2022 Little Maverick Graphic Reading List Announced
The beauty of graphic novels is their power to welcome everyone into a reading conversation. They can motivate reluctant readers and English as a Second Language students and give dyslexic students multiple clues to the storyline. For example, even very young readers can follow the tale of Barbara Lehman’s Little Red and the Cat Who Loved Cake, a spin on Little Red Riding Hood told through illustrations. And older students facing a challenge in their own lives will sympathize with the main character of Kristin Varner’s Horse Trouble, as she learns to face down her fears.
The 2022 Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List is a recommended reading list of graphic novels designed for children in grades K-5. These books were selected by public and school librarians who are members of the Texas Library Association’s Children’s Round Table, which promotes services to children and young people.
Each book is valuable; there are many titles which inform and entertain. All kinds of adventures can be found in this year’s list, from a young conservation volunteer returning her beloved sun bear to the wild in Trang Nguyen’s Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear to the courageous Garlic (in a land where vegetables are like humans) confronting a scary new neighbor in Bree Paulsen’s Garlic and the Vampire. This delightful list is filled with titles elementary students will enjoy.
* Titles received a unanimous vote from the selection committee
+ Title is part of a series
Grades K-5
*Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis by Julie Sakai and Stan Sakai (IDW Publishing, an imprint of Idea and Design Works, 2021)
+Dear DC Super-Villains by Michael Northrop and Gustavo Duarte (DC Comics, 2021)
*+InvestiGators Take the Plunge by John Patrick Green (First Second, an imprint of Macmillan, 2020)
+Mellybean and the Giant Monster by Mike White (Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2020)
+Mellybean and the Wicked Wizard by Mike White (Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021)
Monster Friends by Kaeti Vandorn (Random House Graphic, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021)
*Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear by Trang Nguyen and Jeet Zdung (Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC)
The Sprite and the Gardener by Rii Abrego and Joe Whitt (Oni Press, 2021)
*The Worry (Less) Book by Rachel Brian (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hatchette, 2020)
Grades K-2
*+Apple of My Pie by Mika Song (Random House Graphic, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2021)
*Arlo and Pips: King of the Birds by Elise Gravel (HarperAlley, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2020)
*+Baloney and Friends: Going Up by Greg Pizzoli (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hatchette, 2021)
*+Beak and Alley: Unlikely Friends by Norm Feuti (HarperAlley, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2021)
+Blue, Barry, and Pancakes by Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson (First Second, an imprint of MacMillan, 2021)
*Burt the Beetle Doesn’t Bite by Ashley Spires (Kids Can Press, 2021)
+Cookie & Broccoli: Play it Cool by Bob McMahon (Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021)
*+Fox and Rabbit: Celebrate by Beth Ferry and Gergely Dudás (Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams, 2021)
*+Fox and Rabbit: Make Believe by Beth Ferry and Gergely Dudás (Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams, 2021)
*Geraldine Pu and Her Lunchbox, Too! by Maggie P. Chang (Simon Spotlight, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, 2021)
Haylee and Comet: A Tale of Cosmic Friendship by Deborah Marcero (Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan 2021)
+Hello Hedgehog: Let’s Go Swimming! By Norm Feuti (Scholastic Inc., 2021)
*Little Red and the Cat Who Loved Cake by Barbara Lehman (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021)
+Maya’s Big Scene by Isabelle Arsenault (Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada, 2021)
+Narwhal’s School of Awesomeness by Ben Clanton (Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada, 2021)
*+Owly: Just a Little Blue by Andy Runton (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. 2020)
*+Pea, Bee, & Jay: Wannabees by Brian “Smitty” Smith (HarperAlley, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2020)
*+Peanut, Butter, and Crackers: Fetch! by Paige Braddock (Viking Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC)
*+Pepper and Boo: A Cat Surprise by Charise Mericle Harper (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hatchette, 2020)
+Scaredy Squirrel in a Nutshell by Melanie Watt (Random House Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2021)
*+Shelby and Watts: Tide Pool Trouble by Ashlyn Anstee (Viking Books for Young People, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021)
*+Simon and Chester: Super Detectives by Cale Atkinson (Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada, 2021)
The Princess Who Saved Herself by Greg Pak, Takeshi Miyazawa, and Jonathan Coulton. (KaBoom! an imprint of Boom Entertainment, Inc., 2021)
*Tiny Tales: Shell Quest by Steph Waldo (HarperAlley an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers , 2021)
*+Waffles and Pancake: Planetary Yum by Drew Brockington (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hatchette, 2021)
Wildflowers by Liniers (TOON Books, an imprint of RAW Junior, LLC, 2021)
