LibraryAware Graphic Novels & Manga December 2024

Teen Graphic Novels

Thief of the Heights
by Son M.

Lifelong friends Basem, Mustafa, and Aarfah have carved out a place for themselves in their corner of Muqadas, where they dream of climbing from their place in the city's lowest level, above the limb-snatching, disease-infested waters, to the very top of their vertical city. Young inventors who've seen firsthand the havoc the Habar infection causes set out to dazzle the masses with their innovative prosthetics and escape the dangers of Lake Saha.
When their inventions catch the eye of a scout who is on the hunt for new talent to bring to the higher tiers, their dreams are suddenly within reach. But as the wonders of the upper tiers enchant, Basem, Mustafa, and Aarfah begin to question why the bounty of Muqadas falls short of reaching Lake Saha's inhabitants. Behind the beauty of the city's upper tiers lie dark and dangerous secrets--ones that threaten not only everything they've worked for but everyone they love.

The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley
by Marr, Melissa

Harleen Quinzel is many things, a gymnast, anxious, broke... but the last thing anyone would call her is evil. Harley Quinn on the other hand... When Harleen signs up to participate in a clinical research trial with her girlfriend, Pamela, the most she can hope for is extra cash in her wallet and a chance to get her anxiety under control. But what she gets instead are increasingly larger gaps in her memory and stolen mementos from some guy named Jack she's never met. Soon, Harleen discovers she's sharing her life with Harley -- a take-no-prisoners, who-cares-about attendance, maybe-we-oughtta-save-the-bunnies kind of girl. She is the opposite of Harleen in many ways. She is anarchy in a cute dress. And although she's throwing Harleen's life completely off track, maybe she ain't so bad either...

Little Moons
by Storm, Jen

Thirteen-year-old Reanna grieves the loss of her older sister. Can she find comfort through her family’s Ojibwe traditions?
It’s been a year since Reanna’s sister, Chelsea, went missing on her way home from school. Without any idea of what happened, Reanna and her family struggle to find closure.
Driven from her home by memories, Reanna’s mom moves to the big city. Left behind on the reserve, Reanna and her little brother go to live with their dad. Reanna is hurt and angry that her mom has run away. She feels lonely and abandoned…but she is not alone. Lights turn on in empty rooms, and objects move without being touched.
There are little moons everywhere.

I Shall Never Fall in Love
by Conner, Hari

George has major problems: They’ve just inherited the failing family estate, and the feelings for their best friend, Eleanor, have become more complicated than ever. Not to mention, if anyone found out they were secretly dressing in men’s clothes, George is sure it would be ruination for the family name. Eleanor has always wanted to do everything "right," including falling in love—but she’s never met a boy she was interested in. She’d much rather spend time with her best friend, George, and beloved cousin Charlotte.
However, when a new suitor comes to town, she finds her closest friendships threatened, forcing her to rethink what "right" means and confront feelings she never knew she had.

Side Quest
by Sattin, Samuel

This is an inviting introduction to what Table Top Role Playing Games are, why they matter, and how readers can get involved. And like any popular guide to arcana, this book is geared toward an audience of gamers, non-gamers, and general readers alike!
With a meld of history, fantasy and memoir, this graphic nonfiction book gives existing fans of TTRPGs insight into the history of the medium, and provides a gateway for anyone new to the phenomenon.

Spirit World
by Wong, Alyssa

Spirit World follows the adventures of Xanthe Zhou, a non-binary Chinese hero with the ability to travel between the land of the living and that of the Spirit World—the realm of the dead! Xanthe possesses the ability to burn items folded from ceremonial joss paper and turn them into real objects. They can make anything they can fold, but their weapon of choice? A magical broadsword—because who doesn’t love a big sword when you can choose to wield a big sword?!
With Batgirl inexplicably trapped in the Spirit World, Xanthe forms a reluctant alliance with DC’s bad boy of the mystic arts, John Constantine, to embark on a search and rescue mission! Who knows what other spirits they’ll find and if they can complete their mission and find their way back to the land of the living before the dangerous and powerful Jade Court intervenes!

