YA Graphic Novels

Nominated for several awards including the prestigious Carnegie Medal for Illustration Award 2023

A beautifully illustrated and presented intergenerational graphic novel that follows 11-year-old Benji and his elderly grandmother, Bubbe Rosa, as they traverse Brooklyn and Manhattan, gathering the ingredients for a Friday night dinner.

Praise for Alte Zachen

"The graphic novel format brilliantly allows us to see Bubbe in both her present and her past, allowing the reader to better understand her in all her cranky, opinionated grandeur, along with her sweet, caring grandson, Benji. A wonderful intergenerational story about the value of old things." -- Marissa Moss, Children's Book Author & Illustrator

"Taking a walk with Rosa and Benji just might change how readers see the world and everyone's place in it. Highly recommended for graphic novel collections". -- School Library Journal Starred Review *Best Children's Books of 2022 selection*

"Phillips's del-i-cate col-ors and fine details illus-trate the rich-ness of city life. Two sis-ters argu-ing on a train, a cou-ple danc-ing togeth-er, and immi-grants' first view of the Stat-ue of Lib-er-ty -- these are all images that Bubbe con-jures while look-ing back over the years. In one full-col-or scene that inte-grates past and present, she comes to terms with the inevitabil-i-ty of change. As the book ends, with grand-moth-er and grand-son against a New York City sky-line, new-ness does not seem so threat-en-ing, after all". -- Jewish Book Council

''To outsiders, Benji's Bubbe is just a crabby old lady. To the boy, and eventually to us, she becomes a vulnerable figure deserving of great tenderness. "Alte Zachen" is less ambitious and searing than Art Spiegelman's "Maus," but like that graphic novel it expands our understanding of the gulf that can exist between generations, particularly those divided by catastrophe''. -- Wall Street Journal

''Softly lined watercolor art portrays a moving narrative...even as Benjy and Bubbe's worldviews clash, the Yiddish-peppered telling renders a familial bond that is at once mercurial and unshakable.'' -- Publisher's Weekly Starred Review

''Compelling and evocative, Alte Zachen is an eloquent intergenerational story that will resonate with and enlighten readers of all ages''. -- Celebrate Picture Books

''For a first graphic novel, Alte Zachen is a true success. This is award-winning storytelling''. -- Books for Keeps

''Every so often a book appears and you just know what an impact it's going to have. Alte Zachen by #ZiggyHanaor and @benjamindraws is one of those books''. -- Children Reading for Pleasure

''A tour de force. On behalf of all the #Bubbes and #Benjis thank you @cicadabooks for such a joyful and redemptive picture book''. -- Youth Libraries Group

''Exploring themes of migration, alienation, loss, perception and identity, this is both an important book and a window into our children's futures and our parents' pasts''. -- School Reading List

Bubbe's relationship with the city is complex - nothing is quite as she remembered it and she feels alienated and angry at the world around her. Benji, on the other hand, looks at the world, and his grandmother, with clear-eyed acceptance. As they wander the city, we catch glimpses of Bubbe's childhood in Germany, her young adulthood in 1950s Brooklyn, and her relationships; first with a baker called Gershon, and later with successful Joe, Benji's grandfather. Gradually we piece together snippets of Bubbe's life, gaining an insight to some of the things that have formed her cantankerous personality. The journey culminates on the Lower East Side in a moving reunion between Rosa and Gershon, her first love. As the sun sets, Benji and his Bubbe walk home over the Williamsburg Bridge to make dinner.

This is a powerful, affecting and deceptively simple story of Jewish identity, of generational divides, of the surmountability of difference and of a restless city and its inhabitants.

Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn't kidding about the "Forever" part . . .

Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who's been dead for a century.

Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend--even a ghost--is just what she needs.

Or so she thinks.
Spooky, sardonic, and secretly sincere, Anya's Ghost is a wonderfully entertaining debut graphic novel from author/artist Vera Brosgol.

This title has Common Core connections.

