A sweet and straightforward story, ideal for early reader collections.
An energetic early reader with humorous illustrations that young readers will return to again and again.
A cottagecore graphic novel for all ages that is sure to please during story time or while young readers choose to explore the Hundred Acre Wood on their own.
A solid purchase for early reader collections, especially those seeking books with children of color having majority representation.
A tiny tale that teaches a big lesson: often the journey has more value than the destination.
A great addition to library collections. Children will enjoy hearing this read aloud to them over and over again until they are able to read it for themselves.
This title is a welcome addition to early chapter book collections, and a surefire hit for animal lovers.
A highly relatable and entertaining tale, and a recommended purchase for early reader collections.
A sweet new installment of the “Little Critter” series.
This humorous and inventive comic book will entertain young readers and provide them a ready road map for conflict resolution and positive social skills.
A must-have for early readers.
A fun tale that will appeal to reluctant readers and fans of fractured fairy tales.
Genre-blending books offer readers the opportunity to comfortably expand across boundaries and try something different while still in the safety of their preferred reading choice. Here are 14 middle grade graphic novels that blend genres to perfection.
A humorous and unique discussion starter for similar superstitions and a worthy addition to picture book collections.
An unsuccessful adaptation of a well-loved show. Not recommended.
A worthy sequel with lush artwork and plenty of action.
While the message celebrating reading is commendable, the execution is unsatisfying.
An enjoyable if mild comfort read with few surprises, this book is recommended as a secondary purchase where books by K.A. Holt or Gary Schmidt are popular.
An excellent addition to Spanish-language picture book collections, and a solid choice for young fans of science, technology, and robots!
An additional purchase where novelty titles are popular.
Not a recommended purchase.
An additional purchase where secular Christmas books are in high demand.
A sweet countdown to the holiday, this could be an additional purchase for large board book collections.
For nap time collections or for roundups about love of many kinds, this book offers a surprising platform for meaningful discussions about life’s most important values.
An awkward but gentle inquiry into self-esteem, imagination, and self-governance, done with humor and wonderful watercolor-like paintings.
A strong selection for libraries looking to increase the disability representation on their Spanish language shelves.
A first purchase for all libraries; there are too few beautiful portraits of beloved Persians.
This is a great book with a well-developed storyline and characters. Highly recommended for middle grade collections in school and public libraries.
A coming-of-age classic set in Regency England. A must-have for teens and adults alike.
Recommended for all libraries and collections.
A must-buy for all libraries that serve teens.
This book needs to be on every classics shelf.–
A Regency-era, satirical romance with themes that have stood the test of time. A staple for all teen collections.
Use this in Spanish language STEM story time and nature exploration.
Teamwork, competition, and the glory of team sports drive these graphic novel stories for elementary through high school readers.
A sweet story of friendship across generations about a timely and tough topic, with broad appeal.
A solid romantasy purchase for any collection and ideal for fans of Lauren Roberts and BookTok trending books.
The tone and content may not be entirely suitable for this book’s intended audience, and the execution leaves much to be desired and misses the mark in delivering a delightful holiday read.
Not an essential purchase.
A solid purchase for collections on grief.
Not a priority purchase, but a fun addition to collections serving teens in their vintage dystopian era.
This romance, with gentle but explicit sex scenes, deals realistically with teens’ denial after the loss of a loved one. Recommended for mature YA audiences of all collections.
This modern classic about sexual assault, bullying, and mental health is for everyone, and a must in every collection. Libraries should also include the recent graphic novel adaptation.
This timeless classic is as relevant today as it was when it was written. Be sure to have multiple copies in any library that serves middle and high schoolers.
An archetypal Gothic romance with a refreshingly modern air, this one is a shoo-in for libraries serving middle and high schoolers.
A key document of African identity and decolonization that comes within a propulsive, eye-opening hero quest, strongly recommended for all high school libraries.
Due to the complexity of topics and discussion of sexuality and torture, this book is recommended for older teens.
Orr’s latest will delight middle grade readers searching for escape and home simultaneously. Highly recommended for middle grade fiction collections.
This picture book is a perfect model of text and illustrations coming together to produce a stunning final product for children. Highly recommended.
There is so much to be gained in the classroom by integrating more fantastical tales.
The concept of liminality plays a crucial role in Otherworldly, and as such, many of the important moments happen in liminal spaces.
A great example of an escape room thriller, tailor-made for a teen audience. Not only will it “escape” your library shelves often, but it may lead to a desire for escape room programming.
