Young Adult Graphic Novels

Shanghai, November 1937. Yaya, the eight-year-old daughter of a diamond merchant, lives a life of luxury in the French Concession in Shanghai. Her one great passion is the piano. While she is preparing for an important audition, her father decides that the family must leave town in the face of the imminent Japanese invasion. The evening before all the family is to leave, stubborn Yaya, unaware of the danger, runs away in an attempt to make it to her audition come what may. On the way, in the midst of the crowd fleeing the Japanese offensive, She is caught in a bombardment. She owes her life to Tuduo, a street urchin who discovers her unconscious in the ruins of a house. With his help, Yaya learns that her family fled for Hong Kong without her, and she determines to go join them there right away. Tuduo begins to dream about what his life would be like if Yaya’s parents welcomed him and his little brother into their beautiful home. He decides to go along with Yaya on her long and perilous journey. But before he can do anything, he must escape from the clutches of Zhu, who runs a gang of homeless boys. When Zhu learns that Tuduo’s little protégée is from a very wealthy family, he comes up with a Machiavellian plot to kidnap her and collect a ransom. Tuduo and Yaya barely manage to get away and head off for the south. But Zhu, a heartless outlaw, doesn’t give up so easily and comes after them, driven by his high hopes of cashing in on the ransom scheme. This nine-volume series chronicles their long journey fraught with perils. The children meet all sorts of people, both friendly and wicked, as they travel toward Hong Kong. Yaya and Tuduo are different in every way: social background, character, dreams, and desires. These children learn many growing lessons along the way, not the least of which is to judge a person on their character, not their social or financial status. The gloom of war, its absurd tragedy, gives way to the incredible capacity of youth to overwhelm grim reality. Imagination is the only thing these children have to defend themselves against adults who are like the ogres, evil fairies, or good witches of bedtime tales. Their imagination gives the story a touch of poetry, while humor brings a lighter touch to a story that is steeped in genuine historical tragedy.

Despite the bombings that ravage the streets of Shanghai, young Yaya and Tuduo find themselves in the clutches of the infamous gangster Zhu. Tuduo is already quite familiar with Zhu's criminal business intentions, having run the streets for quite some time before the war began, but now he's held prisoner and forced to loot the many deserted homes in the city's upscale neighborhoods. Meanwhile, Yaya is forced to do housework around the criminals' lair, including cleaning a room filled with captive snakes! As scary as that may be, however, her uncanny ability to talk to animals helps turn things around. But when Yaya's former nanny finds them, Zhu realizes this little rich girl could be his ticket to the fortune of a lifetime. Even as Yaya, Tuduo, and the nanny escape Zhu's clutches, their adventure is only just beginning . . .This second book in the adventures of Yaya continues the exciting formula launched by the first volume: two adorable kids chased by a wicked villain, a small animal with extraordinary capabilities, and a desperate war raging in the background. Artist Golo Zhao is particularly at home in this landscape format of large, beautifully colored panels in which Yaya and Tuduo's innocence contrasts with the chaos of the setting.

In the Victorian ages of London The Earl of the Phantomhive house, Ciel Phantomhive, needs to get his revenge on those who had humiliated him and destroyed what he loved. Not being able to do it alone he sells his soul to a demon he names Sebastian Michaelis. Now working as his butler, Sebastian must help the Earl Phantomhive in this suspenseful, exciting, thriller manga. This book is recommended for older teens.

Terrorizing its populace, Jack the Ripper has shaken London to its very core. But when Sebastian Michaelis, singular butler of the Phantomhive house, lays bare the madman's true identity, all that is left for him to do is eliminate the perpetrator in the name of the Queen and Phantomhive. But inhumanly efficient skills don't guarantee victory when the opponent is just as supernaturally gifted! And though Sebastian may be able to save Ciel from physical harm in the battle that ensues, will the young earl ever recover from the emotional scars it will leave on his heart? This book is recommended for older teens.

London - the capital of the Great Empire - is once again under siege, as a string of bizarre attacks on British citizens returned from India sends rumours flying and casts a pall upon Queen Victoria's rule. Sent in by Her Majesty, young Earl Phantomhive and his most capable butler, Sebastian, follow a trail that collides head-on with an Indian youth who claims to be a prince. And this prince possesses an extraordinary butler of his own! As an intense rivalry between the two butlers begins to form, will the kitchen be the dueling duo's final battleground?! This book is recommended for older teens.

For an impeccable gentleman's butler like Sebastian Michaelis, the word "impossible" is just not in his vocabulary. Everything demanded of him under the English sun is well within his grasp. But do his talents extend to things under the scalding Indian sun?! As Harold West-Jeb's plan to use Agni, Prince Soma's superhuman butler, in a curry battle to win himself a Royal Warrant is exposed, Earl Ciel Phantomhive sets Sebastian to the task of creating an incomparable curry to defeat the despicable West-Jeb. But how can Ciel's devil of a butler possibly best Agni, the man with the Right Hand of God?! This book is recommended for teens and adults.

