Sorceline – Sylvia Douye, Paola Antista (illustrations) – Andrews McMeel Publishing Published 3 May 2022   Sorceline is a beautiful graphic novel translated into English from its original French. I’ve heard booksellers wax poetic about French graphic novels and I can see why. Sorceline is divine. Perfect for middle grade readers, and older teens will also enjoy this story. Enter a magical school that will delight fans of Harry Potter and meet magical creatures that are at once familiar and also delightfully fresh and new and also slightly scary. Sorceline is starting at Professo ..read more

  Air – Monica Roe – Farrar, Straus and Giroux Published 15 March 2022   Air is a powerful and impressive middle grade novel about finding your voice and following your dream, while managing the transition to high school, friendship, adults who think they know best and the ways society limits the potential of all. Air is a book I’m going to force upon a lot of people. Staff and teachers at my school, my principal, students. It’s a book I think everyone should read. The author so perfectly captures Emmie’s voice. That of a young girl who has just started seventh grade. She loves rac ..read more

  Saving Sunshine – Saadia Faruqi and Shazleen Khan (ill.)- First Second Published 5 September 2023   Another must-have graphic novel to add to your school library shelves. With themes of racism and environmental conservation, this middle-grade graphic novel is relatable and inspiring and something animal-mad young teen readers will love. Zara and Zeeshan are siblings but they couldn’t be more different. Zara loves everything to do with animals. Zeeshan has his head firmly in outer space. They argue constantly and drive their parents mad. But they both understand what it’s like to ..read more

  Kariba – Daniel Clarke, James Clarke, Daniel Snaddon – Catalyst Press Published 6 June 2023     Kariba is a gorgeous middle-grade graphic novel. Based part on true story and part on ancient African mythology, Kariba is the story of Siku.  Unbeknownst to her, Siku is the daughter of the Great River Spirit, Nyaminyami. Raised by a human father, Siku’s powers grow and threaten to reveal themselves when a dam is built on the river, changing the river’s flow and natural balance. Siku is the only one with the ability to right things, but her father fears that means he will lo ..read more

  Pearl of the Sea – Anthony Silverston, Willem Samuel, Raffaella Delle Donne – Catalyst Press Published 31 January 2023   Pearl of the Sea is a beautiful graphic novel that will have great appeal to a wide range of readers.  Pearl spends most of her time on the ocean. It’s the only place she feels safe and most at home. Pearl is an experienced diver and we see this right from the opening spread. Gorgeous blues and underwater scenes make this book utterly enchanting. Pearl dives to put food on the table. When she finds a secured underwater space, abundant with abalone, she is ..read more

  Play Like A Girl – Misty Wilson and David Wilson – Balzer + Bray Published 27 September 2022   Play Like A Girl is another fantastic graphic novel memoir. My school library readers snaffle up graphic memoirs as fast as I can get them to them and I know they’ll love Play Like A Girl. I love that this memoir centres around sport and friendship.  Misty never backs down from a challenge. So when she’s told she can’t play football, she convinces her best friend Bree to try out for the boys football team. Training is tough. Much harder than she expected, but she loves the drive to ..read more

Frizzy – Claribel A. Ortega and Rose Bousamra (Illustrator) – First Second Published 18 October 2022   Frizzy is a darling new graphic novel. It will be a must-buy for my school library and I know it will be an immediate hit with my middle grade readers. And what’s not to love about this story about embracing and celebrating what makes you unique and especially you. It’s hard to be your true self when the people around you only focus on what they would change. Marlene loves her curls but it’s her curls that means she has to spend every Sunday at the salon. It’s her curls that her family ..read more

Ride On – Faith Erin Hicks – First Second Books Published 16 August 2022   If you are in a school library like me, you probably can’t keep the graphic novels up to your readers. Of if you yourself are a graphic novel reader, you are no doubt looking for your next read. Ride On combines horses and friendship in this delightful middle-grade graphic novel. Victoria just wants to ride horses. Not compete, not train, just enjoy riding for the joy of it. After a fight with her best friend, Victoria has moved to a new stable. There, the riders are wary about the new rider. Who is Victoria and ..read more

  Thunderous – Mandy Smoker Broaddus, Natalie Peeterse, Dale Ray Deforest – Dynamite Entertainment Published 26 April 2022   I am always on the lookout for new graphic novels for my school library and Thunderous is going to be a must-buy. A beautiful story of adventure and identity, Thunderous is the story of Aiyana. She just wants to fit in at school, get followers online and be liked. She’d rather not listen to yet another Lakota story from her grandmother or her dorky cousin. When on a school field trip, three girls who Aiyana wants desperately to impress, deal Aiyana to climb o ..read more

  Just Pretend – Tori Sharp – Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Published 18 May 2021   I’m enjoying diving into some new graphic novels and Just Pretend is delightful, with bright panels and a heartwarming story of growing up. It is actually part memoir, as the author shares her own teenage story within the pages. Tori lives with her mother, and twin older brother and sisters. She also travels to stay with her dad after the divorce. It can get confusing, juggling different houses and bedrooms. Tori is a writer. She loves to create wonderful worlds into which she can escape whe ..read more