# Great Graphic Novels for Teens

The American Library Association's Great Graphic Novels for Teens, established in 2007, is an annual list presented by Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) division of graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction geared toward individuals ages 12–18.
Like YALSA's other lists, librarians, parents, and educators rely on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list to help select suitable texts for their collections. This is particularly important for graphic novels, which are popular among young adults and have rapidly gained popularity in the past thirty years. Graphic novels are especially popular among "reluctant readers" and "visual learners", and they can "improve comprehension and interpretation of themes, literary devices, and social issues, among other topics."

## Criteria

To be included on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, books must have been published "during the sixteen months preceding the award", "appeal to ages twelve to eighteen", and be widely available in the United States. Graphic novels of all types are considered with one limitation: "comic book compilations must contain an overarching story arc."
In selecting texts for the list, YALSA librarians judge books based on "quality, appeal, and suitability for a teenage audience".

## Representations of diversity

Researchers have analyzed the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list for representations of diversity.
Irwin and Moeller analyzed the 2008 list for representations of individuals with disabilities. Out of 30 graphics novels, 40% included a character with a disability and 13% included two characters with disability, including seven characters with health impairments, three characters with visual impairments, three characters with orthopedic impairments, two characters with emotional disturbances, and one character with a learning disability. Irwin and Moeller found that, according to the Biklen and Bogdan stereotypes, characters were frequently represented as evil and/or "their own worst enemy" and "pitiable"; women with disabilities were more likely to be portrayed as pitiable, whereas only men with disabilities were portrayed as evil. Importantly, 10% of the novels included characters that "were portrayed as inclusive members of their communities".
Reviewing the 2015 list for representations of race, Moeller and Becnel found that 76% of books included characters of color. Further, 5% of the books "were almost entirely comprised oof Asian actors".
Mumm's 2017 master's thesis analyzed female characters on the 2016 list and found that female characters were diverse in appearance, had "relatable conversations", and broke away from "stereotypical behaviors", though "some stereotypical conventions remain".

## Recipients
### 2000s

Great Graphic Novels for Teens top ten (2007–2009) :
| Year | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Title |
| 2007 | Warren Ellis | Stuart Immonen (penciler), Wade Von Grawbadger (inker), and Dave McCaig (colorist) | NextWave: Agents of H.A.T.E., Vol. 1: This is What They Want |
| 2007 | Gilbert Hernandez | Jared K. Fletcher (lettering) | Sloth |
| 2007 | Linda Medley | | Castle Waiting |
| 2007 | Brad Meltzer | Rags Morales | Identity Crisis |
| 2007 | Tsugumi Ohba | Takeshi Obata | Death Note, V. 1–3 |
| 2007 | Brian K. Vaughan | Adrian Alphona | Runaways, V. 4–6 |
| 2007 | Brian K. Vaughan | Niko Henrichon | Pride of Baghdad |
| 2007 | Gary Whitta | Ted Naifeh | Death, Jr. |
| 2007 | Brian Wood | Becky Cloonan | Demo: The Collection |
| 2007 | Gene Luen Yang | Lark Pien | American Born Chinese |
| 2008 | Nick Abadzis | | Laika |
| 2008 | Mike Carey | | Re-Gifters |
| 2008 | Ann Marie Fleming | | The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam |
| 2008 | Keith Giffen | | Blue Beetle: Shell-shocked |
| 2008 | Yuji Iwahara | | King of Thorn |
| 2008 | Matthew Loux | | Sidescrollers |
| 2008 | Setona Mizushiro | | After School Nightmare |
| 2008 | Peter Sis | | The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain |
| 2008 | Shaun Tan | | The Arrival |
| 2009 | Jessica Abel and Gabriel Soria | Warren Pleece | Life Sucks |
| 2009 | Hinako Ashihara | | Sand Chronicles |
| 2009 | Brian Clevinger | Steve Wegener | Atomic Robo: Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne |
| 2009 | Takehiko Inoue | | Real |
| 2009 | Junji Ito | | Uzumaki |
| 2009 | Youme Landowne | Anthony Horton | Pitch Black |
| 2009 | Aimee Major Steinberger | | Japan Ai: A Tall Girl’s Adventures in Japan |
| 2009 | Mariko Tamaki | Jilliam Tamaki | Skim |
| 2009 | Gerard Way | Gabriel Bá | Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite |
| 2009 | G. Willow Wilson | M. K. Perker | Cairo |

