Fast Five Fiction: New Graphic Novels

 It's Friday and time for Fast Five Fiction! Each week I share five fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme. We've had some great new graphic novels come in over the last couple of weeks that I'll be highlighting today. 

Graphic Novels are one of the fastest growing sections in our children's department.  Our young patrons can't get enough.  In addition to being a ton of fun to read there are a lot of benefits too. Graphic novels are full of text, they're engaging and can help kids develop empathy. Images are powerful and the images that coincide with the text helps readers to relate to the characters. Reading graphic novels helps build comprehension and critical thinking skills and gets kids excited about reading!

Click the title to be directed to the library's catalog. Book summaries are from Goodreads. 

City of Secrets by Victoria Ying

Ever Barnes is a shy orphan guarding a secret in an amazing puzzle box of a building.

Most of the young women who work at the building’s Switchboard Operating Facility, which connects the whole city of Oskar, look the other way as Ever roams around in the shadows. But one of them, Lisa, keeps an eye on the boy. So does the head of the Switchboard, Madame Alexander . . . a rather sharp eye.

Enter Hannah, the spunky daughter of the building’s owner. She thinks Ever needs a friend, even if he doesn’t know it yet.

Good thing she does!

Lisa and Madame Alexander are each clearly up to something.

Ever is beset by a menacing band of rogues looking to unlock the secret he holds–at any cost.

And whatever is hidden deep in the Switchboard building will determine all of their futures.

On a journey that twists and turns as much as the mechanical building Ever Barnes calls home, he and his new friend Hannah have to ­ and out what’s really going on in this mysterious city of secrets . . . or else!

Katie the Catsitter by Colleen Venable

Katie is dreading the boring summer ahead while her best friends are all away at camp--something that's way out of Katie and her mom's budget, UNLESS Katie can figure out a way earn the money for camp herself. But when Katie gets a job catsitting for her mysterious upstairs neighbor, life get interesting. First, Madeline has 217 cats (!) and they're not exactly . . . normal cats. Also, why is Madeline always out EXACTLY when the city's most notorious villain commits crimes?! Is it possible that Katie's upstairs neighbor is really a super villain? Can Katie wrangle a whole lot of wayward cats, save a best friendship (why is Beth barely writing back? And who's this boy she keeps talking about?!), AND crack the biggest story in the city's history? Some heroes have capes . . . Katie has cats!

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel

If you have a Bad Kitty fan in your household you won't want to miss these full-color adaptations. 

Kitty's life is hard. Really, really, really hard. She's always being bothered, Puppy is always in her space (and drooling on her), and her plans for world domination seem to be at a bit of a stand still. So, when she gets the opportunity to go with her very favorite, generous, kind-hearted Uncle Murray to LOVE LOVE ANGEL KITTY WORLD, how on earth could she refuse?

Kitty is so excited--this is going to be the adventure of a lifetime! But what she doesn't realize is that it will be an adventure just trying to get there...and when she and Uncle Murray end up in a precarious situation, they will have to rely on their wit and love for each other to get themselves out.

The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Katie O'Neill

Join Greta and Minette once more for the heartwarming conclusion of the award-winning Tea Dragon series!

Over a year since being entrusted with Ginseng's care, Greta still can't chase away the cloud of mourning that hangs over the timid Tea Dragon. As she struggles to create something spectacular enough to impress a master blacksmith in search of an apprentice, she questions the true meaning of crafting, and the true meaning of caring for someone in grief. Meanwhile, Minette receives a surprise package from the monastery where she was once training to be a prophetess. Thrown into confusion about her path in life, the shy and reserved Minette finds that the more she opens her heart to others, the more clearly she can see what was always inside.

Unicorns are the Worst! by Alex Willan

Perfect for fans of Dragons Love Tacos and Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great, this wildly funny and imaginative picture book celebrates the value of differences as a grumpy goblin gets to know his new unicorn neighbors.

It’s an undeniable fact that unicorns are the worst!

Magic is serious business, but all unicorns do is frolic around, have tea parties, and leave glitter all over the place! They’re nothing like goblins—practical and hard-working, who can put magic to good use! Unicorns aren’t helpful at all.

Or are they?

Happy Friday and happy reading!