1

Emil Ferris
(Graphic Novels - GN My Favorite Thing Is Monsters v. 1)

Set against the tumultuous political backdrop of late 1960s Chicago, and narrated by 10-year-old Karen Reyes. As the Karen tries to solve the murder of her beautiful and enigmatic upstairs neighbor, Anka Silverberg, a holocaust survivor, we watch the interconnected and fascinating stories of those around her unfold.


Nimona

Noelle Stevenson
(Graphic Novels - GN Nimona v. 1)

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are.


Nubia. Real One

L.L. McKinney
(Graphic Novels - Mckinne)

Nubia has always been a little bit... different. As a baby she showcased Amazonian-like strength by pushing over a tree to rescue her neighbor's cat. But despite her having similar abilities, the world has no problem telling her that she's no Wonder Woman. And even if she were, they wouldn't want her. Every time she comes to the rescue, she's reminded of how people see her: as a threat. Her moms do their best to keep her safe, but Nubia can't deny the fire within her, even if she's a little awkward about it sometimes. Even if it means people assume the worst. When Nubia's best friend, Quisha, is threatened by a boy who thinks he owns the town, Nubia will risk it all--her safety, her home, and her crush on that cute kid in English class--to become the hero society tells her she isn't.


On a Sunbeam

Tillie Walden
(Graphic Novels - GN Walden On A Sunbeam)

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.


Pantheon: The True Story of the Egyptian Deities

Hamish Steele
(Graphic Novels - GN 299.31 Ham)

Horus, son of Isis, vows bloody revenge on his Uncle Set for the murder and usurpation of his Pharaoh father. Based on elements from various versions of the famous Osiris myth, Hamish Steele has resurrected this fantastic story in all its symbolic and humorous glory.


Paper Girls, Vol. 1

Brian K. Vaughan
(Graphic Novels - GN Paper Girls v. 1)

In the early hours after Halloween on 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and supernatural mysteries collide in this series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.


Pretty Deadly, Vol. 1: The Shrike

Kelly Sue DeConnick
(Graphic Novels - GN Pretty Deadly v. 1)

Presents the collecting opening arc of author's series that marries the magical realism of Sandman with the western brutality of Preacher. This book tells a tale of retribution as beautifully lush as it is unflinchingly savage.


Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery

Kurtis J. Wiebe
(Graphic Novels - GN Rat Queens v. 1)

Who are the Rat Queens? A pack of booze-guzzling, death-dealing battle maidens-for-hire, and they're in the business of killing all god's creatures for profit. It's also a darkly comedic sass-and-sorcery series starring Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric and Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief.


Rumble, Vol. 1: The Color of Darkness

John Arcudi
(Graphic Novels - GN Rumble v. 1)

A Scarecrow Warrior God walks into a bar...and proceeds to drag a modern American city into a ten-thousand-year-old grudge-match! A bizarre new adventure - complete with boozehound shamans, monster queens, and a football-fetching hydra.


Saga, Vol. 1

Brian K. Vaughan
(Graphic Novels - GN Saga v. 1)

When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.


Sleepless, Vol. 1

Sarah Vaughn
(Graphic Novels - GN Sleepless v. 1)

Lady "Poppy" Pyppenia is guarded by the Sleepless Knight Cyrenic but becomes endangered when an assassin threatens her life in the new king's reign. As Poppy and Cyrenic try to discover who wants her dead, they must navigate the dangerous waters of life at court and of their growing feelings for one another.


Speak

Laurie Halse Anderson
(Graphic Novels – GN Anderso Speak)

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.


Spill Zone, Vol. 1

Scott Westerfeld
(Graphic Novels - GN Spill Zone v. 1)

Three years ago an event destroyed the small city of Poughkeepsie, forever changing reality within its borders. Uncanny manifestations and lethal dangers now await anyone who enters the Spill Zone. The Spill claimed Addison's parents and scarred her little sister, Lexa and Addison provides for her sister by photographing the Zone's twisted attractions on illicit midnight rides.


Thor, Vol. 1: The Goddess of Thunder

Jason Aaron
(Graphic Novels - GN Thor v. 1 (2014-))

Something dark has befallen the God of Thunder, leaving him unworthy for the first time ever! But when Frost Giants invade Earth, the hammer will be lifted - and a mysterious woman will be transformed into an all-new version of the mighty Thor! Get ready for a Thor like you've never seen before, as this all-new heroine takes Midgard by storm!