Although some readers may not know the story of Buster Keaton, they will quickly become entranced and enthralled with him thanks to the beautiful graphic novel Bluffton: My Summers with Buster. From 1908 to 1938, Muskegon, Michigan was taken over by the premier Vaudevillian actors of the day. This group of screen and stage stars formed the Actors’ Colony, and every summer they would return to the beautiful Bluffton neighborhood to while away the hot days. Eisner award nominated author and illustrator Matt Phelan imagines what it might have been like for a boy, who has grown bored with his small town life, to be drawn into the fun and carefree summer world of Buster and the other actors in the Colony.
Traci Glass
No Flying, No Tights
Nominated by: Robin
Mirka– the 11-year-old, troll fighting, singularly charming Orthodox Jewish girl–appears in her second, even more daring adventure in How Mirka Met a Meteorite, where she has to face a much more dangerous adversary: her own dark side, which manifests as a duplicate of herself. This “copy” is better groomed, more talented, and self-assured, and it means to stay on and obliterate Mirka’s existence. Deutsch and team deliver a humorous and action-packed tale with theatrical facial expressions, effective uses of varied panel designs, and bold strokes and skilled shading techniques.
Roxanne Feldman
Fairrosa Cyberlibrary
The visit of a constituent family from Atlanta to witness the inauguration of President Barack Obama frames this story of Congressman John Lewis’s childhood in Alabama and his involvement as a college student in the civil rights movement. Readers see Lewis preaching to the chickens on his family’s farm and making a difficult choice on whether to integrate an all-white public university near his family’s home. A comic-book account of the Montgomery Bus Boycott inspired Lewis to become an activist in the 1950’s, and Lewis’s graphic-novel memoir will inspire readers to make a difference today.
Lyn Miller-Lachmann
The Pirate Tree
So, you’d love to brag to your cousins far away about the really ferocious monster that lives in the ‘hood, but there’s just one problem — he’s depressed! It’s worse than having your town known as the place with the sports team that always loses — much worse. Because if your monster can’t turn that sniffle into a fireball, and soon, there’s a far worse fate in store for all of you from a creature known only as the Murk. The crazy mixture of times and cultures (including some cockney accents about as authentic as Bert’s in Mary Poppins) turns the campiness to 11, and the art is colorful and clear. Rob Herrell’s Monster is a keeper.
Liz Jones
Lizjonesbooks
Many people have heard of the Donner party’s difficult trip west in the mid 1800s. Nathan Hale has managed to bring this story to life as a graphic novel, somehow managing to make the more distasteful aspects of the story palatable for young readers. And yet, Hale holds nothing back as he turns this story into an engaging page turner. The historical Nathan Hale’s story-loving executioner provides an emotional touchstone for readers, with his sympathy for the animals during the journey. This series continues to be an excellent resource for parents and history teachers both.
Colby Sharp
Sharpreads
Jennifer and Matthew Holm’s Squish 5: Game On! will captivate young readers. In Squish’s latest adventure, he becomes addicted to the video game Mitosis. Game On! might just help a few young readers think deeply about the amount of time they spend with their hands behind a controller.
Colby Sharp
Sharpreads
Liz Jones
Lizjonesbooks