Orientation


Preeti Chhibber - 2020
    Marvel), Miles Morales (Spider-Man), and Doreen Green (Squirrel Girl)-team up in their first-ever illustrated middle-grade series about ordinary kids with extraordinary powers!Kamala Khan was an average middle school kid. That is, until a cloud called a Terrigen Mist swept through the New Jersey waterfront and activated her super powers! After taking on the persona of Ms. Marvel, she's been fighting crime in Jersey City, and has caught the eye of some pretty well-established super heroes. But that's not always a good thing . . .After Kamala is caught by news cameras taking on a super villain--and accidentally destroying a building along the way--she gets a letter from Captain Marvel herself! It's great that she's fighting crime and sticking up for people, but maybe a regular school isn't the best place to learn how to do that. If she wants to continue as Ms. Marvel, she's going to need to take on some new extra-curricular activities-mainly, training with other young super heroes alongside the Avengers!Now Kamala is the new kid at the Avengers Institute. Her classmates are all kids like her, they have special powers, but most of them have gotten into some trouble or drawn attention to themselves. The big news at the Avengers Institute this year? An academic decathlon in which students will group up into teams and compete against each other in super heroics. Kamala and her friends Miles and Doreen will have to go up against a team led by some kids who fight less than fair-and have some trouble with the concept of "fighting for good"-in this funny, action-packed look at some ordinary middle school kids who just happen to have some extraordinary powers.

Compass South


Hope Larson - 2016
    When 12-year-old twins Alexander and Cleopatra’s father disappears, they join the Black Hook Gang and are caught by the police pulling off a heist. They agree to reveal the identity of the gang in exchange for tickets to New Orleans. But once there, Alex is shanghaied to work on a ship that is heading for San Francisco via Cape Horn. Cleo stows away on a steamer to New Granada where she hopes to catch a train to San Francisco to find her brother. Neither Alexander nor Cleo realizes the real danger they are in — they are being followed by pirates who think they hold the key to treasure. How they outwit the pirates and find each other makes for a fast-paced, breathtaking adventure.

The League of Seven


Alan Gratz - 2014
    His parents are members of the Septemberist Society, whose job it is to protect humanity from hideous giants called the Mangleborn. Trapped in underground prisons for a thousand years, the giant monsters have been all but forgotten -- but now they are rising again as the steam-driven America of 1875 rediscovers electricity, the lifeblood of the Mangleborn.When his parents and the rest of The Septemberists are brainwashed by one of the evil creatures, Archie must assemble a team of seven young heroes to save the world.

Batman: Beyond


Hilary J. Bader - 2000
    But before those comics appeared, DC issued a "miniseries" that bordered on the craptacular, with six issues published separately from March to August of the same year, and now collected in this trade paperback. Beginning as a nearly verbatim rehash of the TV pilot, the series never seems to find its footing, something writer Hilary J. Bader remedies in the "real" series later. A couple of these stories approach almost acceptable status--the third, Blight-fightin' issue ("Never Mix, Never Worry") and the sixth story on the normally sexy Inque ("Permanent Inque Stains")--but unless you've gotta have it, leave this one to the kiddies. --Paul Hughes

Iron Man: The Gauntlet


Eoin Colfer - 2016
    But mainly for being the Invincible Iron Man.Just when Tony is about to add his pizzazz to an international eco-summit in Ireland, someone close to him forces him to question his role in making the world a more dangerous place with his high-tech weaponry. But Stark doesn't have much time to reflect before an old enemy presents him with an even greater challenge: the assassination of all the eco-ministers, and Iron Man himself. Just how invincible Iron Man is when he is stripped of everything remains to be seen in this breathless adventure by the bestselling author of Artemis Fowl.

Green Lantern: Legacy


Minh Lê - 2020
    But not even his most imaginative drawings could compare to the colorful adventure he's about to embark on.When Tai inherits his grandmother's jade ring, he soon finds out it's more than it appears. Suddenly he's being inducted into a group of space cops known as the Green Lanterns, his neighborhood is being overrun by some racist bullies, and every time he puts pen to paper, he's forced to confront that he might not be creative enough or strong enough to uphold his ba's legacy.Now Tai must decide what kind of hero he wants to be: will he learn to soar above his insecurities or will the past keep him grounded?

Batgirl/Robin: Year One


Chuck Dixon - 2003
    In his earliest adventures, Robin learns very quickly that what he thought would be fun is actually a matter of life and death.And in the action-packed origin of the original Batgirl, explore Barbara Gordon's transformation from average citizen into costumed super-heroine.This volume collects BATGIRL: YEAR ONE #1-9 and ROBIN: YEAR ONE #1-4.

