Due to the popularity of last month's post, here are six more recent works of comic titles for the young or maybe just the young at heart. The last three titles are also available as eBooks through Overdrive, which you can know check out directly through the library's Bibliocommons catalog interface. Click here to access specific intructions on how to download eBooks to your eReader or visit the Help section on Overdrive's website. I hope that you enjoy these titles as much as I did!

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes edited by Kazu Kibuishi
Classic Catalog | Bibliocommons

Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Drama), Dave Roman (TeenBoat!, Astronaut Academy), and Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet, Copper) are just a few of the contributors to this collection of disparate tales featuring mystical boxes that hold gateways into the unknown. My personal favorite out of the bunch is a story smack dab in the middle called "The Keeper Treasure" by Jason Caffoe. The story follows a conversation between a young treasure seeking boy and the monster-like guardian he is trying to get past. The stories are pretty short, so this might not be ideal for the older and more established graphic novel reader, but it's great for young picture book fans who are looking for something slightly more advanced to try out.

Mal and Chad: Food Fight
Classic Catalog | Bibliocommons
A story of a young boy genuis who loves inventing complicated machines and his dog who loves, well... food of any kind. This story is a follow up to Mal and Chad: The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever! which introduces us to these characters. This story fleshes out the character of Megan — a girl that Malcolm, with all his advanced intellect, still cannot work up the courage to even talk to. After inadvertantly unleashing Chad's evil dream demon, Mal has to save Megan and her boy-hating friends. If you're a fan of the series, look for the third book Mal and Chad: Belly Flop! that will be released in early December of this year.

Take What You Can Carry by Kevin Pyle
Classic Catalog | Bibliocommons
This particular graphic novel actually depicts two different stories, both involving the same character. The first is a story of a young boy who gets caught shoplifting in the 1970s while the second follows an Asian-American boy the same age whose family is relocated to a Japanese internment camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor. We eventually find out that the owner of the convenience store from the first story is actually the young man from the second, while the title refers to each boy taking something that they shouldn't have respectively. If you like Take What You Can Carry, check out Kevin Pyle's other graphic novels Katman and Blindspot. 

The Girl Who Owned a City by Dan Jolley
Classic Catalog | Bibliocommons | Overdrive
Imagine a world without parents. Sounds fun, right? It's not for Lisa and Todd, a brother and sister who wake up one day to discover no one over the age of 12 has survived a mysterious virus. Attempting to survive in a tribal-like society, filled with gangs and looters, Lisa takes charge and attempts to establish a safe place that can fend off interlopers. She still has to contend with the villainous Tom Logan, an old enemy who has it out for her and longs to take away everything she's built. Filled with expressive illustrations, this story adapts a 1970s children's novel that kind of reminded me of The Walking Dead (minus the zombies) meets Lord of the Flies. If you like the story, check out O.T. Nelson's original novel.

Secret Diary by Julien Neel
Classic Catalog | Bibliocommons | Overdrive 
Lou is kind of a wacky girl. A 12 year old girl who makes her own clothes, it's pretty clear that she marches to a much different drummer than the rest of the kids in her class. Her mom Cat is her best friend and partner in crime. She's a writer... when she finally takes a break from all her video games. The girls deal with crushes, parties, and even their stick-in-the-mud grandma. Their small shared apartment is an enviornment most New Yorkers will appreciate. With bring colors and snappy dialogue, Secret Diary is a great title to give to any boy-crazy girl that needs convincing that there's a graphic novel out there for her, too.

Earthling! by Mark Fearing
Classic Catalog | Bibliocommons | Overdrive
Bud just moved to a new town, mainly so that his scientist father can work in a gigantic field of satellites. On his first day of school, Bud gets on the wrong bus... right into outer space! Making fast friends with new buddy Gort, Bud has to master alien classes, the mysterious Zero-Ball, and hide from an entire school of Earth-hating creatures! A wild adventure story, this graphic novel will appeal to kids of many ages just like last year's Zita the Spacegirl did. For more on Mark's unique style, check out The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot or visit his website.

Check out this booklist on BiblioCommons >>