### 2010s

Great Graphic Novels for Teens top ten (2010–2019) :
| Year | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Title |
| 2010 | Jim Hardison | Bart Sears | The Helm |
| 2010 | Daisuke Igarashi | | Children of the Sea, V. 1 |
| 2010 | Van Jensen | Dusty Higgins | Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer |
| 2010 | Joe Kelly | J. M. Ken Nimura | I Kill Giants |
| 2010 | Jonathan Lethem | Farel Dalrymple | Omega the Unknown |
| 2010 | Jeremy Love | | Bayou, V. 1 |
| 2010 | Josh Neufeld | | A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge |
| 2010 | Tom Siddell | | Gunnerkrigg Court, V. 1 |
| 2010 | Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki | Naoki Urasawa | Pluto |
| 2010 | Fumi Yoshinaga | | Ooku: The Inner Chambers, V. 1 |
| 2011 | Aristophane with Matt Madden (trans.) | | The Zabime Sisters |
| 2011 | Brandon Dayton | | Green Monk |
| 2011 | Hisae Iwaoka | | Saturn Apartments, V. 1 |
| 2011 | Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan | Faith Erin Hicks | Brain Camp |
| 2011 | John Layman | Rob Guillory | Chew, V. 1 |
| 2011 | G. Neri | Randy Duburke | Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty |
| 2011 | Jason Shiga | | Meanwhile: Pick Any Path. 3,856 Story Possibilities |
| 2011 | Raina Telgemeier | | Smile |
| 2011 | Doug TenNapel | | Ghostopolis |
| 2011 | Drew Weing | | Set to Sea |
| 2012 | Brian Michael Bendis | Alex Maleev | Scarlet |
| 2012 | Vera Brosgol | | Anya’s Ghost |
| 2012 | Brooke Gladstone | Josh Neufeld | The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media |
| 2012 | Roger Langridge | Chris Samnee and Matt Wilson | Thor: The Mighty Avenger, V. 1–2 |
| 2012 | Kagan McLeod | | Infinite Kung Fu |
| 2012 | Kaoru Mori | | A Bride's Story |
| 2012 | Malachai Nicolle | Ethan Nicolle | Axe Cop |
| 2012 | Brian Ralph | | Daybreak |
| 2012 | Takako Shimura | | Wandering Son, V. 1 |
| 2012 | Amir Soltani | Khalil Bendib | Zahra’s Paradise |
| 2013 | Derf Backderf | | My Friend Dahmer |
| 2013 | Jonathan Fetter-Vorm | | Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb |
| 2013 | Joseph Lambert | | Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller |
| 2013 | Brian Michael Bendis | Sara Pichelli | Ultimate Comics: Spider-man, V. 1 |
| 2013 | Faith Erin Hicks | | Friends with Boys |
| 2013 | Holly Black, Louise Hawes, Todd Mitchell, Alisa Kwitney, and Bill Willingham | Rebecca Guay | A Flight of Angels |
| 2013 | Mark Long and Jim Demonakos | Nate Powell | The Silence of Our Friends |
| 2013 | Takashi Murakami | | Stargazing Dog |
| 2013 | Raina Telgemeier | | Drama |
| 2013 | Mark Waid | Paolo Manuel Rivera and Marcos Martin | Daredevil, V. 1 |
| 2014 | John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell | | March: Book 1 |
| 2014 | Laura Lee Gulledge | | Will & Whit |
| 2014 | Faith Erin Hicks | | The Adventures of Superhero Girl |
| 2014 | Sheila Keenan | Nathan Fox | Dogs of War |
| 2014 | Matt Kindt | | MIND MGMT |
| 2014 | Royden Lepp | | Rust, V. 2 |
| 2014 | Sharon McKay | Daniel Lafrance | War Brothers: The Graphic Novel |
| 2014 | Io Sakisaka | | Strobe Edge, V. 1–6 |
| 2014 | Prudence Shen | Faith Erin Hicks | Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong |
| 2014 | Gene Luen Yang | | Boxers and Saints |
