A big day for graphic novels at the ALA Youth Media Awards

This morning the 2020 winners of the American Library Aassociation Youth Media Awards were announced and there were a couple of historic firsts.

Jerry Craft's graphic novel New Kid, which I reviewed here, won both the Newbery Award and the Coretta Scott King Award. It is the first graphic novel to win the Newbery, and the third graphic novel to win the Coretta Scott King Award, with March Book 1 winning in 2014 and March, Book 3 in 2017.

Another big winner of the day was Jarrett Krosoczka's Hey Kiddo (my review here), which is the first graphic novel to win the Odyssey Award for best audiobook. I have not listened to it as of yet, but I loved the book version and am eager to hear how it got translated to an audio medium.

Both books are excellent, and I am very excited for both authors. Hooray for graphic novels!

Congratulations to all involved!!!

My Favorite Graphic Novels of 2018

I read a lot of graphic novels in the course of a year. Some I review here on this blog, and some I talk about on the Comics Alternative podcast with my co-host Derek Royal. What follows is my list of what I felt were the best ones I read published in the last calendar year.

Best Overall
All the Answers by Michael Kupperman

 This account of Kupperman's father's life is a fascinating look at celebrity, the early days of television, and how families keep and share secrets. It also is rather philosophical in how it treats the topic of writing autobiography as well. It's an excellent nonfiction debut by an artist mostly known for excellent humor comics.












Best Biography
Is This Guy For Real? by Box Brown

 I love Box Brown's comics, and they frequently end up on this list. Here, he told the story of a person I knew a lot about, and I love how he wrote a book that captured his spirit, dug into some areas I was unfamiliar with, and surprised me with how moving it was. It's great for Kaufman fans both new and old.












Best Nonfiction
Brazen by Pénélope Bagieu

Pénélope Bagieu is one of the premier comics creators going right now. This collection of biographies of ground-breaking, strong, and impactful women is informative, entertaining, and inspiring. I will read anything she publishes, and this book is another masterpiece.

Best Noir Story
Tyler Cross: Black Rock by Fabien Nury and artist Brüno

I love noir comics, and I waited to read this one for a few years now. This tale of a drifter who happens into a dangerous, small Texas town is gritty, violent, and thrilling. The artwork is colorful and really pops off the page. Also, it made me laugh out loud, a belly laugh even, with its dialogue.












Best Comedy/Western
Coyote Doggirl by Lisa Hanawalt

This book did two things exceptionally well. First, it told an excellent and suspenseful western adventure. Second, it did so with a lot of humor, attitude, and modern sensibilities that wink at and comment on common conventions associated with western tales. I love this book's artwork, and the main character's style and panache made me love and root for her even more.










Best Memoir
Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka

This YA memoir delves into some deeply personal and painful topics, and I love how it speaks to the redemptive power of art as well as how family is what you make of it. I was moved by much of it, and I hope this book becomes popular in middle school classrooms and libraries.











Best Short Story GN
I Am Young by M. Dean

This collection of short stories uses music as a background to look at people, how they define themselves, and how they try to build relationships with others. A few of these stories are excellent, and all of them are evocative and poignant. I loved reading them and also seeking out the artists and listening to the associated tunes.










Best Anthology
The Nib #1, edited by Matt Bors

Gathered from the content of one of my favorite webcomic collectives, this magazine is the first in a series of quarterly publications. They feature great political comics, funny observational comics, and excellent, absorbing nonfiction comics. It has something for everyone who loves comics.












Best Science Fiction
On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

Originally published as a webcomic, this tome tells the tales of a group of space archaeologists who travel the galaxy fixing up collapsing sites and also of one if its members and her first love. It also features exquisite artwork, goldfish-shaped space-ships, and Gothic cathedral space-buildings. This book is more about how people live, love, and relate to one another than it is about "hard"sci-fi, but it's gorgeously rendered and you will fall in love with the characters.










Best Autobiographical Comic
In the Future, We Are Dead by Eva Müller

I found much to relate to in this book that ponders death and what happens afterward. Told in a series of nine autobiographical short stories, it is incredibly thoughtful, beautifully drawn, and also darkly funny. The exploration and evolution of how she thought of death from childhood to adulthood was both enthralling and moving. A much more hopeful book than it appears.










Any how, that is my list. Thank you for reading, and Happy New Year!

Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction

I am not going to lie, Hey, Kiddo made me cry. This book is a memoir about a young man who grows up to learn that his mother is a heroin addict and goes to live with his maternal grandparents, Joe and Shirl. They are brusque and caring, though they have their own issues with alcohol. Still, they take care of Jarrett in their way and instill in him a great many positive characteristics, chief among them a strong work ethic. They also support him in terms of him following his interests, and they are instrumental in making sure he had venues to create art, which was cathartic to him in many ways. Also, it led to opportunities down the road that resulted in a career in making comics (luckily for us all!).

His father is a mystery to him, and for much of his childhood he refuses to even acknowledge the man exists, not that he was present for Jarrett in any way. When he reaches later adolescence, Jarrett finally does make a gesture to meet him, and he learns about his half-siblings, with whom he builds relationships. There is so much about this book that speaks to what families are and how people try to find love and acceptance in this world, but none of it is sugar-coated. This book is powerful both in terms of its story and artwork. Both are subtle and nuanced. Hey, Kiddo is a slow burn with lots of emotional punch, and even though I was raised in very different circumstances, I found much to relate to and empathize with.

The book also benefits from a variety of media, such as letters, coasters, artwork, and various other artifacts used as chapter breaks. These really brought home the reality of these events and situations, making them have just that more of an emotional impact. I loved reading this book. It was sad, sweet, and incredibly moving. I am very glad that it exists in the world to be something that various aged readers, not just the YA set it is marketed toward, can engage with and learn from.

Krosoczka is best known for his series of Lunch Lady graphic novels for younger readers, and he has also contributed multiple volumes to the Star Wars Jedi Academy series. I met him a few years ago at Knoxville's Children's Festival of Reading, and he was a swell guy. Go check out his website for multiple versions of his biography as well as some random facts about him. It's worth the visit!

This book has garnered Krosoczka a lot of positive attention and praise. He has been profiled by both NPR and The New York Times. Most impressively, Hey, Kiddo was named a finalist for a National Book Award. The NYT's Patricia McCormick called it "brave" and "inspiring." In a starred review, Publishers Weekly summed up, "This nuanced graphic memoir portrays a whole family and tells a story of finding identity among a life’s complications."

Hey, Kiddo was published by Scholastic, and they offer more information about it here. This book features some profanity, but nothing beyond what a typical YA book might contain.