November 16, 2018

Young Adult is a booming genre. To keep things simple, in The Schulz Library we group YA and Middle Grade books. Either way, it is a popular section! 

The top five books checked out from the Young Adult section are:

1. Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi (Graphix, 2008)—In a world of terrible man-eating demons, a mechanical rabbit, a talking fox, and a giant robot, two ordinary children are on a mission. Kazu was The Center for Cartoon Studies 2014 Commencement Speaker!
2. Bone by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books, 2004)—three misfits who are run out of their home town make their way through a forested valley with the help of the mysterious Thorn. Jeff Smith was the The Center for Cartoon Studies 2009 Commencement Speaker.
3. The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier (First Second, 2010)— Walker Bean never wanted to be a high-seas pirate waging a pitched battle against the forces of the deep; it just worked out that way.
4. This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki (First Second, 2014)—Every summer, Rose goes with her parents to a lake house, their getaway, where she meets with her friend Windy, but this summer is different.
5. Smile by Raina Telgemeier (Graphix, 2010)—After falling and severely injuring her two front teeth, Raina is on a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, and more.

Librarians past and present have their own favorite works in the Young Adult section.

Bridget Comeau ’15 typically creates silent comics, similar to Owly by Andy Runton. Her enthusiastic picks are Boxers and Saints by Gene Yang (First Second, 2013) and Mermin (Book One: Out of Water) by Joey Weiser (Oni Press).

Past librarian  Jarad Greene ’17 selected Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks (Square Fish, 2015). As Jarad puts it, “It’s a contemporary YA with a paranormal twist that perfectly balances humor, drama, and spookiness. Hicks’s brushy art is dense and alive, with excellent character acting and decompressed emotional moments.”

Past librarian and writer of this post Angela Boyle ’16 is another big fan of Faith Erin Hicks, but one of her favorite graphic novels is I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and J. M. Ken Niimura (Image Comics, 2009). This is a heart-wrenching story about a young girl and her coping mechanisms.

Current librarian Dan Nott ’18 is not a big reader of YA but has enjoyed Ben Sears‘s work. The library has Night Air (Koyama Press, 2016).

And last but not least, Jess Johnson ′18 picks Aqua by Kozue Amano (TokyoPop, 2007). As Jess say, “It’s a sci-fi, slice-of-life story with elements of magical realism. That unlikely combination along with beautiful, detailed art gives the reader a sense of serenity and awe. It’s a truly unique reading experience.”