| 2015 | Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa | Francesco Francavilla | Afterlife with Archie: Escape from Riverdale |
| 2015 | John Allison | | Bad Machinery, V. 3 |
| 2015 | Mike Richardson | Stan Sakai | 47 Ronin |
| 2015 | Cory Doctorow | Jen Wang | In Real Life |
| 2015 | G. Willow Wilson | Adrian Alphona | Ms. Marvel, V. 1 |
| 2015 | Bryan Lee O’Malley | | Seconds: a Graphic Novel |
| 2015 | Gene Luen Yang | Sonny Liew | The Shadow Hero |
| 2015 | Emily Carroll | | Through The Woods |
| 2015 | Jeff Lemire | | Trillium |
| 2015 | Mamoru Hosoda | Yu | Wolf Children: Ame & Yuki |
| 2016 | Svetlana Chmakova | | Awkward |
| 2016 | Don Brown | | Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans |
| 2016 | ND Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Shannon Watters | Brooke Allen | Lumberjanes, V. 1–2 |
| 2016 | G. Willow Wilson | Jacob Wyatt and Adrian Alphona | Ms. Marvel, V. 3 |
| 2016 | G. Willow Wilson | Takeshi Miyazawaand Elmo Bondoc | Ms. Marvel, V. 3 |
| 2016 | ND Stevenson | | Nimona |
| 2016 | Victoria Jamieson | | Roller Girl |
| 2016 | Liz Suburbia | | Sacred Heart |
| 2016 | Yoshitoki Ōima | | A Silent Voice |
| 2016 | Derf Backderf | | Trashed |
| 2016 | Ryan North | Erica Henderson | The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, V. 1–2 |
| 2017 | John Allison | Lissa Treiman | Giant Days, V. 1–2 |
| 2017 | Ta-Nehisi Coates | Brian Stelfreeze | Black Panther, Book One: A Nation Under Our Feet |
| 2017 | Ben Hatke | | Mighty Jack |
| 2017 | Jeff Lemire | Emi Lennox | Plutona |
| 2017 | John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell | | March: Book 3 |
| 2017 | Edward Ross | | Filmish: a Graphic Journey Through Film |
| 2017 | Mark Russel | Ben Caldwell and Mark Morales | Prez, V. 1 |
| 2017 | Ichigo Takano | | orange: The Complete Collection 1 |
| 2017 | Brian K. Vaughan | Cliff Chiang | Paper Girls 1 |
| 2017 | Brian K. Vaughan | Steve Skroce and Matt Hollingsworth | We Stand On Guard |
| 2018 | James Tynion IV | Rian Sygh | The Backstagers |
| 2018 | Jeff Lemire | Dean Ormston | Black Hammer, V. 1 |
| 2018 | Svetlana Chmakova | | Brave |
| 2018 | Tony Medina | Stacey Robison and John Jennings | I Am Alfonso Jones |
| 2018 | Sam Humphries | Caitlin Rose Boyle | Jonesy, V. 1–3 |
| 2018 | Damian Duffy and Octavia E. Butler | John Jenning | Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation |
| 2018 | Katie Green | | Lighter than My Shadow |
| 2018 | Gengoroh Tagame | | My Brother’s Husband |
| 2018 | Nidhi Chanani | | Pashmina |
| 2018 | Scott Westerfeld | Alex Puvilland | Spill Zone |
| 2019 | Anne Frank and Ari Folman | David Polonsky | Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation |
| 2019 | Svetlana Chmakova | | Crush |
| 2019 | Jarrett Krosoczka | | Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt With Family Addiction |
| 2019 | Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin | Giovanni Rigano | Illegal |
| 2019 | Gengoroh Tagame | | My Brother’s Husband, V. 2 |
| 2019 | Tillie Walden | | On a Sunbeam |
| 2019 | Jeff Lemire | | Royal City, V. 2–3 |
| 2019 | Hiromu Arakawa | | Silver Spoon, V. 1–4 |
| 2019 | Laurie Halse Anderson | Emily Carroll | Speak: The Graphic Novel |
| 2019 | Don Brown | | The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees |

