The American Library Association's Great Graphic Novels for Teens, established in 2007, is an annual list presented by Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) division of graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction geared toward individuals ages 12–18.
Like YALSA's other lists, librarians, parents, and educators rely on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list to help select suitable texts for their collections.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] This is particularly important for graphic novels, which are popular among young adults and have rapidly gained popularity in the past thirty years.[6] Graphic novels are especially popular among "reluctant readers" and "visual learners", and they can "improve comprehension and interpretation of themes, literary devices, and social issues, among other topics."[7]
To be included on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, books must have been published "during the sixteen months preceding the award", "appeal to ages twelve to eighteen", and be widely available in the United States. Graphic novels of all types are considered with one limitation: "comic book compilations must contain an overarching story arc."
In selecting texts for the list, YALSA librarians judge books based on "quality, appeal, and suitability for a teenage audience".
Researchers have analyzed the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list for representations of diversity.
Irwin and Moeller analyzed the 2008 list for representations of individuals with disabilities. Out of 30 graphics novels, 40% included a character with a disability and 13% included two characters with disability, including seven characters with health impairments, three characters with visual impairments, three characters with orthopedic impairments, two characters with emotional disturbances, and one character with a learning disability. Irwin and Moeller found that, according to the Biklen and Bogdan stereotypes, characters were frequently represented as evil and/or "their own worst enemy" and "pitiable"; women with disabilities were more likely to be portrayed as pitiable, whereas only men with disabilities were portrayed as evil. Importantly, 10% of the novels included characters that "were portrayed as inclusive members of their communities".
Reviewing the 2015 list for representations of race, Moeller and Becnel found that 76% of books included characters of color. Further, 5% of the books "were almost entirely of Asian actors".
Mumm's 2017 master's thesis analyzed female characters on the 2016 list and found that female characters were diverse in appearance, had "relatable conversations", and broke away from "stereotypical behaviors", though "some stereotypical conventions remain".[8]
2007[9] | (penciler), Wade Von Grawbadger (inker), and Dave McCaig (colorist) | NextWave: Agents of H.A.T.E., Vol. 1: This is What They Want | |
---|---|---|---|
(lettering) | Sloth | ||
Castle Waiting | |||
Identity Crisis | |||
Death Note, V. 1–3 | |||
Runaways, V. 4–6 | |||
Pride of Baghdad | |||
Death, Jr. | |||
Demo: The Collection | |||
American Born Chinese | |||
2008[10] | Laika | ||
Re-Gifters | |||
Blue Beetle: Shell-shocked | |||
King of Thorn | |||
Sidescrollers | |||
After School Nightmare | |||
2009[11] | and Gabriel Soria | Life Sucks | |
Sand Chronicles | |||
Atomic Robo Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne | |||
Real | |||
Uzumaki | |||
Pitch Black | |||
Japan Ai: A Tall Girl’s Adventures in Japan | |||
Skim | |||
Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite | |||
Cairo |
2010[12] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Children of the Sea, V. 1 | |||
Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer | |||
I Kill Giants | |||
Omega the Unknown | |||
Bayou, V. 1 | |||
Gunnerkrigg Court, V. 1 | |||
and | Pluto | ||
Ooku: The Inner Chambers, V. 1 | |||
2011[13] | Aristophane with Matt Madden (trans.) | ||
Green Monk | |||
Saturn Apartments, V. 1 | |||
and Laurence Klavan | Brain Camp | ||
Chew, V. 1 | |||
Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty | |||
Meanwhile: Pick Any Path. 3,856 Story Possibilities | |||
Smile | |||
Ghostopolis | |||
Set to Sea | |||
2012[14] | Scarlet | ||
Anya’s Ghost | |||
