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J Graphic Novels

Each year, Austin Public Library youth services librarians read hundreds of books and we gather together lists of our favorites. Some of these win awards and are placed on official reading lists. . . and some aren't. If you're looking for great books that you might have missed last year, here are a few to try.

Picture Books| Early Readers | J Fiction | J Graphic Novels | Y Fiction | Y Graphic Novels | Nonfiction


Benny and Penny in the Big No No
Geoffrey Hayes
GN J BEN

Two mice meet their new neighbor and discover that she is not as scary as they feared.

subjects: Mice, Brothers and Sisters, Neighbors


Binky the Space Cat
Ashley Spires
GN J BIN

Binky is a space cat - at least in his own mind. He's really a house cat who has never left the family "space station." Unlike other house cats, Binky has a mission: to blast off into outer space (outside), explore unknown places (the backyard) and battle aliens (bugs). Binky must undergo rigorous training so he can repel the alien attacks that threaten his humans. As he builds his spaceship, he must be extremely careful with his blueprints - the enemy is always watching. Soon Binky is ready to voyage into outer space. His humans go out there every day and he's sure they need a certified space cat to protect them. But just as he's about to blast off with his co-pilot, Ted (stuffed mousie), Binky realizes that he's left something very important behind ... and it's not the zero-gravity kitty litter.

subjects: Cats, Graphic Novels


Happy Happy Clover!
Sayuri Tatsuyama
GN J HAP

Clover the Bunny and her fluffy friends are always getting into mischief in mysterious Mikazuki Forest! Clover uncovers the secret of a haunted spring, meets a big bad fox, fights mean humans who want to cut down all the trees in her forest home--and gets lost in the dark!

subjects: Rabbits, Foxes, Trees


Kit Feeny: On the Move
Michael Townsend
GN J KIT

When plucky Kit Feeny moves to a new town, he immediately makes an enemy of the sadistic school bully and must struggle to find friends who share his interests.

subjects: Moving Household, Friendship, Bullies, Bears


Leave it to PET!: The Misadventures of a Recycled Robot
Kenji Sonishi
GN J LEA

PET was a simple plastic bottle until nine-year-old Noboru Yamada recycled him. Now he's a super robot programmed to protect Noboru at all costs.

subjects: Robots, Superheroes, Polyethylene terephthalate, Recycling (Waste, Etc.), Manga


Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians
Jarrett J Krosoczka
GN J LUN

The school lunch lady, a secret crime fighter, sets out to stop a group of librarians bent on destroying a shipment of video games, while a group of students known as the Breakfast Bunch provides back-up.

subjects: Librarians, Books and Reading, School Lunchroom Cafeterieas, Schools


Magic Trixie and the Dragon
Jill Thompson
GN J MAG

Magic Trixie, a young witch, wants a real dragon for a pet, but finds that getting one is not as easy as she thought.

subjects: Magic, Witches, Dragons, Cartoons and Comics


Mouse Guard: Winter 1152
David Peterson
GN J MOU

In the winter of 1152, the Mouse Guard face a food and supply shortage threatening the lives of many. This is a winter not every Guard may survive.

subjects: Mice, Mouse Territories (Imaginary Place), Middle Ages


Stone Rabbit: BC Mambo
Erik Craddock
GN J STO

After Stone Rabbit is transported back to prehistoric times, his bottle of barbecue sauce becomes the key ingredient in a power-hungry Neanderthal's plan to dominate the world.

subjects: Rabbits, Prehistoric Peoples, Time Travel, Humorous Stories


The Storm in the Barn
Matt Phelan
GN J STO

In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father's failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness.

subjects: Dust Bowl Era, Kansas


Tiny Titans: Welcome to the Treehouse
Art Baltazar
GN J TIN

The young superheros begin a new school year. The teachers are super villains, the field trips are out of the world, and their playground must be protected from the Fearsome Five.

subjects: Children, Schools, Cartoons and Comics


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