### 2020s

Great Graphic Novels for Teens top ten (2020–present) :
| Year | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Title |
| 2020 | Kevin Panetta | Savanna Ganucheau | Bloom |
| 2020 | Hannah Templer | | Cosmoknights: Book One |
| 2020 | Malaka Gharib | | I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir |
| 2020 | Colleen AF Venable | Ellen T. Crenshaw | Kiss Number 8 |
| 2020 | Mariko Tamaki | | Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me |
| 2020 | David F. Walker | Damon Smyth and Marissa Louise | The Life of Frederick Douglass: A Graphic Narrative of a Slave's Journey from Bondage to Freedom. |
| 2020 | Rainbow Rowell | Faith Erin Hicks | Pumpkinheads |
| 2020 | Max de Radiguès | | Simon & Louise |
| 2020 | George Takei and Justin Eisinger | Harmony Becker | They Called Us Enemy |
| 2020 | Kamome Shirahama | | Witch Hat Atelier, V. 1–3 |
| 2021 | Robin Ha | | Almost American Girl |
| 2021 | Kaito | | Blue Flag, V. 1–5 |
| 2021 | Joel Christian Gill | | Fights: One Boy's Triumph Over Violence |
| 2021 | Karen Schneemann | Lily Williams | Go With the Flow |
| 2021 | Sarah Mirk | Gerardo Alba, Kasia Babis, Alex Beguez, Tracy Chahwan, Nomi Kane, Omar Khouri, and Kane Lynch | Guantánamo Voices: True Accounts from the World’s Most Infamous Prison |
| 2021 | Carmen Maria Machado | DaNi | The Low, Low Woods |
| 2021 | Trung Le Nguyen | | The Magic Fish |
| 2021 | Kat Leyh | | Snapdragon |
| 2021 | Gene Luen Yang | Gurihiru | Superman Smashes the Klan, V. 1–2 |
| 2022 | Naoki Urasawa | | Asadora! V. 1–4 |
| 2022 | David F. Walker | Marcus Kwame Anderson | The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History |
| 2022 | Keito Gaku | | Boys Run the Riot, V. 1–3 |
| 2022 | Molly Knox Ostertag | | The Girl from the Sea |
| 2022 | Stan Stanley | | The Hazards of Love, V. 1 |
| 2022 | Harmony Becker | | Himawari House |
| 2022 | Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan | | Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human |
| 2022 | L.L. McKinney | Robyn Smith | Nubia: Real One |
| 2022 | John Lewis and Andrew Aydin | L. Fury and Nate Powell | Run: Book One |
| 2022 | Chugong | Dubu | Solo Leveling |

### Repeat recipients

Multiple writers have been included on the list more than once. Jeff Lemire, Brian K. Vaughan, G. Willow Wilson, and Gene Luen Yang, have each been featured on the list four times. Together, John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell have been listed three times. Svetlana Chmakova has also appeared on the list three times. Lastly, the following writers have each been included on the lust twice: John Allison, Derf Backderf, Brian Michael Bendis, Don Brown, Faith Erin Hicks, ND Stevenson, Gengoroh Tagame, Raina Telgemeier, and David F. Walker.
Multiple artists have been included on the list more than once, not including writers who also illustrate their own texts. Adrian Alphona has illustrated three books on the list. Faith Erin Hicks and Francesco Francavilla have each illustrated two books on the list.