Ferndale Library Staff Recommends: Joseph Rates the Greats of Graphic Novels

Librarian Joseph Miller works part-time in our Youth Services department here at the Ferndale Public Library.

Young readers, researchers (and computer users) will find him helpfully helming the main desk in our Kids Corner. We have Joseph to thank for his key role in throwing a Hobbit Party for young Library patrons two weeks ago.

The event was a commemoration of the new live-action film, recently released (with record breaking box-office returns). Another fine installment of our regularly hosted programming, we screened the 2001 film that re-kindled all of this Tolkien mania: The Fellowship of the Ring, along with awarding prizes for the "Best Middle Earth Costumes."

Little did you know, I'll suspect, that Mr. Miller is, himself, an inspired and active writer. Rumor has it he's wrapping up his own children's book these days, but I'll let you ask him about it the next time you swing through the Library.

Anyhow... suffice it to say, this well-read, writerly Librarian can likely supply you with authoritative opinions on what to read next - particularly catering to the genres he catalogs, surveys and supplements on a weekly basis - those appealing to young adult readers. 

Joseph's Picks

By Joseph Miller

"Didn’t I just make some picks? No? It’s been how long? Wow! How time
flies when you’re having fun at the Ferndale Public Library! So let’s
see… what should I pick this time? How about some graphic novels?
Yeah, that sounds good to me..."

The Marvelous Land of Oz by Eric Shanower and illustrated by Skottie Young.
J GRAPHIC BAUM

This book tells the story of Tip, a young boy trapped in a life ofservice to the evil witch, Mombi. After being threatened by the witch, Tip steals her Powder of Life and heads off on a series of strange adventures with Jack Pumpkinhead (a manikin brought to life by the witch’s powder). Will Tip be able to discover the truth of his past and save Oz from an uprising that has overthrown the Scarecrow as the ruler of Oz?

Into the Woods by J. Torres and Faith Erin Hicks.
J GRAPHIC TORRES

Rufus’s weekend is off to a terrible start. First, he’s going to spend
it at his grandmother’s house in the woods… boring! Then, the girl
next door treats him like he’s poison ivy… to be avoided at all costs.
However, when Rufus finds a mysterious totem in the forest, it
transforms into a Sasquatch… and his weekend goes from boring to very
hairy (in more ways than one)!


Babymouse #1: Queen of the World! By Jennifer and Matthew Holm.
J GRAPHIC HOLM #1 

The imaginative and spunky Babymouse wants to be invited to Felicia’s
slumber party and will do anything to get invited, but will all the
trouble she goes through be worth it? The pleasant, pink-toned
illustrations highlight Babymouse’s flights of fancy and will draw
reader’s into the glamorous and imaginative inner life of the Queen of
the World.


Zita the Space Girl by Ben Hatke.
JGRAPHIC HATKE V.1 

After the adventurous Zita gets her best friend kidnapped by aliens,
she follows him through a portal to a bizarre world that is only three
days from being hit by an asteroid. With time running out, Zita must
make new friends, face off against strange enemies, and find her lost
friend before it’s too late. This is an out-of-this-world story that
sci-fi fans will enjoy from start to finish.


Giants Beware by Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre.
J GRAPHIC AGUIRRE

Claudette wants to slay giants. So when she finds out that one has
been spotted, she tricks her best friend Marie and her little brother,
Gaston, into hunting down the giant. Along the way, they are faced
with challenges and dangers from wicked witches to magical rivers, but
nothing prepares them for what they find when they cross paths with a
real-life giant.

~

Thanks, Joseph.