The cheer of the holidays has passed, but the Noah's Ark traveling circus has been making the rounds, bringing fun and joy to children of all ages. However, as the ringmaster's cries fade away, a disturbing trend begins to surface in the wake of the colourful entourage. Children seem to disappear whenever the circus packs up for its next destination, and there are no clues...or corpses...to be found. But when the situation calls for Ciel and Sebastian to infiltrate the big top, will Sebastian's inhuman skills be enough to see him and his young master through a treacherous tightrope act that may well end in death? This book is recommended for older teens.

Having successfully infiltrated the Noah's Ark Circus in the guise of rookie performers, Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his butler, Sebastian, set about gathering clues backstage as to the whereabouts of the missing children. But when a turn at a snooping puts Ciel on the trail of a man whose identity is shrouded in mystery, he sets his consummate manservant to the task of investigating further. This time, however, Sebastian must call upon one of the more infamously wicked skills of his kind to solve the puzzle. As he stalks his vulnerable prey in the shadows of the fairgrounds, is his young master prepared for where the ill-gotten gains of his butler's methods will lead? This book is recommended for older teens.

When one curtain falls upon the big top stage, another rises behind the scenes, as young Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his virtuoso butler, Sebastian, face off against the villain behind the missing children. But as Sebastian, under orders from his master, single-handedly draws the gruesome tale to its sad conclusion on one front, battle lines are drawn on another! With the masterless Phantomhive Manor under attack from the Noah's Ark Circus and Sebastian nowhere nearby to protect its inhabitants, is Ciel's home once again headed for the same tragedy that took the lives of the young earl's parents? This book is recommended for older teens.

Earl Ciel Phantomhive’s quietude is interrupted as Queen Victoria’s very own butlers commandeer Phantomhive Manor for a lavish banquet sanctioned by Her Majesty. Preparations for such an event are quick work in the hands of Sebastian, the house’s most able butler, but corralling the eminent guests may prove to be rather more of a challenge. For this dinner party is anything but festive, and as a stormy night batters the outside of the grand residence, a far more violent storm begins to unfurl within. And no one is safe from the havoc it will wreak—not even one seemingly impervious manservant… This book is recommended for older teens.

With his royally sanctioned dinner party a shambles and a murderer on the loose, Earl Ciel Phantomhive is a veritable prisoner in his own home, alongside those of his guests who still live. And in the most shocking of turns, the young earl now finds himself without his indispensible manservant, Sebastian. But as the mystery deepens, there arrives upon the young earl's doorstep an odd vicar, wearing an insolent smile and an Inverness cape that flaps and splashes behind him... Is this mysterious thirteenth guest the perpetrator of the crimes that have bloodied the halls of Phantomhive Manor? This book is recommended for older teens.

The decks of the Campania run red with blood when the corpses brought back to a semblance of life by the Aurora Society's "absolute salvation" turn on the ship's passengers in a ghoulish farce. With their investigation waylaid by this primitive struggle for survival, Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his exceptional butler, Sebastian, are trapped at the mercy of both the unnatural and Mother Nature herself. For even as dead feet shuffle along the opulent decks of the luxury liner in search of living prey, in the distance there looms before the cursed vessel a massive iceberg that glows and crackles eerily in the gloom of night...This book is recommended for older teens.

Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his invincible butler Sebastian may have succeeded in sneaking their way into the elite Weston College, but their investigation quickly hits a wall. To earn an audience with the headmaster, Ciel's only option is to attend the "Midnight Tea Party," an exclusive gathering hosted by the elusive head of the school. And the only way a lowly first-former like Ciel, earl or no, can land a seat at that table is by being elected the Most Valuable Player in the College's annual storied cricket tournament. Selected from each house, students in the springtime of youth battle it out among the wickets on the spring-green lawn. Will the usually unperturbed young earl be bowled over by this unexpected turn of events?! This book is recommended for older teens.

Following the outcome of the annual cricket tourney and due in no small part to Sebastian, his uncommon butler, Earl Ciel Phantomhive has earned a seat at the Midnight Tea Party hosted by Weston's enigmatic headmaster. As moon-pale petals bloom on the lapels of the students who have been granted a place at the Midnight Tea Party, the man who holds all authority at the school reveals himself to his guests. Will his appearance shed light on the fate of the missing students,or conceal the path to truth in yet more darkness? This book is recommended for older teens.

Their elaborate schoolroom deception at an end, Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his peerless manservant, Sebastian, finally hit upon the truth behind the incident of the vanished students at Weston College. Just what tragic steps did the elites of the school, spurred on by their overwhelming sense of justice, take to stamp out the bullying running rife in the halls of their institution?! What began as a seemingly simple case of missing persons goes round and round, spinning out of control into a great menace, one capable of perplexing even a devil...This book is recommended for older teens.

