100 books like Small Spaces

To put this on a list of gay coming-of-age graphic novels feels potentially like a spoiler, but in the hopes that I’ll convince at least one other person to read this near-perfect book, I’ll take the risk!

A decade after its publication, few, if any, graphic novelists have managed to match the quality of this brilliantly written, elegantly drawn, subtly rendered, and wonderfully atmospheric book about two girls whose sexualities start to manifest during a summer vacation with their families.

Mariko and Jillian Tamaki are always brilliant, but this book remains, in my opinion, their best work.

This is more suited to the YA market with an appealing darkness that had me gripped from page one.

An allure of illusions, rich description, and magic. I loved this book! Every sentence was beautiful and intriguing–it was quite unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Add in the mystique of a carnival, and this makes for a remarkable read.

Scarlett was a strong female protagonist, and her desperate need to escape had me reading this long into the night. 

A hauntingly beautiful anthology of five twisted fairytales that, to me, felt like stepping into a pastoral Twilight Zone and stayed in my mind for days after the final page. Carroll’s artwork is eerie and subtle, and the limited color palette turns scenes of the mundane into a visual nightmare.

The stories are well-paced and spooky, and in my opinion, best read during a dark summer thunderstorm.

For the teen reader who likes a bit of a scare, Anya’s Ghost tells the story of Anya, a teenager of Russian descent who wants nothing more than to fit in at her American high school.

Ah, to be blonde and popular! While walking home through the park, Anya falls into a deep hole and discovers a set of bones. Freaky! And a ghost. Double Freaky!

The ghost seems nice enough but Anya doesn’t want to set off on some quest to find a murderer or anything. She just wants to go home, get a hot shower, and be normal. The ghost tags along when Anya is rescued and tries to help Anya fit in.

It’s good – until it’s not, and Anya does have to solve some mysteries to get rid of the ghost and save the people around her. Anya’s Ghost is just scary and spooky enough to… show more.

Chiggers is both funny and painful in the way it captures that terrifying turning point of growing up: when your former besties become strangers, when you go out on a limb befriending someone new, and when falling in love complicates everything. (Oh, and it teaches you how to make a friendship bracelet!) Camp was intense for both of us: Laurence went to one where they forced the kids to watch a horror movie and when he tried to cover his face with his sweatshirt, a counselor literally yanked it away. Susan went to Korean-American camp, where everyone was supposed to be learning about their culture, but instead focused on what all kids do: first crushes, ghost stories, and intense friendships and betrayals. 

Aveline Jones was a great character for me. I love strong characters, and Aveline certainly was. I love that she turns detective and enters a spooky world full of ghosts. She challenges herself in her quest to find answers.

The author really nailed her character–this was a definite page-turner for me. Enough that I grabbed the rest of the books in the series. 

Spooky fiction–I can’t read enough of it. But not horror for adults, horror for kids. Let’s call it soft horror!

Set within a school environment, this book combines the essence of young adulthood with the sharp edge of introducing horror to younger readers. I love school settings, especially when the kids come across as cool as Angelo and the gang in Dreadwood.

School life can be tough, but having a great friendship circle can make a difference. I know I valued my friends back in my school days; they were always there to laugh and joke with. I rooted for the characters in this book every inch of the way, hoping nothing would destroy that friendship. 

R. L Stein is a Master of Children’s horror fiction. He gets it. He knows where to draw the line and let kids know that the "scary stuff" isn’t real. This isn’t easy. But I guess after so many books, he has a strong format. He does it brilliantly.

This book features a terrifying Halloween mask–perfect for a dark night, especially around Halloween time. I love the way he throws in scary moments at the most unexpected moments. I love how eerie this book is and how frightening he makes the mask, especially when the mask won’t come off! 

The dialogue between the two former friends seriously transported me back to grade school. On top of the authentic voice, throw in the fact that these poor girls are lost in a National Forest with nothing but their bathing suits. Ugh! My skin itches with bug bites just thinking about it. The writing is so good, it also manages to make the Northwoods sound like a lovely place. 

This book is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are living in domes to keep them safe from the deadly radiation of the planet. The story follows: Aria is a young woman living in the safety of one of these domes, and her quest to find her mother, whom she lost contact with recently after her mother was sent out to repair damage to a pod in the outer wastelands. She knows she likely won’t survive, but she ventures out into the unknown anyway, finding help from a young man named Perry. Perry is an outsider, one of the few humans left able to survive the planet’s harsh conditions. His people are referred to as uncivilized savages.

This story has a great plot twist, and Aria finds out that the savages might not be the people who live outside the domes but within them. I love a good plot… show more.