Sunny Side Up - by Jennifer & Matthew Holm

What young girl wouldn't love to spend a summer in sunny Florida?  Sunny Lewin was pretty excited about the opportunity, until she realized that her grandpa's retirement community was not what she expected... just a bunch of geezers sitting around all day doing boring, boring, and more boring.

Before long, though, Sunny realizes that there may be a little more to these old folks than she first thought.  Once she meets another kid, they begin having adventures, making new friends, and turning the summer into something special after all.

This is a fun, thoughtful graphic novel about one girl's everyday adventures over the course of a surprising summer.  It will appeal to readers of Rain Telgemeier, for sure.  

The Classroom - by Robin Mellom

How does a socially-clueless guy not only survive but thrive in his new middle school? There's only one option:  Go Epic.

Told like a video documentary, this coming-of-age story follows Trevor, a fun but awkward 7th grader whose guiding light, his best friend Libby, has decided to back off and let him solve his own problems this year.  This promises to be a disaster, but that's what makes it so much fun to read about!  As Trevor navigates this difficult transitional point in his life, trying to make new friends, avoid the bullies, survive the classes, and reach his epic potential, there are many more flops than successes, and much of it is comic genius.  His neurotic friend Libby, who has tired of saving his butt time after time in elementary, sits back and watches the drama unfold as Trevor eventually figures things out and takes his future into his own hands.

Kind of like the Wimpy Kid books, but with more likeable characters and fewer illustrations, this is a pretty good book, especially for 3rd-6th grade boys who want a good laugh and a quick, interesting book to tell your friends about.

The Odd Squad: Bully Bait - by Michael Fry

One is so tall that her classmates tease her relentlessly.  One is so strange that nobody wants to be near him.  The last is so short that he gets stuffed in his own locker every day. Life is hard for seventh graders Molly, Karl, and Nick, and there seems to be no way out.  When these three oddballs get forced to start a Safety Patrol together by their principal, things seem to be worse than ever.  However, helped by their apparently deranged Shakespeare-quoting school custodian, the three soon learn that working together, they can overcome their fears and actually turn things around.

The story is told by Nick (the shortest seventh grader in the history of the universe, according to himself), and centers around his interactions with Roy, the school bully.  Through the course of this graphic novel, Nick learns more about his tormentor and finds new strength and empathy that he never knew he had to make some really tough decisions that could either save them all, or ruin everything.

As a graphic novel, this is kind of Wimpy-Kiddish, with more of a story line, and more likable characters.  It wasn't an earth-shatteringly wonderful book, but it was funny, well-written and drawn, and touching at parts. I'd recommend it for a fun and easy read to anyone who enjoys graphic novels, school stories, and seeing bullies get what they deserve.

One Dead Spy - by Nathan Hale

Nathan Hale is/was one cool dude.  The original Nathan Hale was awesome because he was a spy for General George Washington during the American Revolution, and risked (and lost) his life in the fight for liberty.  The author Nathan Hale is awesome because he wrote a book about a dead guy with the same name as his, and because his illustrations and sense of humor are just outstanding.

This graphic novel is a biography of the short-lived American spy Nathan Hale.  Told by the spy himself to his own executioner (hangman) through a series of flashbacks, this is also a great summary of the first part of the American Revolution and its causes.  It's really a wonderful book for anyone interested in this time period, and a good introduction to early American history and military history for reluctant, or any readers.

This series has two books (#2: Big Bad Ironclad), and I can't wait to see what else the author comes up with. Excellent book!

Smile - by Raina Telgemeier

I've never been a teenage girl.  Not once.  If anyone ever asks me what it's like to be one, I could just shrug.  More likely, though, I'll hand them this book. 

This is a very enjoyable graphic novel, and finally one written mainly for girls!  The author tells the story of her own childhood, from life as a tween with tooth trouble, all the way through high school, with all of the social situations that come along with those years.  The focus of the story may be on Raina's unfortunate dental problems, but the real story is her life itself, and told in this way, it's quite an enjoyable story!

There's drama, romance, athletics, dentists, orthodontists, braces, retainers, headgear, crowns, and stuff like that.  The illustrations are great, some of the tooth stuff kind of gross, but the take-away message positive:  Be yourself, you'll find friends who like you for who you are, just remember to smile.

Copper - by Kazu Kibuishi

If you enjoy Calvin and Hobbes for its humor, wisdom, and the interaction between a boy and his animal, you'll surely enjoy Copper.  This beautifually drawn book of short but poignant comic strips is, in my mind, a masterpiece.  Follow Copper and his dog Fred through all sorts of imaginative journeys.  Fred is nervous and scared, while Copper is curious and ready to explore. These two personalties play off one another perfectly through adventure after adventure.

If you're ready for a more grown-up comic, but still one that's childish and wholly appropriate for all ages, check this out.

