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2024 Staff Picks: Teen Graphic Novels

By Skokie Staff Advisory Services

Our expert staff members look back at the year and share their favorite titles.

Youth Group
2024 by Morris, Jordan
I never knew that my dearest wish was to root for a bunch of church youth group demon fighters, but life comes at you fast. This refreshingly inclusive, brilliantly funny, and unsurprisingly bad-ass graphic novel tackles all sorts of themes, from growing up and questioning your beliefs to the unexpected uses of holy water in exorcising the forces of Hell. It’s the Scooby Gang meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I am here for it. Suggested by Grace.

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Lunar New Year Love Story
2024 by Yang, Gene Luen
The beautiful illustrations are what initially caught our eye, but we were quickly drawn into this story about the complications of young love, family struggles, and growing up. As a bonus, we learned a lot about lion dancing! Suggested by Brenna and Rummanah.

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Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid
2024 by Ukazu, Ngozi
An incredibly fun sports romp about teamwork and overcoming the odds that also tackles the stress of financing for school and the inequities of education. Suggested by Rummanah.

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The Fox Maidens
2024 by Ha, Robin
I loved this graphic novel and how it involves both Korean history and mythology in an adventurous tale of finding your place within the world. Suggested by Suzanne.

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Maelstrom: A Prince of Evil
2024 by Merriman, Lorian
A delightful, tongue-in-cheek fantasy that finds a demon and a hero forging an unlikely friendship while exploring self-acceptance, found family, and identity. Highly recommended for fans of ;Nimona by ND Stevenson. Suggested by Rummanah.

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Age 16
2024 by Fung, Rosena
A beautiful graphic novel that follows three generations of women from China to Canada. Touching on themes of body image and generational trauma, this is a moving story about healing and acceptance. Suggested by Brenna and Rummanah.

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Brownstone
2024 by Teer, Samuel
There so much to love in this graphic novel: from the gorgeous illustrations and the warm coloring schemes to the characters who are real, messy, and relatable. I loved the themes of identity, finding your place, exploring what it means to be a family, and of course the bitter reality of gentrification. Suggested by Rummanah.

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Ash's Cabin
2024 by Wang, Jen
I really enjoyed this quiet, slow-burn story of self discovery, reconnecting to nature, survival, and the yearning to find some sort of connection with those around you. The journal entries dispersed through the graphic novel allow Ash to do some introspection and give the story depth. Suggested by Rummanah.

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Call Me Iggy
2024 by Aguirre, Jorge Augusto
A wonderful graphic novel about self discovery, identity, and culture that is full of heart and humor. Suggested by Rummanah.

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Heartstopper
2020 by Oseman, Alice
The Heartstopper series is consistently fantastic. Volume 5 gives us more sweet romance, but also takes on more difficult topics of eating disorders and mental health in a compassionate way. Suggested by Brenna.

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