Favorite Reads From 2015

Have you set a reading goal for 2016? My goal for 2016 is to read 145 books. Whether you have set yourself a reading challenge for 2016 or not, if you are age 11 or older, you may want to participate in Hamilton-Wenham Library's 10 book challenge.
Now, before our planet travels much further on in distance and time, I thought I would share with you 28 of the 151+ books I read in 2015 to which I gave four to five stars. If you decide to read one or more of these, or have read any of them, I'd like to hear what you think. I tend to most enjoy a story line that is character-driven rather than plot-driven. Hence, my favorite reads tend to be about the inner struggle of a character. This preference, you may notice, shows up in my nonfiction top picks as most of them are memoirs & autobiographies. You may also notice that this list is heavy on speculative fiction (fantasy and science fiction), but those are my favorite genres, and these are my picks. So here from 2015 I bare all:

Kim's Top Fiction Reads From 2015

Half a King, by Joe Abercrombie, 2014. Heir to the throne Yarvi, prompted by the murder of his father, embarks on a kingdom-transforming journey to regain the throne, even though having only one good hand means he cannot wield a weapon. Epic Fantasy. First book in trilogy. Adult books for Young Adults.  

The Goblin Emperor, by Katherin Addison, 2014. Elevated to the throne when his father and brothers are killed in a suspicious accident, a formerly exiled half-goblin is rapidly overwhelmed by ambitious sycophants and dangerous plots while searching for friendship and love. Fantasy. Adult books for Young Adults. 

Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, 2015. A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist.  Fantasy. 

Girl With All the Gifts, by M. R. Carey, 2014.  Not every gift is a blessing. Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite. But they don't laugh. Melanie is a very special girl. Suspense. Horror. Post-Apocalyptic. Adult books for Young Adults. 

Manners & Mutiny, by Gail Carriger, 2015. The final book in Gail Carriger's steampunk YA adventure series about a finishing school for young spies. In an alternate England of 1851, Sophronia Temminnick is the only hope for her friends, her school, and all of London when she must put her espionage training to the test to thwart an evil Picklemen plot. Historical Fantasy. Steampunk. 

Walk on Earth a Stranger, by Rae Carson, 2015.  Lee Westfall, a young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold, must flee her home to avoid people who would abuse her powers, so when her best friend Jefferson heads out across Gold Rush-era America to stake his claim, she disguises herself as a boy and sets out on her own dangerous journey. Historical Fantasy. First book in trilogy. 

I'll Meet You There, by Heather Demetrios, 2015. Skylar Evans, 17, yearns to escape Creek View by attending art school, but after her mother's job loss puts her dream at risk, a rekindled friendship with Josh, who joined the Marines to get away then lost a leg in Afghanistan, and her job at the Paradise motel lead her to appreciate her home town. Realistic Fiction. Romance. 

Cruel Beauty, by Rosamund Hodge, 2014. Betrothed to the demon who rules her country and trained all her life to kill him, seventeen-year-old Nyx Triskelion must now fulfill her destiny and move to the castle to be his wife. Fantasy. Fairy tale & Folklore Inspired. 

Razorhurst, by Justine Larbalestier, 2015. In 1932, in Sydney's deadly Razorhurst neighborhood, where crime and razor-wielding men rule, two girls with contrasting lives who share the ability to see ghosts meet over a dead body and find themselves on the run from mob bosses. Historical Fantasy. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas, 2015. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from stories, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin, a High Lord of the faeries. As her feelings toward him transform from hostility to a firey passion, the threats against the faerie lands grow. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose Tamlin forever. Fantasy. Fairy-tale and Folklore Inspired. Romance.  

Queen of Shadows, by Sarah J. Maas, 2015.  Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. Embracing her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen, Celaena returns to the empire--for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past.  Fantasy. Fourth book in series. 

Dumplin', by Julie Murphy, 2015.  Sixteen-year-old Willowdean wants to prove to everyone in her small Texas town that she is more than just a fat girl, so, while grappling with her feelings for a co-worker who is clearly attracted to her, Will and some other misfits prepare to compete in the beauty pageant her mother runs.  Realistic Fiction. 

Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng, 2014. Set in Ohio during the 1970s, this is a story of family, history, and the meaning of home. It explores the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family, and uncovers the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another. Suspense. Mystery. Adult books for Young Adults. 

Uprooted, by Naomi Novik, 2015. Agnieszka loves her valley home, but the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power. Her people rely on a wizard, known as the Dragon, to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for 10 years. The choosing is approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows--everyone knows--that the Dragon will take beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn't, and her dearest friend in the world. But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose. Fantasy. 

The Heart of Betrayal, by Mary E. Pearson, 2015.  Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Princess Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape--and even less of being together--as the foundations of Lia's deeply-held beliefs crumble beneath her while she wrestles with her upbringing, her gift, and her very sense of self to make powerful choices that affect her country, her people, and her own destiny.  Fantasy. Second book in series. 

Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell, 2015. Simon Snow wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains. Simon can't even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can't stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. Harry Potter Fanfiction. Fantasy.  

Orbiting Jupiter, by Gary D. Schmidt, 2015.  Jack, 12, tells the story of Joseph, 14, who joins his family as a foster child. Damaged in prison, Joseph wants nothing more than to find his baby daughter, Jupiter, whom he has never seen. When Joseph has begun to believe he'll have a future, he is confronted by demons from his past that force a tragic sacrifice. Realistic Fiction. 

Lockstep, by Karl Schroeder, 2014. 17-year-old Toby awakes to find himself alone and lost in space, orbiting a planet that is frozen and sunless. He's surprised to discover that he's been asleep for 14,000 years, and shocked to learn that the Empire is still ruled by its founding family: his own. Toby's brother Peter has become a terrible tyrant. With the help of a lockstep girl named Corva, Toby must survive the forces of this new Empire, outwit his siblings, and save human civilization. Science Fiction. Space Opera. Adult books for Young Adults. 

UnDivided, by Neal Shusterman, 2014. Three teens band together in order to sway the government to repeal all rulings in support of a procedure in which unwanted teenagers are captured and are unwound into parts that can be reused for transplantation. Science Fiction. Dystopia. Fourth book in series. 

Stand-Off, by Andrew Smith, 2015. Now a senior at Pine Mountain Academy, 15-year-old Ryan Dean West becomes captain of the rugby team, shares his dormitory room with a 12-year-old prodigy, Sam Abernathy, and through the course of the year learns to appreciate things he has tried to resist, including change. Realistic Fiction. Sequel to Winger. 

MARTians, by Blythe Woolston, 2015. In a near-future consumer dystopia, Zoèe Zindleman must choose from limited, bleak housing options, including a converted strip-mall refuge that offers safety and proximity to her new place of work, ALLMART. Science Fiction. Dystopia. 

Kim's Top Nonfiction Reads From 2015

My Friend Dahmer, by Derf Backderf, 2012. In graphic novel format, the author offers an account of growing up in the same schools as Jeffrey Dahmer, who went on to become one of the most notorious serial killers and cannibals in United States history. Biography. Graphic Format. Adult books for Young Adults.  

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, by Don Brown, 2015. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina's monstrous winds and surging water overwhelmed the levees around low-lying New Orleans. Eighty percent of the city flooded, property damages across the Gulf Coast topped $100 billion, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three people lost their lives. This is a 10th-anniversary tribute that combines authoritative memoir with graphic and watercolor illustrations. History. Graphic Format.  

Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats, and Ramen, by Abby Denson, 2015. Explores Japan, offering travel tips and recommendations for dining, sights, and activities from a cartoonist's perspective. Memoir. Culture. Travel. Graphic Format.  


Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America, Firoozeh Dumas, 2003. An autobiography of growing up as an Iranian-American describes the author's family's 1971 move from Iran to Southern California, the members of her diverse family, and their struggle with culture shock. Memoir. Culture. History. Adult books for Young Adults. 

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives, by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda, 2015. Everyone in Caitlin's (age 12) class wrote to a student somewhere in a distant place. All the other kids picked countries like France or Germany, but when Caitlin saw Zimbabwe written on the board, it sounded like the most exotic place she had ever heard of -- so she chose it. Martin was lucky to even receive a pen pal letter. There were only 10 letters, and 40 kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one. That was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives. Autobiography. Culture. 

Red Madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat, by Gail Jarrow, 2014. Traces the pellagra epidemic that spread throughout the American South a century ago, drawing on real-life cases to describe its physical and cultural impact as well as related medical reports, news articles, and scientific investigations. History. Science. Health. 

Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek, by Maya Van Wagenen, 2014. Documents a high school student's year-long attempt to change her social status from that of a misfit to a member of the "in" crowd by following advice in a 1950s popularity guide, an experiment that triggered embarrassment, humor and unexpected surprises. Memoir. Etiquette. 

Funny Stories Ah-Deux

Start 2016 with a laugh. Drop by the Young Adult area to pick up this latest book mark with suggested humorous fiction.

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin, by Josh Berk, 2010. When Will Halpin transfers from his all-deaf school into a mainstream Pennsylvania high school, he faces discrimination and bullying, but still manages to solve a mystery surrounding the death of a popular football player in his class. Mystery fiction.

Swim the Fly, by Don Calame, 2009. Fifteen-year-old Matt and his two best friends Sean and Coop, the least athletic swimmers on the local swim team, find their much anticipated summer vacation bringing them nothing but trouble with unsuccessful schemes to see a live naked girl and with Matt, eager to impress the swim team's "hot" new girl, agreeing to swim the 100-yard butterfly. Realistic fiction.