The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media | |||
Thor: The Mighty Avenger, V. 1–2 | |||
Infinite Kung Fu | |||
Axe Cop | |||
Daybreak | |||
Wandering Son, V. 1 | |||
Zahra’s Paradise | |||
2013[15] | My Friend Dahmer | ||
Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller | |||
Ultimate Comics: Spider-man, V. 1 | |||
Friends with Boys | |||
Stargazing Dog | |||
Drama | |||
and Marcos Martin | Daredevil, V. 1 | ||
2014[16] | March: Book 1 | ||
Will & Whit | |||
Dogs of War | |||
MIND MGMT | |||
Rust, V. 2 | |||
War Brothers: The Graphic Novel | |||
Strobe Edge, V. 1–6 | |||
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong | |||
Boxers and Saints | |||
2015[17] [18] | Afterlife with Archie: Escape from Riverdale | ||
Bad Machinery, V. 3 | |||
47 Ronin | |||
In Real Life | |||
Ms. Marvel, V. 1 | |||
Seconds: a Graphic Novel | |||
Sonny Liew | |||
Through The Woods | |||
Trillium | |||
Yu | Wolf Children: Ame & Yuki | ||
2016[19] | Awkward | ||
Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans | |||
, Grace Ellis, and Shannon Watters | Lumberjanes, V. 1–2 | ||
andAdrian Alphona | Ms. Marvel, V. 3 | ||
and Elmo Bondoc | Ms. Marvel, V. 3 | ||
Nimona | |||
Roller Girl | |||
Sacred Heart | |||
Trashed | |||
, V. 1–2 | |||
2017[20] | Giant Days, V. 1–2 | ||
Black Panther, Book One: A Nation Under Our Feet | |||
Mighty Jack | |||
Plutona | |||
, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell | March: Book 3 | ||
Filmish: a Graphic Journey Through Film | |||
and Mark Morales | Prez, V. 1 | ||
orange: The Complete Collection 1 | |||
Paper Girls 1 | |||
and Matt Hollingsworth | We Stand On Guard | ||
2018[21] | |||
Black Hammer, V. 1 | |||
Brave | |||
and John Jennings | I Am Alfonso Jones | ||
Jonesy, V. 1–3 | |||
and Octavia E. Butler | Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation | ||
Lighter than My Shadow | |||
My Brother’s Husband | |||
Pashmina | |||
Spill Zone | |||
2019[22] | and Ari Folman | Anne Frank's Diary The Graphic Adaptation | |
Crush | |||
Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt With Family Addiction | |||
and Andrew Donkin | Illegal | ||
My Brother’s Husband, V. 2 | |||
On a Sunbeam | |||
Royal City, V. 2–3 | |||
Silver Spoon, V. 1–4 | |||
Speak: The Graphic Novel | |||
The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees |
2020[23] | Bloom | ||
---|---|---|---|
Cosmoknights: Book One | |||
I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir | |||
Kiss Number 8 | |||
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me | |||
and Marissa Louise | The Life of Frederick Douglass: A Graphic Narrative of a Slave's Journey from Bondage to Freedom. | ||
Pumpkinheads | |||
Simon & Louise | |||
and Justin Eisinger | They Called Us Enemy | ||
Witch Hat Atelier, V. 1–3 | |||
2021[24] [25] | Almost American Girl | ||
Blue Flag, V. 1–5 | |||
Fights: One Boy's Triumph Over Violence | |||
Go With the Flow | |||
, Kasia Babis, Alex Beguez, Tracy Chahwan, Nomi Kane, Omar Khouri, and Kane Lynch | Guantánamo Voices: True Accounts from the World’s Most Infamous Prison | ||
DaNi | |||
Snapdragon | |||
Gurihiru | Superman Smashes the Klan, V. 1–2 | ||
2022[26] [27] | Asadora! V. 1–4 | ||
The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History | |||
Boys Run the Riot, V. 1–3 | |||
, V. 1 | |||
Himawari House | |||
and Matthew Nolan | Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human | ||
and Nate Powell | Run: Book One | ||
Chugong | Dubu | Solo Leveling |
Multiple writers have been included on the list more than once. Jeff Lemire, Brian K. Vaughan, G. Willow Wilson, and Gene Luen Yang, have each been featured on the list four times. Together, John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell have been listed three times. Svetlana Chmakova has also appeared on the list three times. Lastly, the following writers have each been included on the lust twice: John Allison, Derf Backderf, Brian Michael Bendis, Don Brown, Faith Erin Hicks, ND Stevenson, Gengoroh Tagame, Raina Telgemeier, and David F. Walker.
Multiple artists have been included on the list more than once, not including writers who also illustrate their own texts. Adrian Alphona has illustrated three books on the list. Faith Erin Hicks and Francesco Francavilla have each illustrated two books on the list.