Teen Manga

Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-up 3
by Mii, Mitsuki

Despite getting off to a rocky start, Kusunoki's friendship with Ririsa Hebikawa is going relatively well. Now that she's made her first friend and her social skills are improving, high school swandom might really be within reach for this ex-ugly duckling. If only she were better at school--and a little less clueless. She invites Shizuki over for an at-home study session, which takes a bit more of a dramatic turn than she expected. All the while, Shizuki's high school dream life is facing ups and downs of its own. He runs into a combative new face…who claims to be Kusunoki's childhood friend!

Eden of Witches 1
by Yumeji

In a world devastated by humankind and forsaken by plants and animals, only witches have the power to communicate with nature.
When a young witch is forced from her home by humankind, can she awaken her powers and find a way to save her home? People and nature are at odds in this epic Ghibli-esque fantasy manga debut.

Wanted! Eiichiro Oda Before One Piece
by Oda, Eiichiråo

See another version of Luffy in the original short story that launched a legend. The creator of One Piece presents this unique collection of his earliest works. From Western to fantasy to ghost story, this special volume has it all-including "Romance Dawn," the one-shot that would become the international megahit One Piece!

Giga Town
by Kouno, Fumiyo

Manga symbols - "manpu" in Japanese - are iconic or symbolic expressions used uniquely in manga, such as sweat drops, popping veins, and smoke puffs. "Giga Town: A Guide to Manga Iconography!" is (probably) Japan's first guide to this manga iconography, collecting and explaining these symbols, with a short manga featuring the frolicking animals of the famous Japanese scroll Choju-jinbutsu-giga to explain each one!

Adult Graphic Novels

Last Quarter 1
by Yazawa, Ai

Struggling to adapt to life with a new mother and sister after her father's remarriage, Mizuki meets a blue-eyed man playing guitar on the street in Shibuya and is powerfully drawn to him. How far will she go to see him again? After a brush with death, young Hotaru meets Mizuki for the first time in a dream. The next day, Hotaru wanders into an abandoned mansion and comes face-to-face with the girl she met in her dream.

The Hidden Life of Trees
by Bernard, Fred

This vibrantly illustrated graphic novel follows Peter as its loveable main character, revealing the secret network of the forest and sharing struggles and triumphs from his career protecting trees. Told in Peter's warm, conversational voice, not unlike that of a beloved grandfather chatting fireside, this visually stunning book offers scientific insights and pearls of wisdom gained from Peter's decades of observing forests, including how trees impact weather and climate, how they communicate with each other, and how they interact with fungal networks deep within the ground.

Alley
by Itåo, Junji

Every night, a young man hears children playing outside his boarding house-but the alley below his window is fenced off from the world. Then, when a young woman's family starts acting strangely at the same time she begins having bizarre dreams, she decides to stay with her aunt, but the town she heads for has neither addresses nor roads... Also, an all-you-can-eat ice cream bus that's more sinister than sweet!"

The Hard Switch
by Pomery, Owen D.

Ada, Haika, and Mallic are on a mission... one last mission, before everything, everywhere shuts down. They're raiding old, abandoned spaceships and wrecks for the (sometimes expensive) parts -- and they make just enough money to get by. But living their nomadic, exploring life isn't sustainable when they can't afford fuel anymore.
The time is coming when the mineral that makes inter-system jumps possible runs out. When it does, the scattered inhabitants of the vast galaxy will be stuck where they are. Everything will be different... unless the discovery in the latest wreck they are scavenging can unlock a whole new kind of interstellar transit.

Killer Shark in Another World 2
by Kuboken

Shiromi only ever wanted someone to acknowledge her... But even after slaying the demon general Apapanelle alongside her unintended familiar, Sharkiller, nobody's ever said "Great job!" Maybe it's because she accidentally destroyed that village. Or that time her shark ate the adventurers she was trying to save. Or perhaps it's got to do with the fact that everyone she ever meets ends up in the jaws of a shark from a terrible Hollywood B movie. But surely they'll forgive her if she takes down another demon general! Right?

Crave
by Llovet, Maria

CRAVE, a mysterious app that promises to make your desires come true, spreads among the students of an elite university who use it as a hookup app. David, a top student, engages in a game of seduction with the unattainable Alexandra. But as requests to the app escalate and wreak havoc on campus, David and his friends' only chance to stop this spiral is to find out what really lies behind Crave.