Now that we are halfway through the year, a lot of us are probably reflecting on the reading goals we made at the beginning of the year, or at the end of last year. Some of us are on target, some are far ahead, and some are lagging a bit behind. If you are someone who was hoping to read more books at this point, then keep reading.

**I sip my lemonade and try to think about all of the graphic novels or manga I have read in my life as a reader, but can’t come up with too many. I am not someone who has read a lot of graphic novels or manga, and I actually didn’t start reading them until about 2021. I never feel like I can fully invest myself in the story, and sometimes the story feels rushed or like it doesn’t have much depth, because for me personally, the pictures take away, which is the reason I love novels so much. They are nice for a palette cleanser and are nice to catch up with your reading goal . . . an idea strikes in my head. I could discuss graphic novel recommendations! So here are some of the ones that I have enjoyed and that you should check out.**

The first one I want to recommend is probably my favorite that I have read, which is Avatar:The Last Airbender — The Search, which I read as the omnibus version. I started watching Avatar years ago and still enjoy it to this day, so when I heard there were comics/graphic novels that take place after the show, I was intrigued and wanted to read them. I read the first omnibus version, The Promise, and wasn’t the biggest fan. I felt as though it didn’t really add much to the show, but The Search on the other hand was really good. We learn a lot about a certain topic that we don’t know much about in the show. I loved the illustrations, but more than that, the storyline. I don’t read many graphic novels because nothing ever feels complete to me, or all that developed, and I think that is what I liked about this one. A lot was happening and it didn’t feel rushed. I also loved getting to be back in this world and learn more about this plotline. If you are a fan of the show, you should definitely read The Search.

Another graphic novel that I enjoyed was Doodleville, by Chad Sell. This was a really cute story about a girl whose drawings come to life. I thought that the story was cute, but what really hooked me with this one was the illustrations. I really liked the illustrations of our main characters’ doodles. Levi was definitely a cutie and made the entire story. This is actually a middle grade story, but I think that it is great for all ages. If you’re looking for a cute, quick read, you should check this one out. It was very endearing and had great art.

The next recommendation I have is Roller Girl by Victoria Jameson. This is a middle grade graphic novel following a girl who wants to do roller derby. The reason that I would recommend this one is because it was very unique. I have never read anything where roller derby was an element of the story, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. Not only does it follow roller derby, but you actually learn a lot about it in the story. The author seems to do a great job at describing how roller derby works to the point where I could actually understand what was going on. The illustrations of this one were also pretty good. I am very picky with my illustrations when it comes to graphic novels, so if I pick one up and don’t like the illustrations, I won’t read it, so the ones in this particular book were fine.

A pretty popular graphic novel series from what I have seen is the Tea Dragon Society series by K. O’neill. I love the illustrations in all of the books and just love how well the illustrations and colors complement the story. I personally felt like the first and third books lacked a little bit, but I still enjoyed them because I absolutely loved the art. My favorite, surprisingly, was actually book two, The Tea Dragon Festival. I feel as though the plot was strongest in this middle book, which made me enjoy it a bit more than the other two. I really loved reading about the world of the tea dragons and think that this is a cute series to pick up. The author also has another graphic novel I have read, Aquicorn Cove, which was also pretty good.

The next graphic novel I would recommend checking out is Jukebox, by Nadhi Chanani. This follows two cousins as they time travel using a jukebox, where they end up in the era of the song that’s playing. I thought this was another unique story and one worth checking out. I liked the illustrations in this one and enjoyed how the story felt a bit more developed, which is how I like my graphic novels.

This one isn’t really a favorite, or one that totally stands out, but something I really enjoyed about Seance Tea Party by Reimena Yee was the life discussions. Like I said, this wasn’t one that I totally loved, but this book had several discussions on growing up and life that I really enjoyed. I love any book that has topics like this, so I did enjoy it for that aspect. I also did enjoy the illustration style that was in the book.

I have only read two manga in my life, but if you want a recommendation for a manga, I would recommend The Girl From the Other Side by Nagabe. I only read volume one of this but it seemed like it was a very interesting story. It deals with two kingdoms, the Inside and the Outside, and in the Inside, humans reside, and the Outside holds monsters that can curse people by touch. I actually didn’t mind the illustrations in this one. Everything seemed very darkly magical and it created a great atmosphere for the story. The story was also pretty well developed and was overall a solid read. I haven’t continued past volume one yet, but I keep considering it. 

I hope you find a good recommendation in my list. I haven’t read many graphic novels so I don’t have many to offer unfortunately. Let me know if you have read any of these or if you have any recommendations. Good luck on your reading goals if you have any!

xoxo,

Just another reader