Here's an easy equation: science fiction + comics = fun. Summer is a great time to pick up a graphic novel with lots of action and a creative premise. In these books, you'll find epic battles and thoughtful questions about the universe. Here are six to try:
Enormous creepy aliens called pipers have taken over Earth by *eating* nearly all human technology. Three kids are scavenging for leftover metal when they find a robotic horse that can maybe stand up to the pipers and help humanity regain our civilization. Author Nathan Hale already has a great reputation thanks to his American history series Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales. This stand-alone graphic novel is totally different in style but still has plenty of humor and action.
2. 5 Worlds
This is the first book in a new series about a different universe with its own mythology and advanced technology, but the parallels between the 5 Worlds and our own world are clear. Our hero Oona Lee and her friends are on a mission to save their planets from environmental disaster and political turmoil. Oona is a sand dancer -- a hard-to-describe skill that lies at the heart of this breathtaking adventure.
Have you seen the big-budget movie version of this classic novel by Madeleine L'Engle? Why not try the graphic novel version? It's true to the original while adding its own interpretation of 14-year-old Meg Murray's journey to rescue her astrophysicist father.
This is the first book in a trilogy about a young girl named Zita and her mission to rescue her friend Joseph after he touches a meteorite and is mysteriously transported into space. These books are pure fun and perfect for young Raina Telgemeier fans. Author Ben Hatke also wrote another great sci-fi story for younger readers called Little Robot, a more gentle, nearly wordless book about a lonely little girl who befriends a robot.
Set in an outer space civilization, this book is full of stunning full-color art. The story has action, gross-out jokes, a search for a mysteriously missing parent, space whales, and tons of puns. Author Craig Thompson is famous for his graphic novels for adults (Blankets and Habibi), and this, his first graphic novel for kids, channels his talents into a wacky, imaginative space adventure.
6. Hilo
There are now five books in the Hilo series about a mysterious and hilarious alien boy named Hilo (pronounced like "high-low") who crash lands on Earth and brings adventure, excitement, and danger into the lives of two normal kids named DJ and Gina. These books have so much heart and humor, they're worth reading over and over.