In the wilds of Germany, the servants of the Phantomhive house are at a loss when their master, Earl Ciel Phantomhive, is both mentally and physically debilitated by the curse of the Wolfman that roams the Werewolves' Forest. Ciel, his demeanour changed, casts aside his unfinished duties as Queen Victoria's royal watchdog and orders his consummate butler, Sebastian, to pack up for London at once! But as the household ponders the situation, none other than Her Majesty's man John Brown drops in on Sebastian bearing a royal letter. What new orders could the missive hold? This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Revealing themselves to be wolves in sheep's clothing, the villagers of Wolfsschlucht nip ferociously at the heels of Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his entire household--indomitable butler Sebastian included. With aid coming from surprising corners, the company makes a quick getaway with the Emerald Witch in tow. But even as preparations are made and wounds rested for the passage to England and the inevitable meeting with the queen, word of the Undertaker stubbornly hangs over the proceedings... This book is recommended for teens and adults.

In the heart of London stands Sphere Music Hall, a venue that enjoys immense popularity amongst the populace. However, the fervour with which its visitors return causes consternation in the mind of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, who suspects the organisation of cult practices and sends Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his impeccable butler, Sebastian, to infiltrate the hall. They are met with none other than the disgraced erstwhile prefects of Weston College and an otherworldly fortuneteller called Blavat, who takes one look at Sebastian and divines his true nature without faltering...! This book is recommended for teens and adults.

A mysterious cult mesmerises legions of spectators with glorious rituals of song and dance. But the unbridled passion it inspires in its followers gives Queen Victoria cause for concern, and she urges Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his expert butler, Sebastian, to do some digging. Ciel has his own reasons for taking this lot to task, but the discovery of the cult's penchant for blood means the Queen's watchdog must make an immediate move. And when Sebastian goes probing behind the stages and into the shadows, he's met by a girl standing in his way, her sword ready to meet him head on...This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Acclaimed creator Kaoru Mori (Emma, Shirley) brings the nineteenth-century Silk Road to lavish life, chronicling the story of Amir Halgal, a young woman from a nomadic tribe betrothed to a twelve-year-old boy eight years her junior. Coping with cultural differences, blossoming feelings for her new husband, and expectations from both her adoptive and birth families, Amir strives to find her role as she settles into a new life and a new home in a society quick to define that role for her. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Acclaimed creator Kaoru Mori's tale of life on the nineteenth-century Silk Road continues as the young bride, Amir Halgal, struggles to remain with her new groom despite the wishes of her family, who would see her wed another. Will Amir be able to preserve the bonds she has cultivated in her new home? This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Acclaimed creator Kaoru Mori's tale of life on the nineteenth-century Silk Road continues, this time introducing a new would-be bride--Talas. A young widow, Talas opens her home to the researcher Mr. Smith, who has ventured to her town to continue his studies. However, when Talas's uncle begins to see Smith as an impediment to his plans to wed his son to Talas, the old man's schemes land the Englishman in prison! Far from friends and even farther from home, Smith's outlook seems grim...This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Acclaimed creator Kaoru Mori’s tale of life on the nineteenth-century Silk Road turns westward, following Englishman Mr. Smith on his long journey to Ankara. Passing through a fishing village along the Aral Sea, Smith and his guide encounter a pair of spirited young girls named Laila and Leily--identical twins who are fishing not for sturgeon, but for husbands! Despite their efforts to find two wealthy, healthy, and handsome brothers to wed, Laila and Leily’s plans generally only land them in loads of trouble! This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Acclaimed creator Kaoru Mori's tale of life on the nineteenth-century Silk Road takes on an air of celebration as, at long last, Laila and Leily's wedding day arrives! But the marriage ceremony may be even more taxing for the girls than their search for a pair of grooms. Sitting still and silent as their guests celebrate and eat is a trial that will push the girls' patience to its limit, not to mention that of Sami and Sarm! As the twins finally make their vows and commit themselves to their husbands, the gravity of the moment finally sets in. Though they have dreamed of marriage for years, only now do they realize that everything in their lives is about to change...This book is recommended for teens and adults.

In the year since his marriage, Karluk has grown a good deal, but Amir can't help but feel overprotective of her much younger husband. Karluk wants nothing more than to prove that he can be a strong and competent man--and he may soon have the opportunity to prove just that. Desperate for land to feed their flocks, Amir's former tribe prepares to attack the village with a fearsome arsenal of cannons and guns provided by their new allies. This time the Halgals are not interested in capturing Amir--no one is safe from their terrible assault! This book is recommended for teens and adults.

