.jpg)
Graphic Novels ~ Teen & YA
Arcana. The Lost Heirs
Created by Sam Prentice-Jones
Published by Hot Key Books
Queer joy, fantasy, romance and all wrapped up in one gorgeous graphic novel, the first of a series too- one of my favourite things! How much do you know about magic, how much would you like to know about magic?
Important questions before you embark on this reading journey…
The Arcana are a secretive society of witches. The Majors are their enigmatic govenors. To James, Daphne, Koko and Sonny this is home. For Eli magic had been something he knew of but he knew no other witches. Then he met James. Then he is inducted into the Arcana and finds spells, secrets, family, romance, and something more sinister. As this group start to investigate the mystery of the deaths of the parents they discover the power of the Arcana has a cost, one that they may be the next to pay. They have to risk everything. Are you brave enough to find out if they do?
Arcana. The Cursed Fate
Created by Sam Prentice-Jones
Published by Hot Key Books
Were you spellbound by ‘Arcana’? Prepare to be even more captivated by this, it’s sequel. Graphic novel, fantasy romance and queer joy filled story, this book has something for all its YA readers and it offers a coming-of-age narrative to underline it all. Read and remind yourself there’s beauty in love however it looks.
James, Daphne, Koko, Sunny and Eli are bound by an ancestral curse they are detemined to break. They now have the Majors as allies making them stronger and ready to face the real and the imagined ghosts which have shaped them. Can they confront who they were and believe in who they’ve become to finally break the curse that hands over them? Immerse yourself in words and visuals. This story closes the duology with some important messages, fascinating storytellling and a compelling voice sharing truths.
Ghost Boys
Written by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Illustrated by Setor Fiadzigbey
Published by Hachette Children's
Ghost Boys was first issued as a novel, poignant and gripping. The graphic novel is no different in that regard but it is perhaps more powerful with the addition of the graphics, bringing the gritty realities of the story into a stark existence.
When a Black boy is killed by a white police officer he becomes a ghost, not necessarily to haunt the man who killed him, nor to watch his family, but to discover, to understand what really happened. He never got into trouble, attended school, did his homework and looked after his sister. He was a shot when his toy gun was supposedly mistaken for the real thing. As a ghost he meets other boys with stories, with something in common. They all have their own stories and this novel begins to unravel them for us to help us understand more about the complex issues of race and racism in our world.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Written by Jenny Han
Published by Scholastic
Jenny Han’s hit story has been adapted and is now here for you to read in graphic novel format. The adaptation is beautiful, capturing the characters and the settings the story takes place in, bringing the whole to life and immersing the reader in a story which feels very real.
The premise for the story is that all the crushes Lara Jean has ever had learn about her feelings for them all at the same time. Can you even begin to imagine how you would feel if that were you? I know I’d be cringing with embarrassment and planning the best hiding places! For Lara Jean it’s embarrassing because she’s been putting all her feelings into letters, she writes them to her crushes and keeps them save in a hatbox. But then, somehow they are sent to all the boys she’s written them to. She’s poured heart and soul into these letters, written thing’s she’d never say in real life. Her love life and her real life are about to be turned upside down!
To the Stars and Back (Volume 2)
Creators Peglo
Published by Little, Brown Ink
Another volume two which concludes a duology but not without making readers’ hearts pound. This is a grumpy-sunshine romance which offers its readers excitement on a variety of levels, aided by the magic that is the graphic novel format – stunning illustration.
Neighbours for months now, Bo Seon and Kang Dae can also safely say that they’ve been best friends for almost as long. Over those months their bond has only deepened to the point that Bo Seon can no longer ignore the butterflies he feels in his stomach. He wants to confess but what will that do to their friendship? A starry night becomes the perfect night for confessions, when they discover their feelings align a new chapter begins for them but they soon realise that being a couple requires trust. Bo Seon has a secret he has never shared and it forces him to retreat into himself. Can Kang De show enough patience to earn his trust and show him it’s okay to be vulnerable with someone you love? Stunningly beautiful.