CHARLESTON, S.C. - No one knows books and gives better recommendations than librarians. That's one of our favorite things to do, and we spend a lot of time researching and reading new books and old ones to keep our recommendations fresh.
With our branches closed to the public, having those conversations is a lot more difficult. But it's not impossible! And that's why CCPL's librarians have been digging through our digital resources to build list upon list of digital recommendations.
Today's list comes from Beth McGuire, who works in our LCATS office as a youth collection development librarian. What's that mean? A lot of those great children's titles you find on the shelves come from her research! She has two sixth graders who have been home since mid-March, who she turned to for this book list idea: graphic novels based on TV shows.
If you have a teen at home you'd like to see reading a little more and gaming a little less, this might be a list they'll enjoy.
Check it out!
Stranger Things: Zombie Boys by Greg Pak
Following the events of season one of Netflix's pop-culture sensation Stranger Things, our main characters struggle with returning to normal life after overcoming supernatural horror.
School is back in session in the normally quiet town of Hawkins, Indiana. Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will are still grappling with the traumatic encounters with the Demogorgon and the Upside Down in season one of the hit Netflix series. As tensions rise and fractures begin to form in the group, a new kid shows up to AV club with a Betamax Camcorder and an idea. The new Spielberg-wannabe friend, Joey Kim, wants to make a horror movie about a local legend, but when he sees Will's drawings, he discovers that his new friends are local legends.
The Amazing World of Gumball by Frank Gibson
Based on the award-winning animated series, The Amazing World of Gumball features a wacky cast of characters and a ton of heart, so we were delighted to bring Gumball Watterson and the town of Elmore to comics for the first time. What It Is: Gumball Watterson thinks he's the coolest kid in school, his little sister Anais begs to differ, and Darwin just wants to stay out of trouble! Anything can happen in the crazy town of Elmore, and Gumball is the master of causing all sorts of trouble with his crazy schemes. Also includines the Free Comic Book Day story.
The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way
In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born to women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world." These seven children form the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again. Includes all 6 issues of The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite and the story from the 2008 Free Comic Book Day book.
Locke & Key: Clockworks by Joe Hill
Colonel Adam Crais’s minutemen are literally trapped between a rock and a hard place; in the first days of the Revolutionary War, they find themselves hiding beneath 120 feet of New England stone, with a full regiment of redcoats waiting for them in the daylight… and a door into hell in the cavern below. The black door is open, and it’s up to a 16-year-old smith named Ben Locke to find a way to close it. The biggest mysteries of the Locke & Key series are resolved as Clockworks opens, not with a bang, but with the thunderous crash of English cannons.
Avatar: The Last Airbender by Gene Luen Yang
For years, fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra have burned with one question-what happened to Fire Lord Zuko's mother? Finding a clue at last, Zuko enlists the aid of Team Avatar-and the most unlikely ally of all-to help uncover the biggest secret of his life. * This is the perfect companion to The Legend of Korra! * The official continuation of Airbender from its creators!
I Am Not Okay With This by Charles Forsman
Sydney seems like a normal, rudderless fifteen-year-old freshman. She hangs out underneath the bleachers, blasts music in her friend's car, and gets into arguments with her annoying little brother. But she also has a few secrets she's only shared in her diary: how she's in love with her best friend, the bizarre death of her war veteran father, and excruciatingly painful telekinetic powers that keep popping up at the most inopportune times. Charles Forsman once again expertly channels teenage ethos in a style that evokes classic comics strips while telling a powerful story about the intense, and sometimes violent, tug of war between trauma and control. I Am Not Okay With This tackles familial strain, sexual confusion, and PTSD in Forsman's signature straight-faced-but-humorous style and firmly stakes his place among the world's best cartoonists.
Gravity Falls by Various Authors
At the moment when Mabel wins Waddles the pig at the Mystery Fair, Dipper ruins his chance to impress Wendy. But when Dipper finds a way to travel back in time and changes his fate with Wendy, Mabel's fate also changes-for the worse. Will Dipper and Mabel tweak time so they both leave the fair a winner? Will Mabel ever share a slice of pizza with her beloved Waddles again? Then, when a prehistoric creature snatches up Waddles, it's up to the Gravity Falls gang to save him! Readers will love this chapter book filled with black-and-white art from the show.
Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia
When a tragic accident takes the life of seventeen-year-old Raven Roth's foster mom--and Raven's memory, she moves to New Orleans to live with her foster mother's family and finish her senior year of high school.
Starting over isn't easy. Raven remembers how to solve math equations and make pasta, but she can't remember her favorite song or who she was before the accident. When strange things start happening--impossible things--Raven starts to think it might be better not to know who she was in her previous life.
But as she grows closer to her foster sister, Max, her new friends, and Tommy Torres, a guy who accepts her for who she is now, Raven has to decide if she's ready to face what's buried in the past...and the darkness building inside her.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Beautiful Creatures Kami Garcia, and artist Gabriel Picolo, comes this first graphic novel in the Teen Titans series for DC Ink, Teen Titans: Raven.
The Flash: Year One by Joshua Williamson
Superstar writer Joshua Williamson continues his explosive run on The Flash! Go back to the very beginning of Barry Allen's journey in The Flash: Year One!
Barry Allen feels helpless in his life in Central City. As a forensic scientist, he's always catching criminals after they've committed their crimes. All that changes one fateful night when Barry is struck by a bolt of lightning and doused in chemicals. When he wakes from a coma, he realizes he can run at incredible speeds. Can Barry master these powers and be the hero his city needs...or will the powers burn through him?
Runaways: Pride & Joy by Brian K. Vaughan
At some point in their lives, all young people believe their parents are evil ... but what if they really are? Meet Alex, Karolina, Gert, Chase, Molly and Nico - whose lives are about to take an unexpected turn. When these six young friends discover their parents are all secretly super-powered villains, the shocked teens find strength in one another. Together, they run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives - vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy.
Adventure Time, Volume 1 by Ryan North
The totally algebraic adventures of Finn and Jake have come to the comic book page! The Lich, a super-lame, SUPER-SCARY skeleton dude, has returned to the the Land of Ooo, and he's bent on total destruction! Luckily, Finn and Jake are on the case...but can they succeed against their most destructive foe yet? Featuring fan-favorite characters Marceline the Vampire Queen, Princess Bubblegum, Lumpy Space Princess and the Ice King!
Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor by Jody Houser
The Doctor regenerates into her most thrilling incarnation yet – played by Jodie Whittaker, and traveling alongside three brand new companions!
Experience mind-blowing challenges and dynamic adventures through time and space – right alongside the Doctor and her friends! A new series for a new era on the TARDIS, from an astounding creative team – Eisner-nominated writer Jody Houser (Faith, Mother Panic, Star Wars: Rogue One, Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, Stranger Things), art by Rachael Stott (Doctor Who, Motherlands, Star Trek/Planet of the Apes) and colors from Enrica Angiolini (Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince, Warhammer 40,000)!