Wonderstruck - by Brian Selznick

Mysteries!  Wolves!  Natural history museums!  Sign language!  Lost family!  New friends!  That's a lot of exclamation marks, but this is a book that deserves it.  Much like the author's previous book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, this story is told through both amazing drawings and words, with multiple story lines weaving together until the end, where it all comes together and knocks your socks off.

This is the story of Ben, a young orphan from Minnesota who finds a clue as to his father's identity, and who sets out on an adventure to discover the truth about his past.  It is also the story, told only through pictures, of Rose, a young woman who sets off on a journey of her own to find a mysterious actress in the big city.  These stories take place fifty years apart and seem to have nothing to do with one another, but part of what makes this an amazing book is that each of the stories can't be told without the other.  The end really will leave you, shall we say, wonderstruck!

This is a book not to be missed.  The artwork is incredible, the story thoughtful and well-crafted, and the character memorable.  Brian Selznick has a gift, and trust me, you don't want to be left out.  That said, this is a book that will probably mean more to slightly older readers.  It is a picture book of sorts, but I would recommend it to children from nine to one hundred and nine.

Nursery Rhyme Comics- Various Artists

No, this isn't my normal type of recommendation.  However, I picked this book up at Barnes and Noble last week, and neither my almost-3-year-old son nor I have been able to put it down.

In this beautiful hardcover book, fifty classic nursery rhymes have been totally modernized and reinterpreted by big-shot comics artists.  The words are the same Mother Goose we learned from our grandparents, but the illustrations breathe new life into the stories, so much that my son has nearly memorized all of the stories in one short week, and we spend hours singing them together, looking at the wide variety of captivating drawings.  Don't let the cover fool you - the woman who designed that didn't even write any of the sketches, and the quality in-book is better than that on the front. My personal favorites: Tweedledum and Tweedledee, The Owl and the Pussycat, and For Want of a Nail.  Flip through this book and you'll fall in love with some old nursery rhymes all over again, too.

Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze - by Alan Silberberg

It's not easy being a teenage boy.  For Milo, that's especially true because his mom passed away, and his dad is NOT the same guy he used to be.  To top it off, the girl of Milo's dreams doesn't know he exists (until he sneezes on her), but the weird girl who lives next door won't leave him alone.  This is Milo's story, told from his point of view, about how to find his place in the world, and the difficult task of getting back to normal when  you life is all shaken up.  It's not easy, it's not pretty, but it sure can be funny.

Kind of a graphic novel, kind of a chapter book, this is a well-told story with pictures that help the plot move along.  Milo is a likable dork, and his friends are a hoot, but his family will get you down.  Young readers will have no problem identifying with Milo's situation, even if they've never been in a similar spot themselves.

This book will make you laugh, and it may make you cry.  If  you've lost a loved one, this is a good book for you to read, but it's also a good choice for anyone who likes zany school novels with funny characters and interesting plot twists.

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians - by Jarett J. Krosoczka

I had high hopes for this book because my 2-year-old loves this author's picture book so much (Punk Farm, Bath Tub Pirates, My Buddy Slug, Giddy Up Cowgirl), but it was a bit of a disappointment.  It was a little hard to follow, the plot was pretty weak, and it just didn't hold my attention.  I'm obviously not the target audience for this book, and it may be just right for an early reader who wants to move from comics to graphic novels.

The illustrations are great and the characters are pretty goofy, so there's something redeeming about the book, but I would never spend money on any book in this series.  There are so many good graphic novel series out there, keep looking and you'll find something more interesting.

The Loser List - by H. N. Kowitt

Did you enjoy Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but find yourself hoping for  a more likable main character? This is your book.

The Loser List is the story of Danny, a bright sixth grader who desperately wants to be cool at his new school.  Of course he doesn't want to give up his comic book obsession or his ultra-geek best friend, so what is a boy to do?  All sorts of wild stuff, in this case, including joining the gang of school thugs, a bunch of junior criminals who appreciate Danny's artistic abilities for all the wrong reasons.  Danny is a very likable character, one we can all relate to.  The way he ends up solving his problem is excellent, and the entire story is funny and interesting, with excellent illustrations.  There are far fewer pictures than you'll find in the Wimpy Kid series, but just enough to really help the story and add a bit of humor and clarity.  I did not expect this book to be as good as it was.  Really, check it out.

My Life as a Book - by Janet Tashjian

I abandoned this book.  Really, I lost interest and returned it to the library.  Then I checked it out again, finished it, and loved it.  The problem was, it really does start out slow, and the title is misleading, so I decided to put my time into better books.  A month or so later, I was reading some reviews of this book on Barnes and Noble's site, and everyone loved it. Some kid said it was the best book he or she had ever read! Seriously!  I figured either that reader doesn't get out much, or I should possibly give it one more try, and I'm glad  I did.

