Brainstorm 258: Top 10s of 2021 Part 3: Graphic Novels & Asian Lit

Welcome back for the final week of the Top 10s of 2021!

This week I’ve got my favorite graphic novels and books by authors of Asian descent about people/characters of Asian descent I read in the past 12 months. If you are looking for a good read for yourself or someone you love, these are some of my top recommendations! 

We have our books organized by genre in the Secondary Media Center I oversee, and the graphic novel/manga/comics section is by far THE most popular area. So over the course of a year I read a ton of graphic novels, manga, and comics trying to pick which new ones to add to satisfy the ravenous graphic novel devourers. I’m also always on the hunt for great Asian lit since we are in Asia and a huge chunk of our student population is of Asian descent.

In general, I’ve put my favorite book(s) on top and then in descending order, but considering many of these books beat out 100s of others in the same category, that’s a minor thing at this point. They are all amazing in my opinion if they’ve made these lists. I’ve set limiters for certain lists to help myself narrow things down, and all of these are books I've read in the past 12 months. I've also limited it to books that are already in our libraries at ICS, or books that are coming soon to our shelves.

You can click on the titles to read my full review of each book and any content notes/trigger warnings.

Here’s the Top 10s of 2021s Schedule for this year:

Dec 3: Nonfiction books

Dec 10: Fiction books

Dec 17: Graphic novels & Asian Lit

Some notes on terms:

Lower Grade (LG) books are aimed at Pre-K-3 grade readers

Middle Grade (MG) books are aimed at 3rd-8th grade readers

Young Adult (YA) books are aimed at teen readers

Top 10 Lower Grade Fiction Graphic Novels, Comics, Manga

(limited to 1 per author)

Bad Kitty Goes on Vacation (Bad Kitty, #14) by Nick Bruel

Leo and the Gorgon’s Curse (Brownstone’s Mythical Collection, #4) by Joe Todd-Stanton

Built for Speed (Layla and the Bots, #2) by Vicky Fang, ill. by Christine Nishiyama

Doggo and Pupper by Katherine Applegate, ill. by Charlie Alder

Kitty Sweet Tooth by Abby Denson, ill. by Utomaru

The Lost Camera (Bots, #8) by Russ Bolts, ill. by Jay Cooper

The Goblin Princess (Unicorn Diaries, #4) by Rebecca Elliott

Dinosaurs before Dark (Magic Tree House Graphic Novel, #1) based on the novel by Mary Pope Osborne, adapted by Jenny Laird, ill. by Kelly & Nichole Matthews

Let’s Go Swimming! (Hello, Hedgehog, #4) by Norm Feuti

Fair and Square (Unicorn and Yeti, #4) by Heather Ayris Burnell, ill. by Hazel Quintanilla

Top 10 Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction Graphic Novels, Comics, and Manga

(limited to 1 per author)

The Girl & the Galdurian (Lightfall, #1) by Tim Probert

Katie the Catsitter (Katie the Catsitter, #1) by Colleen A.F. Venable, ill. by Stephanie Yue, color by Braden Lamb

Pepper Page Saves the Universe by Landry Q. Walker, ill. by Eric Jones

Flood-a-Geddon (Agent 9, #1) by James Burks

Shortcuts (Sanity & Tallulah, #3) by Molly Brooks

Marshmallow & Jordan by Alina Chau

Mellybean and the Giant Monster (Mellybean, #1) by Mike White

Perfectly Normal (Ozy and Millie, #2) by Dana Simpson

The Sinister Substitute (Marvel Avengers Assembly, #2) by Preeti Chhibber, ill. by James Lancett

The Invasion: a graphic novel (Animorphs graphic novels, #1) based on the novel by K.A. Applegate, adapted by Michael Grant, ill. by Chris Grine

Top 10 Middle Grade Contemporary and Historical Fiction Graphic Novels, Comics, and Manga

(limited to 1 per author)

Yotsuba&! 15 (Yotsuba&!, #15) by Kiyohiko Azuma

Jacky Ha-Ha: a graphic novel (Jacky Ha-Ha graphic novels, #1) based on the novel by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein, adapted by Adam Rau, ill. by Betty C. Tang

Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte, ill. by Ann Xu

Wicked Epic Adventures (Wallace the Brave, #3) by Will Henry

Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd, ill. by Michelle Mee Nutter

Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summer (Shirley & Jamila, #1) by Gillian Goerz

Class Act (New Kid, #2) by Jerry Craft

Yuzu the Pet Vet 2 (Yuzu the Pet Vet, #2) by Mingo Ito

I Survived the Nazi Invasion: the graphic novel (I Survived graphic novels, #3) based on the novel by Tarshis

Twins by Varian Johnson, ill. by Shannon Wright

Top 10 YA & Adult Fiction Graphic Novels, Comics, and Manga

(limited to 1 per author)

