The Youth Services Librarians have been hard at work updating our collection of Young Adult (YA) graphic novels and manga! Our most recent project has been to divide the collection into two sections: graphic novels and manga. Manga is a style of Japanese comic books that are popular in our Western culture. Unlike American graphic novels, manga are read from right to left, and the illustrations are a particular manga cartooning style. We wanted to give our readers a better browsing experience by separating the two styles of novels, and we have added a small pink dot on our graphic novels to make it easy to see the difference! Here are some recommendations for both graphic novels and manga from our collection:

NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. It is an annual contest that began in 1999 to write a 50,000 word novel in the thirty days of November. Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world undertake this challenge. The idea is just to write, not to edit or second guess yourself, but just to write. It is a fantastic way to jumpstart the writing process and get the words on the page, 50,000 words to be exact.

While manga has become a mainstay of popular culture, many have yet to explore this exciting art form. Read on for a brief overview of manga and some suggested titles.

In a previous blog post, I explored shōnen manga; a broad category of manga that tends to focus on adventure, action, and plot. While shōnen specifically translates to “boy” or “youth,” it is enjoyed by people regardless of age or gender. The same is true for another large category of manga: shōjo (literally “young woman”). Shōjo manga is generally more interested in exploring characters and relationships, and romance is one of the most popular shōjo genres. Below are a few suggested titles (in a variety of genres) for those interested in exploring shōjo manga.

Manga encompasses a myriad of genres, from science fiction and fantasy to mysteries, sports, and realistic fiction (often labeled slice of life), to name a few. It’s also often grouped into broad demographic categories: shōnen (“young boys’ manga”), shōjo (“young girls’ manga”), seinen, and josei (manga for young adult men and women, respectively). These categories are mainly used by publishers and aren’t exactly genres unto themselves—you’re just as likely to see fantasy shōjo manga as slice of life shōnen manga, and they appeal to readers of all ages, regardless of gender.

It’s the end of May and summer is finally in the air—the perfect time to get up and move and go outside. Or how about staying inside and reading some manga? Sports manga is hugely popular in Japan and we’re seeing a steady trickle of great sports titles over here as well. With baseball season underway and exciting sporting events like the Tour de France later this summer, get inspired by these great titles. You’ll find the first three series in the Young Adult Graphic Novel Collection and the last two in the Childrens’ Graphic Novel Collection