2023 Maverick Reading List Announced
Graphic novels are increasingly popular with readers of all ages. These novels powerfully combine images and text, contain diverse characters, encourage empathy among readers and invite them to explore settings both fictional and real.
The Texas Maverick Graphic Novels Reading List (TMGNRL) is a recommended reading list developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table (YART). The purpose of the list is to encourage students in grades 6-12 to explore a variety of current books.
From the adventurous tale of freeing marine life in Dan Santat’s The Aquanaut, to the fun illustrations and recipes of Yummy: A History of Desserts, by Victoria Grace Elliott, to a young American Muslim woman’s search for identity in the witty Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy, there’s sure to be a title on this list for every teen.
* titles mean a unanimous vote from reading list committee members
| 2023 Texas Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List | |
| Creator(s) | Title |
| Grades 6-8 | |
| Hale, Shannon, Dean Hale, Asiah Fulmore | Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld |
| May, Cait, Trevor Bream | Another Kind |
| Santat, Dan | The Aquanaut |
| Murray, Duane, Shawn Daley | Better Place |
| Blasco, Serena | Enola Holmes: The Graphic Novels |
| Ortega, Claribel A., Rose Bousamra | * Frizzy |
| Smith, Niki | * The Golden Hour |
| Deneen, Brendan, Bell Hosalla | Green Arrow: Stranded |
| Fung, Rosena | Living With Viola |
| Fernandez, Kelly | Manu: A Graphic Novel |
| Chau, Alina | * Marshmallow & Jordan |
| Fajardo, Kat | * Miss Quinces |
| Lai, Remy | Pawcasso |
| Hicks, Faith Erin | Ride On |
| Regina, Michael | The Sleepover |
| Douye, Sylvia, Paola Antista | Sorceline |
| Terciero, Rey, Megan Kearney | Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms |
| Grades 6-12 | |
| Delliquanti, Blue | * Across A Field of Starlight |
| Bernardin, Marc, Ariela Kristantina, Bryan Valenza, Bernardo Brice, Damon Lindelof | Adora and the Distance |
| King, Thomas, Natasha Donovan | Borders |
| Page, Tyler | Button Pusher |
| Nadatani, Wataru | Cat + Gamer |
| Rioux, Jo | Cat’s Cradle: The Golden Twine |
| Einhorn, Heather, Adam Staffaroni, Janet Harvey, Sonia Liao | The Curie Society |
| Valentino, Serena, Arielle Jovellanos | Evil Thing: A Villains Graphic Novel |
| Fahmy, Huda | Huda F Are You? |
| McCormack, Will, Michael Govier, Youngran Nho, Laura Dern | If Anything Happens I Love You |
| Gonzalez, Christina Diaz, Gabriela Epstein | * Invisible: A Graphic Novel |
| Brinkman, Kiara, Sean Chiki | Lucy in the Sky |
| The Kao | * Magical Boy, Volume 1 & 2 |
| Komoto, Hajime | Mashle Magic and Muscles, Volume 1-6 |
| Neely, Kindra | Numb To This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting |
| Sugitani, Shogo | Pompo: The Cinephile |
| Walsh, Liam Francis | Red Scare: A Graphic Novel |
| Seeley, Tim, Baldemar Rivas, Romulo Fajardo Jr. | Robins: Being Robin, Volume 1 |
| Midori, Wataru | *Run On Your New Legs, Volume 1 and 2 |
| Alfageeh, Sara, Nadia Shammas | *Squire |
| Christmas, Johnnie | *Swim Team |
| Siegel, Siena Cherson, Mark Siegel | Tiny Dancer |
| Smith, Tommie, Derrick Barnes, Dawud Anyabwile | *Victory. Stand! |
| Wyatt, Jake, Choo | The Well |
| Liu, Marjorie, Teny Issakhanian | Wingbearer |
| Sandlin, Jay, Patrick Mulholland, Rebecca Nalty, Justin Birch | *World Class |