Anya's Ghost is a 2011 Kirkus Best Teen Books of the Year title.
One of School Library Journal's Best Fiction Books of 2011.
One of Horn Book's Best Fiction Books of 2011.
Winner of the 2012 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Young Adults (Ages 12-17)

As a transfer student to the Georgia O'Keeffe College for Arts and Subtle Dramatics, former sports star Charlie is struggling to find her classes, her dorm, and her place amongst a student body full of artists who seem to know exactly where they're going. When the school's barely-a-basketball-team unexpectedly attempts to recruit her, Charlie's adamant that she's left that life behind...until she's won over by the charming team captain, Liv, and the ragtag crew she's managed to assemble. And while Charlie may have left cut-throat competition in the dust, sinking these hoops may be exactly what she needs to see the person she truly wants to be.

From Carly Usdin (Heavy Vinyl) and artist Noah Hayes (Wet Hot American Summer, Goldie Vance) comes an ensemble comedy series that understands that it's the person you are off the court that matters most.

This action-packed graphic novel based on the New York Times bestselling book by Marie Lu transports readers to the shadowy gates of Arkham Asylum, where Gotham City's darkest mysteries reside...and which now threatens to imprison Bruce Wayne.

A ruthless new gang of criminals known only as Nightwalkers is terrorizing Gotham and the city's elite are being taken out one by one. On the way home from his 18th birthday party, newly minted billionaire Bruce Wayne makes an impulsive choice that puts him in their crosshairs and lands him in Arkham Asylum, the once-infamous mental hospital. There he meets Madeleine Wallace, a brilliant killer...and Bruce's only hope. Madeleine is the mystery Bruce must unravel, but is he convincing her to divulge her secrets or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees?

Adapted by Stuart Moore and illustrated by Chris Wildgoose, this graphic novel presents a thrilling new take on Batman before he donned the cape and cowl.

When Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray met at church bingo in 1963, it was love at first sight. Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid-'60s, Hazel and Mari reunite again at a church bingo hall. Realizing their love for each other is still alive, what these grandmothers do next takes absolute strength and courage.

From TEE FRANKLIN (NAILBITER's THE OUTFIT, Love is Love) and JENN ST-ONGE (Jem & the Misfits), BINGO LOVE is a touching story of love, family, and resiliency that spans over 60 years.

Black Sands is the most popular independent book series in the black community and it is clear why.

Ausar leads his kin on an expedition to Minoa to find out the true threat of the ancients in the region.

Unbeknownst to them, their transport has alternative motives for bringing them, leading them to a deadly battle on a remote uncharted island in the Mediterranean. Ausar uses all of his skills to protect his family as they are forced to fight terrifying ancients and during the battle, he is gravely wounded.

When they finally reach Minoa, Ausar needs time to recover before they set out to explore the coast of Cypress. While he is away, Seth, Auset, and Nehbet meet the Queen. It is at this time that they realize there is a god-touched within the city. A young boy named Menes, who wields the power of Magma. This complication leaves many questions to be answered but before they can figure out the details, an invasion begins. The Spartans are here and they want Minoan blood.

Gene Luen Yang writes, and sometimes draws, comic books and graphic novels. As the Library of Congress's fifth National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, he advocates for the importance of reading, especially reading diversely. His graphic novel American Born Chinese, a National Book Award finalist and Printz Award winner, has been adapted into a streaming series on Disney+. His two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints won the LA Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award finalist. His nonfiction graphic novel Dragon Hoops received an Eisner Award and a Printz honor. His other comics works include Secret Coders (with Mike Holmes), The Shadow Hero (with Sonny Liew), as well as Superman Smashes the Klan and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series (both with Gurihiru). In 2016, he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow.

A New York Times bestseller

China,1898. Bands of foreign missionaries and soldiers roam the countryside, bullying and robbing Chinese peasants.

Little Bao has had enough. Harnessing the powers of ancient Chinese gods, he recruits an army of Boxers - commoners trained in kung fu who fight to free China from "foreign devils."

Against all odds, this grass-roots rebellion is violently successful. But nothing is simple. Little Bao is fighting for the glory of China, but at what cost? So many are dying, including thousands of "secondary devils" - Chinese citizens who have converted to Christianity.

Boxers & Saints

Discover the other side of the Boxer Rebellion in Saints - the companion volume to Boxers.