One! Hundred! Demons! is a wonderful book by Lynda Barry, a cartoonist, novelist, and playwright whose work appears all over tarnation. The deserving recipient of both an Alex Award and the 2003 Eisner Award for Best New Graphic Album, this is the sort of book that makes a person want to sing from the mountaintops about the glories of autobiography and the lessons learned from one’s own childhood and life. The coming of age theme is brought to life by Lynda Barry’s look back at her own — she is the main character and unflinchingly casts herself in an often unflattering light. The plot is an episodic series of anecdotes about Barry from early childhood to adulthood. Barry’s writing style is an appealing combination of humorous, self-deprecating, and lyrical, and the art is bright, colorful, and engaging – in addition to the cartoon watercolors of people and places, Barry employs the use of collages made of photographs, glitter, and other real-life, tangible items to portray her nostalgia. She takes herself and the reader on a walk down memory lane by recreating her experiences in a way that everyone can relate to on some level – we have had pain in our childhoods, we have felt out of place, we have loved and lost people and pets and beloved childhood blankets and stuffed animals, we have kissed people we shouldn’t have, we have tried to create art that means something to us, we have been insanely glued to the TV during the 2000 chad-related presidential election drama. All of us have done these things in whole or in part, and Barry has the amazing gift of tapping into the experiences that make us all human both collectively and individually. While perhaps only adults have enough perspective and life experience to be able to relate to the whole range of stories told here, older teens can certainly appreciate some of them, will definitely relate to the mortification factor, and will enjoy the book on a different level. This book has a wonderful, whimsical ability to make the heart break and soar.

In Michel Rabagliati’s Paul has a Summer Job, the title character, like Thoreau and countless others before him, chooses to lose the trappings of real life and go to the woods in order to find himself. The plot follows him as he drops out of school and starts and quits a mindless job he hates before deciding on a whim to spend the summer in the woods as a camp counselor, where he evolves, to his initial surprise, into the Paul he really is deep down and the Paul he wants to be. The writing style is largely introspective and lets the reader see deeply into Paul’s soul and psyche. The black and white pen and ink illustrations wonderfully capture the natural setting of the woods – the trees, the hills, the lake, the wildlife – and the personalities of Paul, his fellow counselors, and the young campers. The purpose of this book is to take a look back at a defining moment in the history of Paul’s life and how his summer as a camp counselor indelibly changed him, and it is achieved very effectively with heartfelt nostalgia and affection towards his old friends and experiences at camp. This book is primarily suited for older teens – there is brief nudity and a sex scene, but it’s depicted sweetly, not gratuitously. Readers who have spent a summer at camp, whether as a camper or counselor, will recognize themselves in these characters – the sacred, special, hilarious times at camp and the bonds formed between those who were there become frozen in one’s memory and heart, and this book captures that sentiment beautifully. Paul, sitting around a campfire, singing under the stars: “There you are, in the middle of nowhere, with a group of people you like, and suddenly, you lift off. Without noticing it, you’re in a bubble. You become one with the world around you, and everything else just fades away.” (Be sure to check out the other books in this series: the prequel, Paul in the Country, which won Rabagliati the 2001 Harvey Award for Best New Talent, and the sequels, Paul Moves Out and Paul Goes Fishing.)

The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot is the story of a young English girl’s quest to survive the wounds of being abused by her father as a child. Helen is both terrified and brave, both scarred and healing, and both enslaved by her past and striving to break free. The story follows her from her days as a homeless young girl in a cold London winter after running away from home to her odyssey through England’s Lake District, the home of her hero, Beatrix Potter, as she finds a new family and strives to confront and disentangle herself from her abusive father. The writing style is lyrical and powerful, drawing the reader into Helen’s journey, and the watercolor illustrations are simply beautiful – they capture Helen’s transformation wonderfully and depict the outside world with highly detailed attention, from the streets, buildings, and bridges of London to the spectacular countryside of the Lake District. The book portrays, through the life of one girl, the idea that abuse is survivable, that a person can overcome his or her darkest and deepest pain, and that we are all stronger than we think they are. Several scenes will become indelibly imprinted in the reader’s mind, particularly a scene in which Helen stands alone atop a hill overlooking Lake Derwentwater, crying and shaking her fists at the sky, proclaiming that her abuse was not her fault, and also a scene in which she fearlessly stands up to her father. Suitable for older teens due to its mature content, only a reader with a heart of stone would not be moved to tears by this book. Both its story and art are incredible, it masterfully connects Helen’s experience with the life and works of the legendary Beatrix Potter, and its message is powerful and enduring. (It won the 1996 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: Reprint, was nominated for a 1996 Harvey Award, and in 2006, YALSA named it on the list of Great Graphic Novels. You can find more information on the book here.)