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Graphic Novel

Chunky

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Chunky by Yehudi Mercado
Format: Graphic Novel
Who it’s for: Kids

Young Hudi is overweight. He’s been plagued by health issues, and his family’s doctor encourages him to lose some weight. His parents decide he should try out for a sport, so he’ll get more exercise. Hudi would rather tell jokes or draw, but his parents insist, so he chooses baseball. After all, Babe Ruth was overweight, and he was one of the greats! But he’s still really nervous about it. In pops Chunky to the rescue! Chunky is a red furry monster, who introduces himself as Hudi’s imaginary mascot. He will always be there to cheer Hudi on, as long as he’s trying his best. He just wants Hudi to be happy!

It turns out Hudi is going to need a lot of cheering on, as he moves from baseball, to soccer, to swimming, to tennis, to football, leaving a string of minor disasters in his wake. Hudi doesn’t seem to be cut out for sports, and struggles to make friends. In addition, his family is going through some stuff, as his dad has lost his job, and they don’t have a lot of money for Hudi’s sister’s bat mitzvah. Chunky has his work cut out for him, helping Hudi to be himself, and make good choices.

This fun, colorful, semi-autobiographical graphic novel should appeal to fans of books like Smile by Raina Telgemeier, New Kid by Jerry Craft, or El Deafo by Cece Bell. It handles some tough issues, like body image, and bullying, in a light-hearted way, and any reader will wish they had their own Chunky to believe in them when they really need it.

Find Chunky in our catalog.

Whistle

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Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero by E. Lockhart and Manuel Preitano
Format: Graphic Novel
Who it’s for: Teens

Life is pretty stressful for Willow Zimmerman. She has to balance high school with her budding interest in activism, a job at the local dog shelter, a crush on the new guy who just moved from Lagos, and caring for her mom who has cancer. When an old family friend reaches out to her with an opportunity to make a lot of money running elegant and elaborate poker games for him and his friends, she can’t refuse. That money will fund a lot of cancer treatments for her mom. But the demands of the position cause her neglect her studies, activism, canine friends, and new crush, while at the same time drawing the unwanted attention of a supervillain who has an axe to grind with her boss.

One night she, and a particularly loyal stray Great Dane named Lebowitz, are attacked by Killer Croc. When she awakens in a hospital days later she has a wicked scar across her face… and superpowers. Apparently Willow and Lebowitz became connected during the attack and she now possesses several canine traits, like super hearing, super smell, the ability to communicate with dogs, and the temptation to chase tennis balls. Okay, that last one isn’t that helpful, but when she uses her powers to uncover a plot by Poison Ivy and The Riddler to destroy her beloved neighborhood, Willow and Lebowitz become vigilante heroes Whistle and The Hound.

This graphic novel for teens is bound to entertain fans of DC comics, the Ms. Marvel series, Spider-Man movies, and E. Lockhart’s YA novels.

Find Whistle in our catalog.

Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy

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In the small frontier town of Woodsburgh, during the Klondike Goldrush, an enthralling stranger appears. She wants to purchase the demolished mineshaft on the outskirts of town. Meanwhile, when the streets are cloaked in darkness, something abhorrent and violent is targeting the unwary townspeople, leaving a bloody trail in its wake. There are monsters in this town, human and otherwise, and the strange new visitor might know something about it.

Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy is Victorian gothic meets sci-fi horror with equal parts gore, romance, and tragedy. The plot could be considered obscure and so the reader is left to interpret what exactly is going on all one their own. I didn’t mind being repeatedly confused because the art is gorgeous! How often can you call a parasitic entity beautiful? If you like carriage rides, tragic love stories and interdimensional realms, I suggest you find Mercy in the Library’s catalog or for instant download on Hoopla.

Something is Killing the Children

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Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV
Format: Graphic Novel and eBook on Hoopla
Who’s it for?: Adults & Young Adults

Do you remember when you were a kid and that monster was hiding in your closet? Remember how your mind would run wild with thoughts of the most forbidding and insidious creature imaginable? Maybe it had sharp claws, long fangs, and garish yellow eyes. Now, imagine if this creature were real?

The children of Archer’s Peak, WI are being preyed upon by something brought to life by their most terrifying fears. The worst part? This is an evil only the children can see. The people of this small town can’t be expected to defeat an enemy they can’t even see. But the mysterious Erica Slaughter can see them and she kills monsters. Is there hope?

I recommend this enthralling and gruesome horror story to anyone who loves a good monster tale and doesn’t mind the carnage that comes with it. You can find Something is Killing the Children in the Library’s catalog or for instant download on Hoopla Digital.

Snotgirl

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Snotgirl by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Format: Graphic Novel & eBook on Hoopla
Who’s it for?: Adults and Young Adults

Lottie Person is a self-infatuated, attention-seeking, LA fashion blogger and social media influencer. On the surface, she’s perfect. She’s glamorous. She’s the woman all her fans aspire to be, but on the inside…she’s kind of a mess. She’s actually super insecure and her so-called friends rival her vanity. She’s called “Snotgirl” not because of her outrageous hair, but because of her raging allergies. #rude. When Lottie meets Caroline, she’s super happy to try out her new, in-clinical-trials allergy medication. I mean, she doesn’t want to be known as “Snottie Lottie” by the coolest girl she’s ever met. I mean, Caroline could be her first IRL bestie in, like, forever. But when a night out turns odd, Lottie witnesses something strange…or maybe she imagined it? Are her new allergy meds playing with her head? #cliffhanger

The art is gorgeous! The fluorescent color scheme and dry humor teeter-totter with the dark moods and sinister themes. With characters you love to hate and a plot with more twists than the Pacific Coastal Highway, I highly recommend Snotigirl by Bryan Lee O’Malley. There are currently three volumes to the series with hopefully more to come. #fingerscrossed

Find Snotgirl in the library’s Catalog or for instant download on Hoopla Digital.

 

The Unfinished Corner

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The Unfinished Corner by Dani Colman
Format: Book, Graphic Novel
Who it’s for: Kids

Twelve-year-old Miriam has a lot going on in her life. She’s preparing for her Bat Mitzvah (a Jewish coming-of-age ceremony for young women) and she’s got Big Feelings about it. On top of that she’s just gotten accepted into a really cool art school, that she neglected to tell her friends she even applied to, so she’s got Big Feelings about that too. And on top of all that she’s preparing for a Tikkun Olam (Hebrew for “repair the world”) outreach trip with her best friends Avi and David, and her worst frenemy Judith. And on top of all that her Rabbi is actually an angel in disguise who informs her that G-d left the Universe unfinished and needs her to finish it. Wait. What?!?!

So begins this lovely graphic novel adventure inspired by Jewish mythology and incorporating Jewish philosophy. Miriam, Avi, David, and Judith encounter angels, demons, a Golem, the literal Lion of Judah, and more, as they learn valuable lessons from the Torah, Tanakh, and Talmud, on their quest to finish the Universe, while grappling with relatable struggles regarding friendship, family, what it means to be Jewish, and what it means to grow up. This is a sometimes funny, sometimes moving, all times wholesome story, with great art, and a diverse cast of characters, that I would recommend to any young fan of graphic novels.

Find The Unfinished Corner in the catalog