As Mr. Smith continues his journey to India, he is welcomed into the home of a wealthy tradesman and his wife, Anis. Custom dictates that, as a woman, Anis is not permitted to meet their visitor face-to-face, but even so, she counts herself blessed to live in such a beautiful estate and be married to a man who devotes himself solely to her. Still, one cannot help but long for the companionship of another person when one's closest friend is a reluctant Persian cat. In her loneliness, Anis visits the public bath house and discovers a place where she feels immediately free among her fellow sisters. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Lovable ne'er-do-well Delilah Dirk has travelled to Japan, Indonesia, France, and even the New World. Using the skills she's picked up on the way, Delilah's adventures continue as she plots to rob a rich and corrupt Sultan in Constantinople. With the aid of her flying boat and her newfound friend, Selim, she evades the Sultan's guards, leaves angry pirates in the dust, and fights her way through the countryside. For Delilah, one adventure leads to the next in this thrilling and funny installment in her exciting life. A little bit Tintin, a little bit Indiana Jones, Delilah Dirk is a great pick for any reader looking for a smart and foolhardy heroine...and globetrotting adventures. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

After being falsely accused of spying by the nefarious Major Merrick, Delilah Dirk and Mister Selim sail to England to clear her name (and beat the tar out of the Major while they're at it). But once on her home turf, Delilah encounters an adversary mightier than the entire British Army: her mother. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Tanjiro sets out on the path of the Demon Slayer to save his sister and avenge his family! In Taisho-era Japan, Tanjiro Kamado is a kindhearted boy who makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is the only survivor, but she has been transformed into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life. Learning to slay demons won’t be easy, and Tanjiro barely knows where to start. The surprise appearance of another boy named Giyu, who seems to know what’s going on, might provide some answers…but only if Tanjiro can stop Giyu from killing his sister first! This book is recommended for teens and adults.

During final selection for the Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjiro faces a disfigured demon and uses the techniques taught by his master, Urokodaki! As Tanjiro begins to walk the path of the Demon Slayer, his search for the demon who murdered his family leads him to investigate the disappearances of young girls in a nearby town. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Tanjiro and Nezuko cross paths with two powerful demons who fight with magical weapons. Even help from Tamayo and Yushiro may not be enough to defeat these demons who claim to belong to the Twelve Kizuki that directly serve Kibutsuji, the demon responsible for all of Tanjiro’s woes! But if these demons can be defeated, what secrets can they reveal about Kibutsuji? This book is recommended for teens and adults.

After a fierce battle with a demon inside a maddening house of ever-changing rooms, Tanjiro has a chance to find out about the fighter in the boar-head mask. Who is this passionate swordsman and what does he want? Later, a new mission has Tanjiro and his compatriots heading for Mt. Natagumo and a confrontation with a mysterious and horrifying threat…This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Echo Desjardins, a 13-year-old Métis girl adjusting to a new home and school, is struggling with loneliness while separated from her mother. Then an ordinary day in Mr. Bee’s history class turns extraordinary, and Echo’s life will never be the same. During Mr. Bee’s lecture, Echo finds herself transported to another time and place—a bison hunt on the Saskatchewan prairie—and back again to the present. In the following weeks, Echo slips back and forth in time. She visits a Métis camp, travels the old fur-trade routes, and experiences the perilous and bygone era of the Pemmican Wars. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Echo Desjardins is adjusting to her new home, finding friends, and learning about Métis history. She just can’t stop slipping back and forth in time. One ordinary afternoon in class, Echo finds herself transported to the banks of the Red River in the summer of 1869. All is not well in the territory as Canadian surveyors have arrived to change the face of territory, and Métis families, who have lived there for generations, are losing access to their land. As the Resistance takes hold, Echo fears for her friends and the future of her people in the Red River Valley. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Early in the twentieth century, Hanako journeys to England to follow her dream of becoming a novelist. When things don’t work out quite as she planned, she finds employment as a personal maid to noblewoman Alice Douglas, who makes a most unusual request: she begs Hanako to kill her! As Hanako tries to figure out why her mistress would make such a shocking plea, their relationship grows into something far deeper. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Lady Alice shares the story of her love for her former governess Eliza, as well as its tragic end. In the wake of that story, Hanako finds herself harboring two secrets—including the fact that the feelings in her heart are growing all the more intense. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Alice has finally revealed her secret to Hanako: she is Victor Franks! Yet secrets that must be kept still abound, and family, status, and love bind Alice like thorns. Will she and Hanako ever be free? The beautiful and stirring finale of Goodbye, My Rose Garden! This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Richard, the ambitious third son of the House of York, believes he is cursed, damned from birth to eternal darkness. But is it truly fate that sets him on the path to personal destruction? Or his own tormented longings? Based on an early draft of Shakespeare’s Richard III, Aya Kanno’s dark fantasy finds the man who could be king standing between worlds, between classes, between good and evil. Richard’s father, the patriarch of the House of York, is poised to become king of medieval England during the bloody Wars of the Roses. But just as success is imminent, he is abruptly cut down. Plunged into despair, Richard acts out in revenge and must face a powerful and beautiful new enemy. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Richard, the ambitious third son of the House of York, believes he is cursed, damned from birth to eternal darkness. But is it truly fate that sets him on the path to personal destruction? Or his own tormented longings? Based on an early draft of Shakespeare’s Richard III, Aya Kanno’s dark fantasy finds the man who could be king standing between worlds, between classes, between good and evil. Richard's father, the patriarch of the House of York, seems poised to become king of medieval England during the Wars of the Roses. But just as success appears imminent, he is attacked. Now in the midst of deep despair, Richard acts out in revenge and must face a powerful and beautiful new enemy. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Richard and Henry grow closer—but Margaret Lancaster’s son, jealous of their burgeoning intimacy, plots against them. Meanwhile, news of King Edward’s secret marriage to the duplicitous Elizabeth sours relations between England and France. In the midst of the chaos, Richard receives a dangerous but intriguing proposition. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Andrea, a young Indigenous Colombian woman, has returned to the land she calls home. Only nineteen years old, she comes to mourn her lost child, carrying a box in her arms. And she comes with another mission. Andrea has hidden a camera upon herself. If she can capture evidence of the illegal mining that displaced her family, it will mark the first step toward reclaiming their land. This socially conscious thriller from graphic novelist Canizales examines the injustices of his home country in a stark, distinctive style. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