Gotham Academy, Volume 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy


Becky Cloonan - 2015
    Only the best and brightest students may enter its halls, study in its classrooms, explore its secret passages, summon its terrifying spirits…Okay, so Gotham Academy isn’t like other schools. But Olive Silverlock isn’t like other students. After a mysterious incident over summer break, she’s back at school with a bad case of amnesia, an even worse attitude… and an unexplained fear of bats.Olive’s supposed to show new student Maps Mizoguchi the ropes. Problem: Maps is kid sister of Kyle, Olive’s ex. Then there’s the ghost haunting the campus…the secret society conducting bizarre rituals…and Bruce Wayne, the weirdo billionaire who funds the Academy - and may know the secret to Olive’s big mystery.Find out in GOTHAM ACADEMY VOL. 1, the acclaimed new series from co-writers Becky Cloonan (DEMO) and Brendan Fletcher (BATGIRL) and artist Karl Kerschl (TEEN TITANS: YEAR ONE)!Collects: Gotham Academy #1-6

Binky the Space Cat


Ashley Spires - 2009
    He's really a house cat who has never left the family ?space station.? Unlike other house cats, Binky has a mission: to blast off into outer space (outside), explore unknown places (the backyard) and battle aliens (bugs). Binky must undergo rigorous training so he can repel the alien attacks that threaten his humans. As he builds his spaceship, he must be extremely careful with his blueprints - the enemy is always watching. Soon Binky is ready to voyage into outer space. His humans go out there every day and he's sure they need a certified space cat to protect them. But just as he's about to blast off with his co-pilot, Ted (stuffed mousie), Binky realizes that he's left something very important behind ... and it's not the zero-gravity kitty litter. In the first book in the Binky Adventure series, graphic-novel readers will delight in watching where this lovable and quirky cat's imagination takes him.

CatStronauts: Mission Moon


Drew Brockington - 2017
    But someone has to go up there to set it up, and that adventure falls to the CatStronauts, the best space cats on the planet! Meet the fearless commander Major Meowser, brave-but-hungry pilot Waffles, genius technician and inventor Blanket, and quick thinking science officer Pom Pom on their most important mission yet!

Justice League Dark, Volume 1: In the Dark


Peter Milligan - 2012
    Shade the Changing Man, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Zatanna, Mindwarp and John Constantine may be our only hope - but how can we put our trust in beings whose very presence makes ordinary people break out in a cold sweat?Critically acclaimed writer Peter Milligan brings together an unorthodox team for the most unnatural threats. With stunning art by up and coming star Mikel Janín!Collecting: Justice League Dark 1-6

Rocket and Groot: Stranded on Planet Strip Mall!


Tom Angleberger - 2016
    After battling deadly space piranhas in Sector 7 of the Cosmos, Rocket and Groot crash-land on a planet made up of strip malls, maniacal robots bent on customer service, and killer toilets - yes, killer toilets! Told through the eyes of Rocket, the Adventures of Rocket and Groot will feature simple black-and-white drawing throughout, as Rocket uses a space stylus to express his adventures, visually, while Veronica, their space recording companion, lays out the adventure in text! Granted, the drawings are done by a space Raccoon with a bad attitude, but what would happen if he gave Groot a shot to draw an adventure they had been on? what would we get? We'll find out in the final chapter!

Instructions


Neil Gaiman - 2010
    Sometimes, we need those two things the most" (Brightly.com, citing "Books That Teach Kids What It Means to Be a Kind Person").In this breathtaking jacketed picture book, Neil Gaiman's lyrical poem guides a novice traveler through the enchanted woods of a fairy tale—through lush gardens, a formidable castle, and over a perilous river—to find the way home again.Illustrated in full color by Charles Vess, Instructions features lush images of mythical creatures, magical landscapes, and canny princesses. Its message of the value of courage, wit, and wisdom makes it a perfect gift.

The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence


Stan Lee - 2015
    He'll have to master strange powers, outrun super-powered mercenaries, and unlock the mysterious powers of the Zodiac.

InvestiGators


John Patrick Green - 2020
    MANGO and BRASH are the INVESTIGATORS:sewer-loving agents of S.U.I.T.* and scourge of supervillains everywhere!With their Very Exciting Spy Technology and their tried-and-true, toilet-based travel techniques, the InvestiGators are undercover and on the case! And on their first mission together, they have not one but two mysteries to solve! Can Mango and Brash uncover the clues, crack their cases, and corral the crooks—or will the criminals wriggle out of their grasp?*Special Undercover Investigation Teams