Jen Blair
These are my favorite graphic novels that I read this year.
Olive struggles to support her needy friend, Willow at summer camp. It is easy for Olive to make new friends and explore new experiences, but will she end up hurting Willow and their friendship in the process?
As a huge fan of Anne Shirley, it was so delightful to step back into her world again: “Schoolyard rivalries. Baking disasters. Puffed sleeves.” It’s all here. Join me, kindred spirits.
Loosely based on the story of Queen Elizabeth’s childhood, this is the story of Margaret, an orphan living on a remote island in the care of nuns who discovers more about her country and her lineage when a queen is banished to their tiny island.
Molly Hush has always loved anything to do with witches. On Halloween she discovers she has some magical powers...and also her close connection with some very real witches.
This one is pure joy as you follow Deja and Josiah on their last night working the pumpkin patch. The food! The gossip! Their friendship. Deep sigh. Read it over and over again. You won’t regret it.
Christine and Moon are unlikely friends. Christine is studious and perfectionist. Moon is impulsive and wild. When Moon faces a crisis, it tests their friendship and Christine has to decide if she is willing to be the friend that Moon needs.
Mads has a crush on her neighbor Adam...or is it really a crush on her best friend Cat? As she explores her feelings about identity and sexuality, a family secret comes to light. Will it tear them apart? Or bring them together? I loved this honest portrayal of a less-than-perfect family.
An adventure story. A fantasy. A friendship story. This is what happens one night when a group of boys set out on their bicycles for a quest…and only two stick it out. Weirder than you would think, but still one of my favorite stories this year. Nothing else like it.
Ari has just graduated from high school and wants to move to the city with his band. Anything but stick it out with his family-owned bakery. But when a new apprentice comes to work with them, Ari wonders if what he really wants is to stay after all.
Because I can’t get this book out of my head. No other book I’ve read this year had so many layers while retaining its narrative flow. Bullying, racism, microaggressions, all taken on without losing sight of the vivid characters and their stories. I don’t always find graphic novels immersive, but this one hits all the targets.
A story of a girl who is grieving her mother’s death and trying to hold her family’s laundry business together who befriends a ghost...
Freddy feels so lucky to be going out with someone as gorgeous and popular as Laura Dean. But Laura Dean is the worst girlfriend. Freddy is lucky to have devoted friends who are willing to pick up the pieces when Laura Dean hurts her. Again and again.