Stranger Planet (Strange Planet, #2) by Nathan W. Pyle

Space Boy 10 (Space Boy, #10) by Stephen McCranie

Deliciously FoxTrot (FoxTrot, #43) by Bill Amend

Silver Spoon 15 (Silver Spoon, #15) by Hiromu Arakawa, translated by Amanda Haley

The Promised Neverland 7 (The Promised Neverland, #7) by Kaiu Shirai, ill. by Posuka Demizu

To All the Squirrels I’ve Loved Before (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 12) by Ryan North, ill. by Derek Charm

I Love You More Than My Phone (Slothilda) by Dante Fabiero

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 4 (Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Manga, Vol. 4) based on the novels by Kumanano, ill. by Sergei

Cats Are People, Too (Speed Bump) by Dave Coverly

Kakuriyo Bed & Breakfast for Spirits 5 (Kakuriyo Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 5) original story by Midori Yuma, adapted & ill. by Waco Ioka

Top 10 Middle Grade, YA, & Adult Nonfiction Graphic Novels, Comics, and Manga

Friends Forever (Real Friends, #3) by Shannon Hale, ill by LeUyen Pham

The Digestive System: a Tour Through Your Guts (Science Comics) by Jason Viola, ill. by Andy Ristaino

Big Apple Diaries by Alyssa Bermudez

Cold War Correspondent: a Korean War Tale (Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, #11) by Nathan Hale

Escape at 10,000 Feet: D.B. Cooper and the Missing Money (Unsolved Case Files, #1) by Tom Sullivan

A Shot in the Arm! (Big Ideas That Changed the World, #3) by Don Brown

Blades of Freedom: a Tale of Haiti, Napoleon, and the Louisiana Purchase (Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, #10) by Nathan Hale

The American Bison: the Buffalo’s Survival Tale (History Comics) by Andy Hirsch

Spiders: Worldwide Webs (Science Comics) by Tait Howard

Jailbreak at Alcatraz (Unsolved Case Files, #2) by Tom Sullivan

Top 10 Asian MG/YA/Adult Fiction Books (about a character of Asian descent, written by an author of Asian descent)

(limited to 1 per author)

The Silence of Bones by June Hur

Lizard’s Tale by Weng Wai Chan

Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca

Keep It Together, Keiko Carter by Debbi Michiko Florence

The House on Silat Road (House on Palmer Road, #2) by Si-Hoe S.S. & Sim Ee Waun, ill. by Lim An-Ling

Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte, ill. by Ann Xu

K-Pop Confidential (K-Pop Confidential, #1) by Stephan Lee

Marshmallow & Jordan by Alina Chau

This Light Between Us by Andrew Fukuda

Rogue Heart (Rebel Seoul, #2) by Axie Oh

Top 10 Asian Fiction Picture Books & Lower Grade Fiction Chapter Books (about a character of Asian descent, written by an author of Asian descent)

Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon (Amy Wu, #2) by Kat Zhang, ill. by Charlene Chua

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho, ill. by Dung Ho

The Moose of Ewenki by Gerelchimeg Blackcrane ; illustrated by Jiu Er ; translated by Helen Mixter

Mindy Kim and the Birthday Puppy (Mindy Kim, #3) by Lyla Lee, ill. by Dung Ho

A New Year’s Reunion by Yu Li-Qiong, ill. by Zhu Cheng Liang

Danbi Leads the School Parade by Anna Kim

Where Three Oceans Meet by Rajani LaRocca, ill. by Archana Sreenivasan

My Day with Gong Gong by Sennah Yee, ill. by Elaine Chen

Watercress by Andrea Wang, ill. by Jason Chin

Sunday Funday in Koreatown by Aram Kim

Top 10 Asian Nonfiction Books (about a person/people of Asian descent, written by an author of Asian descent)

How (Not) to Save the World: the Truth about Revealing God’s Love to the People Right Next to You by Hosanna Wong

All Thirteen: the Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat

The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang, ill. by Khoa Le

The Sakura Obsession: the Incredible Story of the Plant Hunter Who Saved Japan’s Cherry Blossoms by Naoko Abe

While I Was Away by Waka T. Brown

When Strivings Cease: Replacing the Gospel of Self-Improvement with the Gospel of Life-Transforming Grace by Ruth Chou Simmons

The House of Yan: a Family at the Heart of a Century of Chinese History by Lan Yan, translated by Sam Taylor

A Village with My Name: a Family History of China’s Opening to the World by Scott Tong

Journey of Heroes: the Story of the 100th Infantry Batallion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team by Stacey T. Hayashi, ill. by Damon Wong

Tiny Moons: a Year of Eating in Shanghai by Nina Mingya Powles