Children

A Kirkus's Best Middle Grade Books of 2021 Pick



From the author of The Deep & Dark Blue comes a tender graphic novel, perfect for our time, that gently explores themes of self-discovery, friendship, healing from tragedy, and hope for a better tomorrow.



Struggling with anxiety after witnessing a harrowing instance of gun violence, Manuel Soto copes through photography, using his cell-phone camera to find anchors that keep him grounded. His days are a lonely, latchkey monotony until he's teamed with his classmates, Sebastian and Caysha, for a group project.



Sebastian lives on a grass-fed cattle farm outside of town, and Manuel finds solace in the open fields and in the antics of the newborn calf Sebastian is hand-raising. As Manuel aides his new friends in their preparations for the local county fair, he learns to open up, confronts his deepest fears, and even finds first love.



This title will be simultaneously available in paperback.

Halloween is here and the monster hunt is on! A rip-roaring graphic novel adventure about the latest in a famous family of vampire-hunting pigs, inspired by legendary monster slayer Van Helsing!

Ham Helsing is the descendant of a long line of adventurers and monster hunters--who don't often live to rest on their laurels. Ham has always been the odd pig out, preferring to paint or write poetry instead of inventing dangerous (dumb) new ways to catch dangerous creatures.

His brother Chad was the daredevil carrying on the family legacy of leaping before looking, but after his death, it's down to Ham. Reluctantly, he sets out on his first assignment, to hunt a vampire. But Ham soon learns that people aren't always what they seem and that you need a good team around you to help save your bacon!

Discover the incredible stories of rebels throughout history in this hilarious graphic novel that brings the dead famous to life.

Welcome to Corpse Talk, the chat show with a difference - all of the guests are dead! Meet your host, comic book artist Adam Murphy, as he interviews eighteen show-stopping rebels. Want to read the inside story of Sitting Bull, the last chief of the great Sioux nation? Or wondered what led to Martin Luther King Jr becoming such an iconic freedom-fighter? This graphic novel answers all of your questions about the lives of these rancorous rebels with a cause, from the struggles they overcame for their countries to their personal challenges.

Bold and expressive illustrations by Adam and Lisa Murphy bring historical events to life, literally, while humorous text makes learning history fun. Full-page illustrations give more detail on the bigger picture behind the rebels' stories, with special features on gladiators in Ancient Rome, crime and punishment in medieval times, and an overview of guerrilla warfare. Whether you're a fan of these adventurous rebels or just love a good story, this graphic novel will not fail to inspire you and make you laugh.

In this new and outrageous comic novel, Dav Pilkey creates a hilarious l28-page book "by George Beard and Harold Hutchins," the fourth-grade stars of Pilkey's bestselling Captain Underpants series.

Oh, no! It's not enough that George and Harold have invented Captain Underpants, the greatest superhero of all time, and that they've also saved the world FIVE times! They defeated Dr. Diaper! They punished Professor Poopypants! And they whacked the wicked Wedgie Woman! What task could be worse?!!?
This one: As punishment, the boys have to write a 100-page report on "good citizenship," and they have been specifically ordered NOT to write another comic about Captain Underpants. So what do they do?
Aha! Meet Super Diaper Baby--the most powerful peewee to pack a punch. With Pilkey's typical over-the-edge humor, Super Diaper Baby will have kids laughing until soda comes out their noses.

Raina Telgemeier, the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of the Eisner Award winner, SMILE, brings us her next full-color graphic novel . . . DRAMA!

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon Over Mississippi, she's a terrible singer. Instead she's the set designer for the stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen, and when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier! Following the success of SMILE, Raina Telgemeier brings us another graphic novel featuring a diverse set of characters that humorously explores friendship, crushes, and all-around drama!

The first Captain Underpants adventure like you've never seen it before -- in FULL COLOR!

Fourth-grade class clowns George Beard and Harold Hutchins have created the greatest superhero in the history of their elementary school -- and now they're going to bring him to life! Meet Captain Underpants! His true identity is SO secret, even HE doesn't know who he is!

This special edition will include an all-new sixteen-page bonus section that will reveal the origin of Captain Underpants!