In 1941 in occupied Paris, brothers Maurice and Joseph play a last game of marbles before running home to their father's barbershop. This is the day that will change their lives forever. With the German occupation threatening their family's safety, the boys' parents decide Maurice and Joseph must disguise themselves and flee to their older brothers in the free zone. Surviving the long journey will take every scrap of ingenuity and courage they can muster. If they hope to elude the Nazis, they must never, under any circumstances, admit to being Jewish. The boys travel by train, ferry, and on foot, facing threats from strangers and receiving help from unexpected quarters. Along the way they must adapt to the unfamiliar world beyond their city and find a way to be true to themselves even as they conceal their identities. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Millions of fans have climbed aboard the "wildest ride in the wilderness"-and now Marvel hurtles you through the mists of time to reveal the never-before-told saga of how the dangerous gold mine of Big Thunder Mountain became the haunted legend it is today! Malevolent mine owner Barnabas T. Bullion is determined to shelter his teen daughter Abigail from the dangers of the Wild West, but this brave young hero has other ideas...which include robbing her own father's mine as a masked bandit! Earthquakes! Floods! Dynamite-chewing goats! Can the denizens of Rainbow Ridge survive the clash between mankind's greed and nature's fury? And what is the protective power that dwells deep within the mysterious mountain? This book is recommended for teens and adults.

A handsome and sweet-tempered horse, Black Beauty is strong and spirited. His mother warns him that there are bad, cruel men in the world, but Black Beauty sees none of it in his fine, happy home. Until the day when he is sold, when his life changes immeasurably and he finally sees the truth in his mother's words. As he moves from master to master, Beauty's adventures will captivate readers, and June Brigman's wonderful illustrations will capture their imaginations. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

This is the real deal: a filthy, disease-ridden frontier populated by losers, lunatics, and murderers. And when you’re a skinny teenager with no family and a name like Chester Kates, your options are limited. It’s stand up and fight or roll over and die, so Chester, aka “Lady Kate,” is set to fight until it kills him. It isn’t much of a life, but it’s at least straightforward. Until things go all cockeyed when Chester is hired to ride his horse (also named Chester) to a ghost town and burn it to the ground. Except the ghost town doesn’t just boast a tidy collection of mangled corpses: it also has three living inhabitants . . . who won’t be budged. But Chester’s been hired for a job, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t burn the town to the last cinder. Thing is, he may just be damned if he does. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

China, 1898. Bands of foreign missionaries and soldiers roam the countryside, bullying and robbing Chinese peasants. Little Bao has had enough. Harnessing the powers of ancient Chinese gods, he recruits an army of Boxers--commoners trained in kung fu--who fight to free China from "foreign devils." Against all odds, this grass-roots rebellion is violently successful. But nothing is simple. Little Bao is fighting for the glory of China, but at what cost? So many are dying, including thousands of "secondary devils"--Chinese citizens who have converted to Christianity. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

China, 1898. An unwanted and unwelcome fourth daughter, Four-Girl isn't even given a proper name by her family when she's born. She finds friendship--and a name, Vibiana--in the most unlikely of places: Christianity. But China is a dangerous place for Christians. The Boxer Rebellion is in full swing, and bands of young men roam the countryside, murdering Westerners and Chinese Christians alike. Torn between her nation and her Christian friends, Vibiana will have to decide where her true loyalties lie...and whether she is willing to die for her faith. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Part St. Bernard, part Scotch shepherd, Buck is a sturdy crossbreed canine accustomed to a comfortable life as a family dog -- until he's seized from his pampered surroundings and shipped to Alaska to be a sled dog. There, the forbidding landscape is as harsh as life itself during the gold rush of the 1890s. Forced to function in a climate where every day is a savage struggle for survival, Buck adapts quickly. Traces of his earlier existence are obliterated and he reverts to his dormant primeval instincts, encountering danger and adventure as he becomes the leader of a wolf pack and undertakes a journey of nearly mythical proportions. Superb details, taken from Jack London's firsthand knowledge of Alaskan frontier life, make this classic tale of endurance as gripping today as it was over a century ago. One of literature's most popular and exciting adventure stories, The Call of the Wild will enrich the reading experience of youngsters, and rekindle fond memories of a favorite among older generations. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

