My 4 Favorite Graphic Novels of 2023
I’ve seen a bunch of fantastic lists of people’s favorite books of 2023 but I haven’t seen anyone’s favorite YA & Kids graphic novels. So here are my absolute favorites.
First up is Forest Hills Bootleg Society by Dave Baker & Nicole Goux
It’s about 4 girls at an ultraconservative high school who start selling bootleg DVDs of spicy anime to their classmates. It’s about friendship, crushes, relationships, expectations, complications, consequences, impermanence, and growing up. In otherwards, high school.
Second is A First Time For Everything by Dan Santat
It’s the true story of the school trip to Europe Dan took in his summer between jr. high and high school. It’s about trying to figure out who he is, fitting in, crushes, Wimbledon, perceptions, and a stolen bicycle. It’s funny, awkward, heartfelt, embarrassing, and hopeful.
And it won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Which, if you don’t, is a pretty big deal. Especially for a graphic novel.
Next up is Family Style by Thien Pham
The second memoir on my list is an absolute must-read. When Thien is 5, his family flees Vietnam and then struggles to survive at a refugee camp before eventually being sponsored and ending up in San Jose, California. Their struggles don’t go away though, they shift into figuring out how to survive and integrate into a foreign country.
It’s all told through the lens of food. What it means to be an immigrant and what it means to be American. Despite the harrowing start, the book is pretty low-key. It’s like your favorite comfort food with some hot sauce on it.
And my favorite read in 2023 was Little Monarchs by Jonathan Case
It’s set 50 years after sun sickness has wiped out almost all the mammals on earth. The pockets of humans that did survive have to live underground and only come up at night. 2 humans have managed to travel during the day. 10-year-old Elvie and her botanist caretaker Flora. Flora has created an antidote and is now trying to figure out if she can replicate it in large doses.
There are no zombies in this world but nature and other people can still be devastatingly brutal. The story is riveting and the characters are so well written. 10-year-old Elvie could have easily been written as the unbelievable wunderkind who can do no wrong. Instead, she’s a bright kid who makes mistakes and is often at the mercy of the adults she encounters.
I love YA and Kid graphic novels. I wish more would aspire to this level. Though admittedly that’s a pretty high bar. Little Monarchs is fantastic.
Favorite Thing I Drew This Month
My favorite thing that I drew this month was the cover for Woodland Hills: The Paper Plane Party but I can’t show you that. So here’s my second favorite thing I drew this month.
Hard to go wrong with a flock of panicked chickens.
Family Stuff
December was lovely and overwhelming. The big thing was my parents coming out for the week of Christmas. They got to meet Penny in person for the first time.
It was also my birthday this month so I got a little older. We went out for BBQ which has become a thing we’ve done the last few years.
My holiday must haves arrived at Trader Joe’s, chocolate covered peppermint Joe Joes. We spent the month making lots of delicious foods and too many sweets. And went to a bunch of Christmas parties and even threw one of our own.
River is now old enough to get the idea of Santa and gifts. So River left out cookies and milk for him. I think Santa deserves homemade next year. We also continued one of my favorite family traditions. Santa leaves some sort of book or comic at the foot of the kids bed so they’ll have something to read until the parents wake up. River received his very first graphic novel, Narwhal’s School of Awesomeness.
And to end the year, here’s an obligatory list. Things I loved in 2023
- Welcoming Penny to the family.
- Improving at drawing as I chip away at Woodland Hills
- Visiting Yosemite
- Occasionally chiming in with guesses when Sophia is doing any of her New York Times puzzles
- River communicating in full sentences and thoughts
- Visiting the Schulz Museum
- My parents coming out for Christmas
- Going to Odesza and Blink 182 concerts with my brother
- Making TikTok videos
- Doing the 3 Question Interviews with other book creators
- Going to the Chinese New Year parade and throwing snap pops
- The Library. All the children’s books we check out and read to River. The audiobooks I listen to while drawing.
- Monthly Home Depot projects and breakfast afterward with River
- Living out my Ghost fantasy and spinning clay with Sophia
- River’s porcupine and Penny’s flying squirrel costumes
- Touching a giant isopod at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
- The soft hoodie I got for my birthday
- This soup with crusty bread
Thanks for reading!
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