| Tynion, James IV, Michael Dialynas | *Wynd, Book One: Flight of the Prince and Wynd: Book Two: The Secret of the Wings |
| Elliott, Victoria Grace | *Yummy: A History of Desserts |
| Grades 9-12 | |
| Adams, Leisl | Batter Royale |
| Walker, David F, Marcus Kwame Anderson | *The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History |
| Arroyo, Jeannette, Ren Graham | Blackwater |
| Peyo | Boy Meets Maria |
| Walden, Tillie | Clementine: Book One |
| Stirling, Danie | *Crumbs |
| Kasama, Sanshiro, Hikaru Uesugi | Deadpool Samurai, Volume 1 |
| Lorinczi, Balazs | *Doughnuts and Doom |
| Aozaki, Ritsu, Asagi Orikawa, Akito Ito | The Dragon Knight’s Beloved, Volume 1 |
| Axelrod, Jadzia, Jess Taylor | *Galaxy: The Prettiest Star |
| Keys, Alicia, Andrew Weiner, Brittney Williams | Girl on Fire |
| Searle, Sarah Winifred | *The Greatest Thing |
| Manga Classics | Hamlet |
| Becker, Harmony | Himawari House |
| Anta, Julio, Anna Wieszczyk, Bryan Valenza, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou | HOME, Volume 1 |
| Graudins, Alex | Improve: How I Discovered Improv and Conquered Social Anxiety |
| Gharib, Malaka | It Won’t Always Be Like This: A Graphic Memoir |
| Matsumoto, Naoya | *Kaiju No. 8, Volume 1 |
| Yukimori, Nene | Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Volume 1 |
| Eastman, Kevin, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz, Esau & Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, Luis Antonio Delgado | *The Last Ronin |
| Gao, Laura | *Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American |
| Mackay, Jed, Alessandro Cappuccio | Moon Knight, Vol. 1: The Midnight Mission |
| Niimura, Ken | Never Open It: The Taboo Trilogy |
| Boo, Sweeney | *Over My Dead Body |
| Chad, Jon | Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball |
| Roo, Jean J., Jane Margolis, Charis JB | Power On! |
| Suzuki, Yuto | *Sakamoto Days, Volume 1 |
| Ollerton, Bex | Sensory: Life on the Spectrum: An Autistic Comics Anthology |
| McCoola, Marika, Aatmaja Pandya | Slip |
| Chugong | Solo Leveling, Volume 1 |
| Tahir, Sabaa, Nicole Andlefinger, Sonia Liao | A Spark Within the Forge: An Ember in the Ashes Graphic Novel |
| Tokudo-Hall, Maggie, Lisa Sterle | Squad |
| Taylor, Tom, Jon Timms | Superman: Son of Kal-El volume 1: The Truth |
| Sourya | Talli, Daughter of the Moon |
| Roca, Paco, Guillermo Corral, Andrea Rosenberg | The Treasure of the Black Swan |
| Cantwell, Christopher, Josh Trujillo, Dale Eaglesham, Jan Balaldua | *The United States of Captain America |
| Szamosi, Sofia | Unretouchable |
| Hancox, Lewis | Welcome to St. Hell |
| Feathers, Bea, Ally Shwed, Kasia Babis, Ian Rosenberg, Mike Cavallaro | World Citizen Comic series: Free Speech Handbook: A Practical Framework for Understanding Our Free Speech Protections, Re: Constitutions: Connecting Citizens with the Rules of the Game, Why the People |
| Adult for YA | |
| Melendez, Jarrett, Danica Brine, Hank Jones, Hasan Otsmane-Elhaou | Chef’s Kiss |
| Tung, Debbie | Everything is Ok |
| Ewing, Rhea | Fine: A Comic about Gender |
| Spooner, James | *The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere. |
| Smythe, Rachel | Lore Olympus |
| Aimoto, Mizuho | My Wonderful World, Volume 1 |
| Warren, Sofia | Radical: My Year with a Socialist Senator |
| Bendis, Brian Michael, Alex Maleev | Scarlet |
| Ahmed, Saif A., Fabiana Mascolo | Yasmeen |