It's that time of year again. One of my local mom friends was looking for graphic novel suggestions for their kid and after talking for like an hour I was like, "Hey, why don't I just publish this?" So here we are. Read on to check out some of my more recent favorite comics for kids.
Remember to click on the titles in bold to get an affilliate link for where you can directly order a copy for you or your kiddo!
Freestyle by Gale Galligan
Starting off strong with what I think is the best graphic novel of 2022. I discovered Freestyle while volunteering at my local school's Scholastic book fair and it instantly caught my eye. I remembered the author instantly as they were the creator behind the two best Babysitters Club graphic novels which had a very manga-inspired vibe that I dug.
Freestyle follows a dance troupe made up of 8th graders getting ready for their last competition together before they all go off to different high schools. When Cory’s grades start slipping his parents hire a tutor and then other things happen including really well drawn yo-yo pages. It’s beautiful.
Everyday Hero Machine Boy by Tri Vuong and Irma Kniivila
This was another contender for best book of 2022. It’s got a super fighting boy robot and anime vibes and there’s this magic K-Pop band. It’s also kinda sad in a good way though.
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
I’ve mentioned Victoria Jamieson’s All’s Faire in Middle School before and this is kind of the same thing but with roller derby. It’s another tale of that pinnacle time in a tween’s life when they are not only growing up, but growing in different directions from their friends.
Sort of Super by Eric Gapstur
This one’s got Ben10 vibes. For fans of superheroes, aliens, and making trouble.It's a lot of fun, but for some reason I only ever see it in stock at the grocery store.
Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters by Chris Samnee and Laura Samnee
One day, monsters appeared in the world. Then, Rainbow’s sister Jonna went missing. When she finally tracks her down, Jonna is a superstrong monster-puncher. And that’s just in the first chapter. This one’s full of beautiful landscapes and awesome action scenes.
ParaNorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse by Stephanie Cooke and Mari Costa
What if everything was Halloween and bunnies where everywhere causing havoc? Perfect for fans of non-scary spooky horror stuff and bunnies!
Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega and Rose Bousamra
This looks like another one of those “it’s hard to find hair products for ethnic people in a white man’s world” which is fine, but it goes deeper into the main character’s relationship with her mother and aunt and how each of them handles things different. And by things I mean hair.
Housecat Trouble by Mason Dickerson
This one was really surprising. It looks like one of those “cute cats being cats” books but it’s actually closer to a supernatural battle manga like Bleach? But also it’s got cute cats. So there’s these monster hunters fighting spirits only they can see… but also they’re dumb cats. It’s great!
Star Knights by Kay Davault
This is a great sci-fi fantasy magical girl story - but with animals! As in animals get the power to turn into magical space warriors… but they’re human. I’m not explaining it right but it’s beautiful!
El Deafo by Cece Bell
Who doesn’t love a good graphic memoir? El Deafo is about growing up with hearing impairments during the era just before hearing aid technology really took off, so it’s a great look at how far things have come and how much harder it was back then. Also, bunnies!
Kitty Quest by Phil Corbett
Dungeon crawling fantasy cat adventure. Nuff said.
Miss Quinces by Kat Fajardo
Maybe I like this one because it speaks to a lot of very similar experiences I went through when I was this age, but it really does capture a lot of what it’s like to be a part of a diaspora and go on a big trip to meet dozens of relatives and get dragged around the world by your parents.
Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley
Speaking of getting dragged around the world by your parents, Stepping Stones is way more about that sort of thing. When Jen’s parents split she not only has to spend half her time away from her dad in the city, but her mom drags her along to her new boyfriend’s ranch to live out her Stardew Valley fantasies. The mom is surprisingly painted in not the best light which helps put you in Jen’s shoes.
That’s all for now. I could literally write one of these every week but I’ll wait at least until next year.