In eighteenth century London, Elizabeth Wilkinson is struggling to make ends meet for her and her sister Tess. While Elizabeth works odd jobs at the local newspaper, her true passion is bare-kuckle boxing. The only way to make enough money off of boxing is to train with one of the famous retired boxers and the only real fight promoter of any notoriety, James Figg. Figg refuses to train Elizabeth at first because she is a woman, but she cunningly forces his hand by taking an ad in the newspaper and claiming that she will fight another female bare-knuckle boxer as Figg’s pupil. As Elizabeth trains with Figg and James Stokes, she is forced to come to terms with her half-Indian side and her criminal father as she faces the powerful female bare-knuckle boxers of her day. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Kiku is on vacation in San Francisco when suddenly she finds herself displaced to the 1940s Japanese-American internment camp that her late grandmother, Ernestina, was forcibly relocated to during World War II. These displacements keep occurring until Kiku finds herself ""stuck"" back in time. Living alongside her young grandmother and other Japanese-American citizens in internment camps, Kiku gets the education she never received in history class. She witnesses the lives of Japanese-Americans who were denied their civil liberties and suffered greatly, but managed to cultivate community and commit acts of resistance in order to survive. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Raised by her mother on the family's country manor, Enola wakes on her 14th birthday to discover that her mother has disappeared, leaving only a collection of flowers and a coded message book. With Sherlock and Mycroft determined to ship her off to a boarding school, Enola escapes, displaying a cleverness that even impresses the elder Holmes. But nothing prepares her for what lies ahead. Her journey quickly leads her into the dark and sordid neighborhoods of London where she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess. Will Enola evade her two brothers and succeed in her new independent life, even as she continues to follow her mother's trail? This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Set in 2005, this gorgeously illustrated, funny, and honest graphic novel follows four teens who stumble into an illicit anime DVD-burning business that shakes up their conservative small town…and their friendship. When Brooke, Kelly, Maggie, and Melissa buy a bootleg anime DVD at a gas station, they get much more than they bargained for with Super Love XL , a risqué move featuring—among other things—a giant mecha who shoots lasers out of her chest. The four girls are horrified (and maybe a little fascinated). It’s so unlike anything they’ve seen, would probably shock everyone else in their town, and definitely would take over their extremely conservative Christian school. That’s when they have the idea to sell copies to local boys…for twenty dollars a pop. At first, everything goes perfectly, with the friends raking in cash—pretty soon they’ll even have enough money to buy the matching jackets they’ve always dreamed of! But as the market for mildly titillating anime DVDs grows, the girls realize they’ll need new material. On top of figuring out how to replicate their first success, there’s growing tension within the group. Brooke and Kelly’s romance is on its last legs, and hurt feelings are guaranteed when Melissa starts falling for one of them. Will the four girls’ shared history be strong enough to see them through this upheaval? Or will they learn that some things can only end in heartbreak? This book is recommended for teens and adult.

In the eighteenth century, forty-seven samurai avenged the death of their master in a plot that would take over two years to complete. After succeeding in their mission, the masterless samurai—known as ronin—all committed ritual suicide. The story, which is a national legend, remains the most potent example of Japan's deeply rooted cultural imperative of honor, persistence, loyalty, and sacrifice. The historical event has inspired many writers and artists over the years and numerous fictionalized versions and adaptations have emerged. In The 47 Ronin, Sean Michael Wilson has created a historically factual portrait, enhanced by evocative and often lyrical drawings by Akiko Shimojima. While there are other depictions of the story in manga form, this version stands out as being the most accurate and most compelling. Wilson and Shimojima have made the characters nuanced and relatable. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Graphic Classics: Robert Louis Stevenson returns to print in a revised edition, with 54 new pages New to this edition is "Treasure Island" adapted by Alex Burrows and Scott Lincoln. Returning are "Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in a unique two-part adaptation by Simon Gane and Michael Slack, and "The Bottle Imp" by Lance Tooks. Plus, a collection of "Verses and Fables" illustrated by Hunt Emerson, Maxon Crumb, Roger Langridge, and ten more great artists. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Butler’s most celebrated, critically acclaimed work tells the story of Dana, a young black woman who is suddenly and inexplicably transported from her home in 1970s California to the pre–Civil War South. As she time-travels between worlds, one in which she is a free woman and one where she is part of her own complicated familial history on a southern plantation, she becomes frighteningly entangled in the lives of Rufus, a conflicted white slaveholder and one of Dana’s own ancestors, and the many people who are enslaved by him. Held up as an essential work in feminist, science-fiction, and fantasy genres, and a cornerstone of the Afrofuturism movement, there are over 500,000 copies of Kindred in print. The intersectionality of race, history, and the treatment of women addressed within the original work remain critical topics in contemporary dialogue, both in the classroom and in the public sphere. Frightening, compelling, and richly imagined, Kindred offers an unflinching look at our complicated social history, transformed by the graphic novel format into a visually stunning work for a new generation of readers.

