YALSA names 2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens

CHICAGO – The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list.

The list of 112 titles, drawn from 170 official nominations, is presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The books, recommended for those ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens. The full list can be viewed at www.ala.org/yalsa/great-graphic-novels.

In addition to the full list, the committee chose the following titles as its top ten:

• Awkward. By Svetlana Chmakova. Illus by the author. Yen Press. (9780316381307)
• Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. By Don Brown. Illus by the author. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (9780544157774).
• Lumberjanes.
  • vol. 1. By Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Shannon Watters. Illus. by Brooke Allen. Boom! Box, paper, $14.99, (9781608866878).
  • vol. 2. By Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Shannon Watters. Illus. by Brooke Allen. Boom! Box, paper, $14.99, (9781608867370).

• Ms. Marvel.
  • vol. 2: Generation Why. By G. Willow Wilson. Illus. by Jacob Wyatt and Adrian Alphona. Marvel Comics, paper, $15.99, (9780785190226).
  • vol. 3: Crushed. By G. Willow Wilson. Illus. by Takeshi Miyazawa and Elmo Bondoc. Marvel Comics, paper, $15.99, (9780785192275).

• Nimona. By Noelle Stevenson. Illus. by the author. Harper Teen, hardcover, $17.99, (9780062278234).
• Roller Girl. By Victoria Jamieson. Illus. by the author. Dial Books for Young Readers, hardcover, $20.99, (9780525429678).
• Sacred Heart. By Liz Suburbia. Illus. by the author. Fantagraphics, paper, $24.99, (9781606998410).
• A Silent Voice.
  • vol. 1. By Yoshitoki Oima. Illus. by the author. Kodansha Comics, paper, $10.99, (9781632360564).
  • vol. 2. By Yoshitoki Oima. Illus. by the author. Kodansha Comics, paper, $10.99, (9781632360571).
  • vol. 3. By Yoshitoki Oima. Illus. by the author. Kodansha Comics, paper, $10.99, (9781632360588).

• Trashed. By Derf Backderf. Illus. by the author. Abrams ComicArts, hardcover, $24.95, (9781419714535).

• The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.
  • vol. 1: Squirrel Power. By Ryan North. Illus. by Erica Henderson. Marvel Comics, paper, $15.99, (9780785197027).
  • vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It’s True. By Ryan North. Illus. by Erica Henderson. Marvel Comics, paper, $14.99, (9780785197034).

“I am pleased with the breadth and depth of the list this year. We drew from a record number of nominations and ended up with a selection of quality graphic novels from all sorts of genres, perspectives, and cultures,” said Chair Jason M. Poole. “I am especially excited to see the top ten populated with titles featuring female protagonists, reflecting a shift in the comics industry towards more equal representation of all its readers.”

Members of the Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee are: Chair, Jason M.  Poole, Webster Public Library, Webster, NY; Kim Farnsworth, administrative assistant, Nevada County Library, Nevada City, CA; Molly Collins, Tewksbury Public Library, Tewksbury, MA; Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, Eugene, OR; Jennifer Hartley, Danville Public Library, Danville, VA; Bethni King, Georgetown Public Library, Georgetown, TX; Elizabeth Moss, North Mason Timberland Library, Belfair, WA; Jayla Parks, Houston Public Library, Houston, TX; Kristina Reynolds, Portland District Library, Portland, MI; Nikki Santiago, Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, CA; Bonnie Svitavsky, Puyallup Public Library, Puyallup, WA; Nate Wagner, Carol Stream Public Library, Carol Stream, IL.

YALSA’s portfolio of book and media awards helps strengthen library services for and with teens by identifying quality, age appropriate resources for librarians and library workers to share with the teens in their communities. Learn more about YALSA’s other book and media lists here.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and library staff to engage, serve and empower teens.  For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.