Interesting illustrations crawling with bugs will be enjoyed by budding entomologists.
A book that starts simple and ends with complicated notions of identity, scaled to children’s own questioning, ever-evolving minds. Perfect.
A fast-paced journey through STEM and WWII history.
A riveting, unique, and delightfully queer adventure. Recommended for all libraries.
Tender and affectionate, with enjoyable illustrations and lovely figurative language, this book will bond caregivers to children and make story hours a riot.
Recommended as a read-aloud for preschoolers and a warm introduction to one joyful aspect of Jewish life.
An eccentric conversation about self-identity, recommended for school and public libraries.
This attractively illustrated picture book about bravery is a secondary purchase for most collections.
Story hours with a lead-in to naps can take a cue from this weary crew; here’s one for the bedtime shelves that carries the subtle message that after industry comes sleep.
A beautifully detailed Gothic fantasy that explores how ignorance and deceit can crumble a community.
A charming story whose social media star makes this an endorsed but optional purchase where demanded by circulation trends.
An excellent purchase for collections, especially where food manga and fantasy romances are in high demand.
As parable or otherwise, this is too subtle and undeveloped for young readers. Not recommended.
Fans of Karen M. McManus will find much to enjoy here. Recommended for thriller/mystery collections.
A fun and vocabulary building edition of the can-do spider. Recommended.
A witchy series book that can easily be enjoyed as a standalone.
A flat-out stunner, this book is a loving ode to strength and potential, enthusiastically recommended for all libraries.
SEL at Broadway levels, this is recommended for collections needing a boost in stories about processing difficult emotions.
A humorous and fun-filled story, and an excellent shared reading experience likely to resonate with the youngest learners.
The format of the pages will delight readers.
Fans of Karen M. McManus will love debut author Lundy’s well-developed mystery with plenty of thrills.
A first chapter book that combines pets, potions, and a happy ending; perfect for readers who enjoy lighthearted mischief and canine cuddles.
A small dose of SEL set in a lizard’s ordinary day, this book gives children permission to switch off and stretch out. Make it a story hour favorite.
A potent portrait of grief and loss, for stout-of-heart teenagers only.
Multiple artists have passionately brought to life a great story that adds another element for members of the game’s base—and those new to it
For older board book audiences, this is informative and entertaining. Recommended.
Purchase for collections serving high schoolers where there is a love of dystopian mysteries.
A great addition to any children’s collection.
This is a heartwarming Sapphic love story with a gauzy heist plot for cozy-fantasy lovers and art fans.
This book is especially suited for school libraries in the Pacific Northwest or any collection expanding its Indigenous collections.
Fans of Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle or Catherine Bakewell’s Flowerheart may enjoy this one, but it’s not recommended for general fantasy readers.
A must-have for tween and teen libraries.
Distance does not diminish the love of family. This is a wonderful book that will be highly relatable to many families. A must-have for any picture book collection.
Themes of misinformation on social media, cultural appropriation, and critical thinking make this debut from poet Feinstein one to give older teens looking for a unique, relatable issue- and character-driven book.
Striking a balance between whimsical adventure and wistful contemplation, this title underscores the beauty and fragility of life on our planet. A first purchase for youth graphic novel collections.
A decent start to a series about a silly duo.
An essential purchase to help children embrace their own uniqueness or tackle complex emotions.
A must-have for teen libraries. Fans of espionage, romance, and magic will love this one.
This early reader showcasing a tasty treat offers children the opportunity to hear rhyming words, associate sounds and text, and practice early literacy skills.
Everyone’s a winner in this fast-paced match between canine and fruit, recommended for both public and school libraries.
A well-paced narrative that works for story hours or to have on the SEL shelves.
This sweet uplifting story is recommended for purchase by school and public libraries.
O’Clover’s second novel captures the sweet revelations of young love. A good choice for all collections.
While Status Royale doesn’t do anything readers haven’t seen before, the fun premise and characters are enough to entertain old and new manga fans alike.
Purchase where teens are looking for a heartfelt romance series like “In the Clear Moonlit Dusk” by Mika Yamamori or “Ao Haru Ride” by Io Sakisaka.
Recommended, especially where action manga is popular.
Fans of Enola Holmes, Agatha Christie, and Stuart Gibbs will love this engaging text that is a blend of mystery fiction and gumshoe how-to.
For those who enjoyed the series “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” and are looking for something less bittersweet, this healing isekai manga of unlikely friendship is one to recommend.
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