Shaka has fought his brother to the death for rulership of the Zulu. Now king of the southern chiefdoms, Shaka seeks to uplift his people, consolidate alliances, and expand the reach of his power. But challenges both external and internal threaten his rule. A rogue military unit exacts revenge on its enemies. Land-hungry Europeans arrive and ingratiate themselves with Shaka, even while plotting their own path to power. And closer to home, Shaka’s own brothers conspire in secret. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Laika was the abandoned puppy destined to become Earth's first space traveler. This is her journey. Nick Abadzis masterfully blends fiction and fact in the intertwined stories of three compelling lives. Along with Laika, there is Korolev, once a political prisoner, now a driven engineer at the top of the Soviet space program, and Yelena, the lab technician responsible for Laika's health and life. This intense triangle is rendered with the pitch-perfect emotionality of classics like Because of Winn Dixie, Shiloh, and Old Yeller. Abadzis gives life to a pivotal moment in modern history, casting light on the hidden moments of deep humanity behind history. Laika's story will speak straight to your heart. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Set against the moody backdrop of eleventh-century Scotland, Gareth Hinds’s captivating, richly illustrated interpretation takes readers into the claustrophobic mind of a man driven mad by ambition. An evil seed takes root in the mind of Macbeth, a general in the king’s army, when three witches tell him he will one day be king. At the urging of his wife, he resolves to take the throne by the most direct path: a dagger in the heart of King Duncan. But "blood will have blood," and when others grow suspicious of his sudden rise to power, is Macbeth prepared to commit more murders to keep the crown? This book is recommended for teens and adults.

August 31, 5:15 PM, French Hill, Nova Scotia: A girl named Tara is running. She runs through her nice neighborhood and up a road to the burned ruins of what was once a beautiful house--her family's house. August 31, 1859, French Hill, Nova Scotia: A girl named Josey is picking blackberries with her friend Connie. As the girls gossip, a handsome stranger knocks on the door of Josey's house. His name is Asa, and with his coming, Josey's life--and later in time, Tara's as well--is about to change forever. Because there is treasure in the woods that belong to Josey's family. Gold--an untold fortune. Asa has a secret way of finding it, and his partnership with Josey's father could make them all rich. But there is darkness in the woods, and in Asa. And in the present day, Tara, Josey's descendent, is about to discover the truth about what really happened in the family's past. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Set in the early '90s, My Riot is about a trio of teen girls team up to form a rock band and shake off society's expectations of what it means to be a young woman coming of age in the modern world. 1991—Val, a teenager from a conservative family, has grown up dreaming of becoming a ballerina, but recently something has changed. She’s begun feeling pressure to conform to a specific idea of beauty, body type, and a personality that just doesn’t fit. Val meets Kat, a smart, witty girl that doesn’t take any crap off anyone. Kat introduces Val to punk rock. Along with Rudie, another new friend, the three form an all-girl punk band they ironically name The Proper Ladies. Soon Val and her friends find themselves caught up in a movement with other girls also starting bands—also finding their voice. Collectively, these “riot grrrls” discover that their songs ring out loud and powerful, and for Val, there’s no going back. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Fresh from his triumphs in the Trojan War, Odysseus, King of Ithaca, wants nothing more than to return home to his family. Instead, he offends the sea god, Poseidon, who dooms him to years of shipwreck and wandering. Battling man-eating monsters, violent storms, and the supernatural seductions of sirens and sorceresses, Odysseus will need all his strength and cunning—and a little help from Mount Olympus—to make his way home and seize his kingdom from the schemers who seek to wed his queen and usurp his throne. Award-winning graphic artist Gareth Hinds masterfully reinterprets a story of heroism, adventure, and high action that has been told and retold for more than 2,500 years—though never quite like this. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

A young woman is haunted by the ghost of her conjoined twin, in Lisa Brown's The Phantom Twin, a sweetly spooky graphic novel set in a turn-of-the-century sideshow. Isabel and Jane are the Extraordinary Peabody Sisters, conjoined twins in a traveling carnival freak show—until an ambitious surgeon tries to separate them and fails, causing Jane's death. Isabel has lost an arm and a leg but gained a ghostly companion: Her dead twin is now her phantom limb. Haunted, altered, and alone for the first time, can Isabel build a new life that's truly her own? This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Paul and Marie’s bucolic French country town is almost untouched by the ravages of WWII, but the siblings still live in the shadow of war. Their father is a Prisoner of War, kept hostage by the Germans. When their friend Henri’s parents disappear and Henri goes into hiding because of his Jewish ancestry, Paul and Marie realize they must take a stand. But how can they convince the French Resistance that even children can help in their fight against injustice? This book is recommended for teens and adults.