This is the story of a 12-year-old boy who hates to read, and who is strongly resisting the summer reading his teacher has assigned.  In this way, it's kind of like a ton of other books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid or others, but it's not a graphic novel.  Before long we find out that this kid, Derek, had a babysitter who died trying to save him when he was only two, and he makes it his summer project to find out more about this girl.  In between driving his parents crazy and complaining like crazy about the Learning Camp he has to attend, Derek does some snooping and manages to get all sorts of information about his former babysitter, and gets dangerously close to doing something stupid. Of course, then he does something stupid, and the rest of the book is about how that plays out in surprising and important ways.  By the end of the summer (and the book), the Derek we see has changed quite a bit, and his learning process has somehow transformed the book from a novel about a whiny middle school kid to a nice, thoughtful story about family, friendship, and what's really important in life.

Like I said, it's NOT a graphic novel, though the author's son filled the margins of the books with interesting stick-figure drawings of many interesting words from the story.  I wouldn't say that helps the story at all, but it is unusual and kind of cool.  This is really a book for anyone, as boys and girls alike will find characters and situations they will relate to.  Learn from my experience, and stick it out through the dull parts, and you won't regret it.

Herbert's Wormhole - by Peter Nelson and Rao Rohitash

You're ten years old, you're awesome, and your name is Alex.  What happens when your parents build you a fancy jungle gym in the backyard, kick you off your video game system for the rest of the summer, and arrange a playdate with your nerdy inventor neighbor kid, Herbert?  Your summer gets a lot more interesting, is what!

Imagine zooming through a wormhole, a gap in the space/time continuum that allows you to travel through time (think 100 years in the future) to the exact same place.  Suddenly your boring town is not so boring after all, as it's been taken over by friendly tentacled aliens with Australian accents and ridiculous wigs.  Now imagine yourself playing a gravity-free T-ball game in front of record crowds, and finding a way to outsmart a nasty alien janitor and save your future town from his diabolical plans.  You're a hero, but you're just visiting.

This is an inventive, interesting, graphic novel (more novel than comic, though the comics are great and help tell the story), perfect for 8-10 year olds especially those who love science, video games, and ugly aliens with accents.  Oh, it's also a good book for people who like seeing girls save the day when the boys are wandering around in their underwear eating popcorn!  Don't ask, just read.

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself - by Lincoln Pierce

This is an interesting graphic novel alternative to the Wimpy Kid series.  Nate is your average over-confident 6th grader, and this comic brings us into his world.  When Nate opens a fortune cookie to discover that he is destined to "surpass all others," he sets off to make that happen, which disastrous and hilarious results.  Nate is not a wimpy kid like Greg Heffley, he is a loudmouth trouble-making goofball who young readers are sure to love.

I can't say I approve of the way this book talks about teachers and school food, but I laughed so hard at some parts that I nearly cried, so that's something.  Check it out if you want to read a funny school story and love comics and cool illustrations.

City of Light, City of Dark - by Avi and Brian Floca

It turns out that the island of Manhatten in New York City was actually loaned to humans from the shape-shifting creatures called Kurbs hundreds of years ago.  As part of their agreement, the Kurbs will continue to let humans live on the island, and will provide them with heat and light, if each year a human is able to find a small item that the Kurbs hide somewhere on the island (a bus token), and return it to a secret location.  The year this story takes place, the human responsible for this is having a bit of trouble due to a nasty old man, a lying father, a curious boy, a loyal dog, and some spying birds.  Will she be able to find and return the token in time, or will the Kurbs take the island back, and allow the entire city to freeze to death?

This graphic novel is brimming with suspense, fantasy, heartbreak, and joy.  The characters are lovable and frustrating (except for the bad guy and his birds, who will get your blood boiling), the illustrations are AMAZING, and the story keeps you on the edge of your seat.   

The Plain Janes - by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg

When poor Jane is moved from the big city to the suburbs, she worries that she'll never fit in, and will never find a friend who understands her.  Rather than mope around, she takes the situation into her own hands, finds some unlikely friends, and turns the quiet suburban community on its ear along the way!

This is a great graphic novel, aimed mainly at teens (due to relationship content), but readable for tweens as well.  Great illustrations and a fun plot combine with spunky, believable characters to make this book shine.  It's short, thought-provoking, and realistic.  Read this if you love art, if you've ever felt lonely or like you don't fit in, or if you've ever been the victim of a terrorist bombing and fallen in love with an unconscious artist whose name you don't know.  Right, I guess you'd better just read it.

Bone: Out From Boneville - by Jeff Smith

What do you get when you mix talking bones, dumb giant rat creatures, a cow-racing grandma, and a big red dragon all together?  A very interesting and well-designed graphic novel.  This is the first book in the Bone series, and the first I have read, though I've seen kids reading these for years.  I expected a simplistic plot, but was surprised by the quality and interest of the story.  This is a great series for lovers of graphic novels, and a very good introduction to the genre for those who expect graphic novels to just be big comic books.  It is, in a way, but it has as much in common with a novel as it does a typical comic.  Pick up this book and you'll see what I mean.

One thing Jeff Smith does is to create very enjoyable pictures, not just the striking characters, but the way he sets up scenes with pictures.  I'm hooked.