Grades 3-5
*Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc., 2021)
Andy Warner’s Oddball Histories: Pests and Pets by Andy Warner (Little, Brown Books, an imprint of Hatchett, 2021)
+Aster and the Mixed Up Magic by Thom Pico and Karensac (Random House Graphic, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021)
Barb: The Last Berzerker by Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, 2021)
+Besties Work it Out by Kayla Miller, Jeffery Canino and Kristina Luu (Etch, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021)
*+Big Ideas That Changed the World: A Shot in the Arm! By Don Brown (Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams, 2021)
*Blancaflor, The Hero With Secret Powers: A Folktale from Latin America by Nadja Spiegelman and Sergio García Sánchez (TOON Graphics, an imprint of RAW Junior, LLC, 2021)
Borders by Thomas King and Natasha Donovan (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hatchette, 2021)
*+Clash by Kayla Miller (Etch, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021)
Crabapple Trouble by Kaeti Vandorn (Random House Graphic, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2020)
Death and Sparkles by Rob Justus (Chronicle Books, 2021)
*Dungeon Critters by Natalie Reiss and Sara Goetter (First Second, an imprint of Macmillan, 2020)
*Forever Home by Jenna Ayoub (KaBoom! an imprint of Boom Entertainment, Inc., 2021)
+Forget Me Nat by Maria Scrivan (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, 2020)
*Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen (Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2021)
Ham Helsing: Vampire Hunter by Rich Moyer (Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021)
*Harriet Tubman:Toward Freedom by Whit Taylor and Kazimir Lee (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hatchette, 2021)
+Hilo: Gina, the Girl Who Broke the World by Judd Winick (Random House Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021)
+History Comics: The Challenger Disaster by Pranas T. Naujokaitis (First Second, an imprint of Macmillan, 2020)
*+History Comics: The Wild Mustang: Horses of the American West by Chris Duffy and Falynn Koch (First Second, an imprint of Macmillan, 2021)
*Horse Trouble by Kristin Varner (First Second, an imprint of Macmillan, 2021)
*+I Survived: The Attacks of September 11, 2001 by Lauren Tarshis and Corey Egbert (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2021)
Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani (First Second, an imprint of Macmillan, 2021)
*Katie the Catsitter by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue (Random House Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021)
*Living with Viola by Rosena Fung (Annick Press, 2021)
*Long Distance by Whitney Gardner (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, 2021)
*+Mason Mooney: Paranormal Investigator by Seaerra Miller (Flying Eye Books, an imprint of Nobrow, 2021)
*Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte and Ann Xu (HarperAlley, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2020)
+Miles Morales: Shock Waves by Justin Reynolds and Pablo Leon (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, 2021)
+Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Blades of Freedom by Nathan Hale (Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams, 2020)
*No One Returns from the Enchanted Forest by Robin Robinson (First Second, an imprint of Macmillan, 2021)
*Oh My Gods! By Stephanie Cooke, Insha Fitzpatrick and Juliana Moon (Etch, an imprint of Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 2021)
*Power Up by Sam Nisson and Darnell Johnson (Etch, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021)
Pawcasso by Remy Lai (Henry Holt and Co., 2021)
Shark Summer by Ira Marcks (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hatchette, 2021)
+Science Comics: Spiders: Worldwide Webs by Tait Howard (First Second, an imprint of Macmillan, 2021)
+Sue and Tai-Chan by Konomi Kanata (Kodansha Comics, 2020)
The Accursed Vampire by Madeline McGrane (Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2021)
+The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy and the Snobs by Ann M. Martin and Chan Chau (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc., 2021)
The Fifth Quarter by Mike Dawson (First Second, an imprint of Macmillan, 2021)
*The Golden Hour by Niki Smith (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hatchette, 2021)
*The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor (Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021)
+The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow by Emma Steinkellner (Aladdin, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, 2021)
*The Secrets of Camp Whatever by Chris Grine (Oni Press, 2021)
*+The Tea Dragon Tapestry by K. O’Neill (Oni Press, 2021)
The Way of the Hive: A Honeybee’s Story by Jay Hosler (HarperAlley, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2021)
*Timo the Adventurer by Jonathan Garnier and Yohan Sacré (Etch, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020)
*Treasure in the Lake by Jason Pamment (HarperAlley, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2021)
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm and Savannah Ganucheau (Random House Graphic, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2021)
+Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse (Random House Graphic, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2020)