Great Graphic Novels - Recommendations from the Ottawa Public Library

Ottawa Public Library is back to share some great graphic novels books with us. This month’s post is by Lise Dumas, Supervising Librarian, Children's and Teen Services at the Greely, Metcalfe, Osgoode and Vernon Branches of Ottawa Public Library.

The graphic novels for kids I have read have been surprising, informative, entertaining, and beautiful. Many have been based on the author’s own experiences, which open a window into other kids’ lives. This may also allow a child to recognize similar experiences they have encountered in their own life. Other favourites have been pure fantasy, which is a wonderful way to escape into another world altogether.  

For those of you who love graphic novels, Ottawa Public Library has a wonderful collection for all ages.  Here are some of my favourite children’s selections this year:  

Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang

Ages 9—12

Ten-year-old Taiwanese Feng-Li, with her two older siblings, is left by their parents in America when their visas expire. The children are undocumented and must live without drawing undo attention to themselves, all while trying to learn a new language and culture. They must deal with frightening obstacles, racist bullying, finding one’s own identity and making friends. The author uses beautiful vibrant colours for the images. The texts are either in white balloons when they are speaking English or Yellow balloons when speaking in Chinese.

Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter

Ages 8-12

Avery, an eleven-year-old who is feeling sleep deprived and squished in a house with six other siblings. She is vying for her own room and concocts a scheme to make money to convert the basement into another bedroom. It is a heartwarming tale about the importance and the love of family. The images on the page are large, easy to follow and beautiful.

Picture Day by Sarah Sax

Ages 8-12

Seventh-grader, Viv is tired of the same look and routine. On picture day, she cuts her own hair and becomes a school style influencer. In doing so, however, she starts to lose sight of the most important people in her life: her mom and her best friends. The drawings are simple, fun and expressive.

Four Eyes by Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza

Ages 8-12

Sixth-grader Rex must not only contend with being one of the only boys at school who has not undergone a growth spurt, but also weak eyes that require dreaded glasses and a best friend who decides to hang out with the class bully. Rex must find a new way to fit in at school and learn to ask and accept help. Fans of Jerry Craft and Raina Telgemeier will appreciate this book.

Pearl of the Sea by Anthony Silverston, Raffaella Delle Donne and Willem Samuel

Ages 10-13

This beautifully rendered graphic novel is about making unlikely friends, such as sea monsters, and recovery after experiencing loss and grief. This story is about how teenage diver Pearl and sea creature Otto heal each other, while battling outside forces. This graphic novel is located in our teen collection.

Clementine Fox and the Great Island Adventure by Leigh Luna

Ages 9-15

Fantasy graphic novel for young readers, Clementine Fox has some exciting adventures with her friends and family. Vivid colours and fun extras at the end of the book will delight younger readers.

Cat’s Cradle: The Mole King’s Lair by Jo Rioux

Ages 8-12

This sequel to Cat's Cradle: The Golden Twine (2022) is full of action and adventure as Suri, imp Caglio and monstrously large dog Byron, continue their quest to locate Monster’s Cradle. The trio end up in a cave with a troll king, and with the assistance of a thief named Kolya, will attempt a daring escape with a treasure of gold.

Scurry by Mac Smith

10+

Stunning webcomic that is now in print, animal lovers will be mesmerized by the movie-like images. In this story, humans have disappeared from the earth, leaving the animals that depended on them to fend for themselves. House mice Wix and friends are desperately looking for food and ways to survive, while being hunted by feral cats and other predators. They are helped in their struggles by animals of all kinds. Fans of the Redwall books by Brian Jacques will love this tale.

Great Graphic Novels

The Ottawa Public Library is back to share some great graphic novels books with us. This month’s post is by Lise Dumas, Supervising Librarian, Children's and Teen Services at the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library.

Ottawa Public Library (OPL) just celebrated its second annual BiblioCon on April 27, but not to worry if you missed it, it will reappear again next year, bigger and better. For all you graphic novel fans, May is the month of Free Comic Book Day and Ottawa Comiccon. Here are some of the wonderful graphic novels recommended for 9-13 year olds available at the OPL:

Newsprints by Ru Xu.

The story follows the adventures of Blue, an orphan girl who disguises herself as a newsboy so that she can work at the Bugle, the only paper in town that tells the truth about current issues. Blue makes some unusual friendships along the way in her effort to stop the senseless ongoing war.  The book features some cool robots and flying machines. The exciting conclusion of this series was recently published in 2019.

All Summer Long by Hope Larson

Thirteen-year-old Bina is looking at a boring summer ahead. Her best friend Austin is going to soccer camp, leaving Bina to find her own fun. Through trials and tribulations with her family and friends over the summer, Bina will find out a little more about who she is and what she wants in her life.

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol

This book had me hooked with its great cover art. You can just feel the anguish of a first day of camp. This is the story of 9 year old Vera who feels she is too poor, too Russian and too different to ever fit in with the other American kids. Her solution to making friends is to go to an all Russian kids’ camp. The images in black, white and olive green are wonderful and you will fall in love with this spunky heroine.

Great graphic novel recommendations from the Ottawa Public Library

The Ottawa Public Library is back to share some of their favourite books for children with us. This month’s post is by Lise Dumas, Ottawa Public Library.

May is the month of Free Comic Book Day, the Ottawa Comiccon and best of all the Main Branch of the Library’s first (mini) BiblioCon. Here are some of the recently published graphic novels available at the Ottawa Public Library recommended for 9-12 year olds (Clicking on the title will hyperlink you to the OPL Catalogue page where you can see if the book is available at your local branch, or you can put it on hold and then pick it up at your home branch when it is ready for you!):

The Stone Heart by Faith Erin Hicks.

This second book in a planned trilogy, takes place in the Nameless City currently ruled by the Dao clan. The main characters are Kaidu, a young Dao soldier, more interested in books than battles, and Rat, a young orphan and native of the city. The city natives are considered less than human by the Dao conquerors. After Kaidu and Rat foil an assassination attempt on the Dao general at the end of the first book, the Dao general agrees to create a council of representatives from each of the diverse groups living in the city. In The Stone Heart, the reader learns more about the histories of the main characters, there is betrayal, and a war is imminent. This second book of the Stone Heart series sets up the groundwork for an exciting conclusion.

Star Scouts by Mike Lawrence

Avani Patel is the new kid in school and all is not well. She does not fit in and to make matters worse, her father has signed her up for the local Flower Scout Troupe at which instead of adventure and excitement, all the  girls want to do is put on makeup, gossip and drool over boys. Fortunately for Avani, she is abducted by an enthusiastic blue alien named Mabel, who is working on her Star Scouts "collection badge”. Avani happily spends time in space with Mabel and her troupe. Avani faces many challenges during a week at Camp Andromeda and learns skills such as jet pack racing, teleporting and herding monsters, all while keeping her dad from discovering that she has left planet earth.

All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson

11-year-old homeschooler Imogene (Impy) Vega is now set to embark on the great adventure of going to a middle school. She is excited to go but is unprepared for the trials and tribulations of cranky teachers, boys and frenemies, while still trying to understand her own identity. Imogene aspires to become a knight at the Renaissance Faire, where both her parents work. Fans of Raina Telgemeier will also enjoy this book.

If your family enjoys graphic novels and a celebration of all things comic and geek culture, come and join us May 5 and May 6 for free activities at BiblioCon located at the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library. No registration is required; come in a costume and join the fun!