Please welcome Yuhudi Mercado with a really original diversity book list! He choose books recommended by the characters of Sci-Fu!
Sci-Fu by Yuhudi Mercado
Hip-hop, sci-fi and kung fu all hit the turntables for the mash-up mix of the year! Cartoonist/force of nature Yehudi Mercado (Pantalones, TX, Rocket Salvage) sets his sights on 1980s Brooklyn and Wax, a young mix-master who scratches the perfect beat and accidentally summons a UFO that transports his family, best friend, and current crush to the robot-dominated planet of Discopia. Now Wax and his crew must master the intergalactic musical martial art of Sci-Fu to fight the power and save Earth. Word to your mother. [graphic novel, ages 9 and up]
Graphic Novels Recommended by Sci-Fu Characters!
1. Wax’s pick
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders by Hirohiko Araki
Wax is all about music. It’s the life force that flows through him. I imagine he would really tear into an action-packed manga about a troubled kid who thinks he’s possessed with a demon, but it turns out to be a superpower called “A Stand.” Many characters are named after famous musicians like Ronnie James Dio, Iggy Pop and Terrence Trent Darby. [graphic novel, ages 14 and up]
2. Pirate Polly’s pick
A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L’Engle and Hope Larson
Pirate Polly would have resisted reading A Wrinkle in Time, thinking was for too cool for it, but as soon she opened this dimension-bending epic about a troubled tween searching for her scientist father through space and time, she was hooked. [graphic novel, ages 8 and up]
3. Cooky P’s pick
Jake the Fake Keeps it Real Hardcover by Craig Robinson and Adam Mansbach, illustrated by Keith Knight
Cooky P knows he’s not the smartest (like D), or the coolest (like Pirate Polly), or the most talented (like Wax), so he would relate to the middle-grader who fakes his way into an elite music and arts magnet school. [notebook novel, ages 8 and up]
4. The D’s pick
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
The D has some messed up teeth, so she would immediately pick up a book with this cover of a smiley brace-face. The true-life tale chronicles the Telgemeier’s life of teen angst and dental procedures from junior high to high school. The D doesn’t have time for science-fiction. [graphic novel, ages 8 and up]
5. Teddy Backspin’s pick
Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
Teddy Backspin was created to be a killer robot, but he never feels like he has the soul of a killer robot. That’s why I feel like Teddy would dig this book about the charming relationship between a robot and a dog. It takes a melancholy turn, but it also teaches a great lesson about friendship and loss. [graphic novel, ages 8 and up]
6. Kabuki Snowman’s pick
Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke
Kabuki Snowman is an alien from space so he’s been to a bunch of planets and has seen a lot. He would scoff at reading something called Zita the Spacegirl, but this charming adventure about a reluctant female hero has the kind of heart Kabuki tries to instill in his Sci-Fu warriors. [graphic novel, ages 8 and up]
7. Uncle Rashaad’s pick
Bad Island by Doug TenNapel
Uncle Rashaad is the caretaker of his niece and nephew, and nephew’s best friend, his nephew’s crush, and his nephew’s alien martial arts teacher—his family has grown by a lot. That’s why I think Rashaad would enjoy the story of a family vacation gone way wrong. This book about a family who shipwrecks on a mysterious island of giant stone creatures and must solve the puzzle to escape is a relaxing vacation compared to what Rashaad deals with on a daily basis. [graphic novel, ages 9 and up]
8. Choo Choo’s pick
Rust by Royden Lepp
As the evil robot overlord of a robot planet, Choo Choo’s idea of a fantastical realm is something like the post apocalyptic prairie land at the center of Rust. A mysterious boy with a jetpack leaves his decimated farm is on the run from a massive robot. Choo Choo is obviously rooting for the robot. [graphic novel, ages 10 and up]
Graphic Novels Recommended by Sci-Fu Characters!