She’s a Capulet. He’s a Montague. But when Romeo and Juliet first meet, they don’t know they’re from rival families — and when they find out, they don’t care. Their love is honest and raw and all-consuming. But it’s also dangerous. How much will they have to sacrifice before they can be together? In a masterful adaptation faithful to Shakespeare’s original text, Gareth Hinds transports readers to the sun-washed streets and market squares of Shakespeare’s Verona, vividly bringing the classic play to life on the printed page. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Baseball Hall of Famer Leroy "Satchel" Paige (1905? 1982) changed the face of the game in a career that spanned five decades. Much has been written about this larger-than-life pitcher, but when it comes to Paige, fact does not easily separate from fiction. He made a point of writing his own historyand then re-writing it. A tall, lanky fireballer, he was arguably the Negro League's hardest thrower, most entertaining storyteller and greatest gate attraction. Now the Center for Cartoon Studies turns a graphic novelist's eye to Paige's story. Told from the point of view of a sharecropper, this compelling narrative follows Paige from game to game as he travels throughout the segregated South. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

The Shadow Hero is based on golden-age comic series The Green Turtle, whose hero solved crimes and fought injustice just like any other comics hero. But this mysterious masked crusader was hiding more than your run-of-the-mill secret identity...The Green Turtle was the first Asian American superhero. Now, exactly seventy years later, New York Times-bestselling author Gene Luen Yang has revived this nearly forgotten, pioneering character in a new graphic novel that creates an origin story for the golden-age Green Turtle. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

In 1960s Texas, a white family from a notoriously racist neighborhood and a black family from its poorest ward cross Houston's color line, overcoming humiliation, degradation, and violence to win the freedom of five black college students unjustly charged with the murder of a policeman. The Silence of Our Friends draws from the childhood of Mark Long, who, with co-author Jim Demonakos, has created a powerful portrait of a volatile moment in US history. With art from the brilliant Nate Powell (Swallow Me Whole) bringing the tale to heart-wrenching life, The Silence of Our Friends is a new and important entry in the body of civil rights literature. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It's the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program. It's not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the "greater good" that Bayt-Sajji's military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.

Martin is one of a handful of Templar Knights to escape when the king of France and the pope conspire to destroy the noble order. The pope and king aim to frame the Templars for heresy, execute all of them, and make off with their legendary treasure. That's the plan, anyway, but Martin and several other surviving knights mount a counter-campaign to regain the lost treasure of the Knights Templar. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Explore the last 150 years through the eyes of Indigenous creators in the graphic novel anthology, This Place: 150 Years Retold. Beautifully illustrated, these stories are an emotional and enlightening journey through magic realism, serial killings, psychic battles, and time travel. See how Indigenous peoples have survived a post-apocalyptic world since Contact. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

One of the great Shakespearean tragedies, 'Macbeth' is a dark and bloody drama of ambition, murder, guilt and revenge. Prompted by the prophecies of three mysterious witches and goaded by his ambitious wife, the Scottish thane Macbeth murders Duncan, King of Scotland, in order to succeed him on the throne. This foul deed soon entangles the conscience-stricken nobleman in a web of treachery, deceit and more murders that ultimately spells his doom. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

Unrivaled in literature, Stevenson's Treasure Island is among the most delightful adventure romances of all time. From young Jim Hawkins' first encounter with an old buccaneer and his treasure map to the final daring skirmish with the treacherous pirate Long John Silver, this classic work enchants and fuels the imagination with beautiful illustrations. This book is recommended for teens and adults.

In R. J. Palacio's bestselling collection of stories Auggie & Me, which expands on characters in Wonder, readers were introduced to Julian's grandmother, Grandmère. Palacio makes her graphic novel debut with Grandmère's story as a young Jewish girl hidden away by a family in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. Her harrowing experience vividly demonstrates the power of kindness to change hearts, build bridges, and even save lives. Anyone who was moved by the book Wonder or the blockbuster movie adaptation and its message will be captivated by White Bird.

Set in Canada's Yukon Territory during great gold rush that occurred in the 1890s, "White Fang " tells the dramatic story of a mixed breed wolf-dog that is rescued from near-death by a kindhearted gold prospector. The new master then nurtures the great animal to health, tames it, and thus gains a true friend and stalwart companion. This book is recommended for teens and adults.