Staff Picks: Love Yourself

Imogene knows about battles and quests; she grew up helping her parents run their shop at the Florida Renaissance Faire, but she is about to face her toughest quest yet. Going to a public middle school after years of homeschooling. It's also her first year squiring at the Renaissance Faire, which means she'll be learning to in and outs of being a cast member at the faire. Will Imogene have to change who she is to fit in at this new school, or will she learn that being true to yourself and choosing happiness is the best way to find true friendship?

Fans of Drama by Raina Telgemeier or the author's debut, Roller Girl, will enjoy a quirky tale of learning to find your people in middle school.

Background depictions of adult drinking alcohol

Tayla Cardillo

This is a collection of comics written by trans adults about their childhoods, exploring their dreams and how they achieved them. People of all walks of life, from actors to forest rangers to teachers, talk about their experiences as trans kids with big dreams for the future. And because this is an anthology with stories from many people, there are all kinds of perspectives, and the stories are kept short, making it easy for kids to pick up and read.

Families with trans or gender exploring children would benefit from reading the stories together, but of course, anyone who wants to know more about what the trans experience can look like would benefit from picking up this book. The comics are kept light and focused on their successes, and it's fun to have different writer/artist teams for each comic, giving each its own look and feel.

The typical for trans stories: gender dysphoria and/or body dysmorphia, homophobia, transphobia

Shannan Prukop

Chi-Chi is a Black scholarship student at an elite school. She has great friends who also love K-pop and comics, yet Chi-Chi struggles to feel confident and crushes hard on white boys, most recently Flip, a swimmer who has his own set of problems. When Flip turns down her promposal, Chi-Chi wishes she could have him...and soon finds herself waking up in his body.

With its powerful visuals, hilarious body-swapping hijinks, and a strong emotional tale of self-love and growth at its center, Flip is another excellent title from the creator of Check, Please. Give this to readers looking for stories that explore self-acceptance in a thoughtful, humorous way.

Megan Rupe

Marlene's mom wants to make sure she's growing up right, so she forces Marlene to get her hair straightened every week, to fix it and make it good hair. This is a part of her life she hates: the salon, the straightening, her mom's constant lectures about growing up and looking a certain way. She finds solace with her tía Ruby and her best friend Camila, but then a dreaded day comes: her perfect cousin's quinceñera, where all of Marlene's flaws will be perfectly contrasted to her cousin's perfection. Together with Tía Ruby and Camila, Marlene finds the strength to embrace her hair and who she is, not what her mom wants her to be.

This is the book for all the kids who hate their curly hair, fight with how they look compared to what's expected, or struggle to get their parents to understand what they want. It's sweet, funny, and ultimately, even the mom character is a well-rounded person, not just the villain of the story. It really portrays how messy and beautiful family and growing up can be.

Shannan Prukop

Christine struggles to accept herself because of people’s treatment of her multiracial identity. With fond childhood memories of Japan, she decides to return to make herself feel whole again. Once in Japan, Christine finds that the same feelings and experiences have followed her, and she sinks into depression.

With powerful visuals that skillfully capture both Christine’s life in Japan and emotional turmoil, Halfway There is a powerful, touching story of a woman wrestling with self-acceptance and discovery. Readers looking for stories that explore the impact of identity on mental health and self-acceptance will want to pick this one up.

Discussion of depression and self-harm

Megan Rupe

The greatest act of self-love is leaving a relationship that no longer serves you. Frederica "Freddy", learns that the hard way during the course of her on again off again relationship with cool girl Laura Dean. The more Freddy tries to hold on to Laura Dean, the more it seems that other important things in her life, like her friends, are slipping away. Will Freddy find the courage to break this cycle with Laura Dean for good so that she can embrace the people in her life who truly care about her?

Fans of stories that explore the ups and downs of young queer romance, like Bloom by Kevin Panetta or The Girl from the Sea, will enjoy this bittersweet story.

Unhealthy relationships, teen pregnancy, abortion

Tayla Cardillo

Valentina, named after the holiday all about love, has just about written off the possibility of love for herself. Her dad lost the love of his life, and it seems like her whole family may be cursed to spend their lives alone. She used to love Valentine's Day, carefully making valentines for her classmates and imagining Cupid himself looking over her shoulder as she worked. But when her inner cupid becomes a dark specter that gives her an ultimatum, find love by the new year or close off your heart to love forever, she has to figure out if she even believes true love is possible. Will Valentina find it in herself to open herself up to love?

Fans of Heartstopper and All the Boys I've Loved Before will enjoy this introspective and deeply personal story about learning to accept love into your life.

Discussion of the death of a parent, abandonment/absent parent

Tayla Cardillo

Poe's horns and green skin aren't a costume; they're just part of who she is, and because of them, the hunters took her parents from her. Now she's trying to scrape by with two other monstrous kids, Rice and Shelley, but the hunters make it hard to exist. Finally, the three of them get desperate enough to try and find this supposed haven for monsters that's deep in the city and end up learning a lot about themselves, humans, and the hunters.

The monster analogy makes the story fun and slightly fantastical, so kids who prefer a story with at least a little of the fantastic will be more interested in picking this one up. It can easily be used in a classroom setting to discuss issues of racism and othering, as well as the violence that people being othered face, and what it can feel like in the day-to-day for them. It also discusses what leads people to be on the other side of that, why they might start pushing some people out and treating them differently, in a very digestible way for kids.

Shannan Prukop

In this diary-style collection of short comics, we follow Julia through the ups and downs of her early gender transition. And while there are many moments of pain, confusion, and struggle, there are also in equal measure moments of self-love, excitement, and gender joy.

Fans looking for a personal narrative exploring gender identity, like Fine by Rhea Ewing, or a webcomic collection that uses humor to look at some of the tougher parts of life, like Sarah's Scribbles, will find something to love here.

Transphobia

Tayla Cardillo

Tony loves comics, anime, and writing, but at his elite school, they make him a target. This takes Tony to a dark place until he changes schools. When trustees threaten to close his new school, Tony is going to have to make use of his weirdo ways to save the day.

Based on the writer’s own struggles, Weirdo is an uplifting tale of learning to love yourself and use your gifts to make a difference. Readers who found solace in Jerry Craft’s New Kid series will find similar themes of creativity and determination in Weirdo. Weirdo is also an important read for kids struggling with their mental health and self-love.

Discussion of suicide; scene where the character gets choked

Megan Rupe