2011 Best Juvenile Graphic Novels
Each year, Austin Public Library youth services librarians read hundreds of books and we gather together lists of our favorites. Some of these win awards and are placed on official reading lists. . . and some aren't. If you're looking for great books that you might have missed last year, here are a few to try.
Recommended for Grades 3-8.
Book List Category:
By story by Sho Makura ; art by Haruhi Kato.
Panda Man, the greatest martial artist in the world, and swordskoala Ko Mando enter a contest to retrieve the treasures of Pirate Island, in a tale told in graphic novel form which invites young readers to solve puzzles to advance the story.
By written and illustrated by Ray Fawkes ; design by Keith Wood ; edited by Jill Beaton.
Ms. Llewellyn-Vane is throwing a dinner party and all the specters are invited! The ghouls of the house for captured spirits and ghostly curiosities are playing host to Ms. Carter-Hawthorne's collection of rare apparitions and the Gurgazon is trying to be on its best behavior. But how long before the pit demon's true nature gets the better of it?
By Sara Varon.
Cupcake runs a successful bakery with his best friend, Eggplant, but dreams of going abroad to meet his idol, Turkish Delight, who is the most famous pastry chef in the world.
By [Ashley Spires].
Binky, a house cat that believes he is a space cat, is dismayed when Gracie, a too-perfect foster cat, comes to live at his space station, and decides to investigate to learn the truth about this unwelcome guest.
By by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm.
Squish, a meek amoeba who loves the comic book exploits of his favorite hero, "Super Amoeba," tries to emulate him when his best friend is threatened by a bully.
By Stephen McCranie.
Fourth-grade genius Mal and his talking dog Chad shrink themselves to microscopic size and travel through time, but girls and the school bully present bigger challenges.
By Dave Roman.
Hakata Soy looks to make a new start at Astronaut Academy, but his past as the leader of a futuristic superhero team catches up to him when a robot doppelganger is sent to kill him.
By Dan Santat.
When Captain Amazing feels he is getting too old to be a reliable superhero, he tries to hire a new sidekick, but his pets have different ideas.
By Emile Bravo.
A combination of fairy tales explain why bears hibernate all winter.
By story & art by Yumi Tsukirino ; original concept by Chisato Seki ; [translation, Emi Louie-Nishikawa].
Cinnamoroll, an extraordinary puppy who loves freshly baked cinnamon rolls and uses his long ears to fly high into the sky, is always on the lookout for a new adventure with his friends Chiffon, Mocha, Espresso, Cappuccino, and little Milk.
By introduction by Leonard S. Marcus ; edited by Chris Duffy ; illustrated by Patrick McDonnell ... [et al.]].
Presents fifty traditional nursery rhymes in comic book format, with illustrations by well-known cartoonists.
By Barry Deutsch ; colors by Jake Richmond.
Eleven-year-old Mirka Herschberg dreams of fighting dragons and spends her days honing her skills, even though there are no dragons in her Orthodox Jewish community, but when she accepts a challenge from a mysterious witch, Mirka just might win her dragon-fighting sword after all.