Carter Finally Gets It, by Brent Crawford, 2009. Awkward freshman Will Carter endures many painful moments during his first year of high school before realizing that nothing good comes easily, focus is everything, and the payoff is usually incredible. Realistic fiction.

Two Parties, One Tux and a Very Short Film About the Grapes of Wrath, by Steven Goldman, 2008. Mitchell Wells may not survive 11th grade. He really only has one friend. His normally decent grade point average is in limbo due to a slightly violent, somewhat inappropriate claymation film. And girls, well, does hanging out with his sister count? Then his friend reveals he's gay, one of the most popular girls in school decides she must date Mitchell, and--oh right--prom's coming up. Realistic fiction.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green and David Levithan, 2010. When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both. Realistic fiction.

Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies), by Justina Chen Headley. 2006. Fifteen-year-old Patty Ho, half Taiwanese and half white, feels she never fits in, but when her overly-strict mother ships her off to math camp at Stanford, instead being miserable, Patty starts to become comfortable with her true self. Realistic fiction.

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie, by David Lubar, 2005. While navigating his first year of high school and awaiting the birth of his new baby brother, Scott loses old friends and gains some unlikely new ones as he hones his skills as a writer. Realistic fiction.

100 Sideways Miles, by Andrew Smith, 2014. Finn Easton, 16 and epileptic, struggles to feel like more than just a character in his father's cult-classic novels with the help of his best friend, Cade Hernandez, and first love, Julia, until Julia moves away. Realistic fiction.

Trouble is a Friend of Mine, by Stephanie Tromley, 2015. After her parents' divorce, Zoe Webster moves from Brooklyn to upstate New York where she meets the weirdly compelling misfit, Philip Digby, and soon finds herself in aseries of hilarious and dangerous situations as he pulls her into his investigation into the kidnapping of a local teenage girl which may be related to the disappearance ofhis kid sister eight years ago. Mystery fiction.

It's Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini, 2006. A humorous account of a New York City teenager's battle with depression and his time spent in a psychiatric hospital. Realistic fiction

6th Annual Teen Poetry Contest

2016 6th annual themed

TEEN POETRY CONTEST

at the Hamilton-Wenham Library

Rules:

Open to teens in grades 6 to 12, who are residents of Essex County, in Massachusetts.

Poem entries must be original work.

Maximum of 3 poems per author may be entered.
THEME: Poem must incorporate theme of: glass (or have an associative metaphor such as: reflection, transparency, shatter, window, mirror, etc.). Points will be deducted from poems that do not incorporate the theme.
Each poem must have a title.

All poems must be submitted before midnight April 30, 2016.

An online entry form must be filled out for EACH poem submitted. 

The link to the entry form is available on the Poetry page.

Contest winners and honorable mentions will be announced at the: 

 Contest Reception at the Hamilton-Wenham Library 

 on Thursday, May 12, 2016, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. 

You must be present at the Reception to win. 

All contest winners and honorable mentions are required to read or recite their poem aloud at the Reception. Your poem will be disqualified if you are not present at the reception. Please do not submit a poem if you will not be able to attend the reception. Winning poems will be published on the Library's Informed Teens blog and in local newspaper(s).

Our Poetry Contest Reception speaker will be Nancy Henry: Nancy Henry is the author of three collections of poetry and has been five times nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her poems have been featured on NPR's "The Writer's Almanac", college literature textbooks, and several anthologies. She is a former Assistant Attorney General for Child Protection in the state of Maine, and now lives in Wenham, MA where she has a gardening business called The Garden Nana.

10 Outdoor Adventure/Survival Tales

Last month when I visited the HWRHS Independent Reading class some of the students asked for books that took place outdoors or survival-adventure stories. So I made a bookmark with ten titles to give out to the class when I see them again next week. Here are the titles with links to our catalog:

Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey, by Nick Bertozzi, 2014. Presents, in graphic novel format, the adventures of explorer Ernest Shackleton in the Antarctic.

The Raft, by S. A. Bodeen, 2012. Robbie's last-minute flight to the Midway Atoll proves to be a nightmare when the plane goes down in shark-infested waters, but the real terror begins when the co-pilot Max pulls her onto the raft.

The Year We Were Famous, by Carole Estby Dagg, 2011. A novel based on the true story of Clara Estby's walk across America with her mother Helga, to save their farm with the 10,000 dollars promised by a New York City publisher-- if they can do it in eight months.

The Distance From Me to You, by Marina Gessner, 2015. McKenna and her best friend planned for over a year to defer their freshman year of college to hike the Appalachian Trail all the way from Maine to Georgia, so when her friend backs out McKenna embarks alone on a physical and emotional journey that will change her life forever.

Adrift, by Paul Griffin, 2015. Working in Montauk for the summer, Matt and Mike meet three girls who invite them to their Hamptons mansion, where the group decides to sail out into the ocean in a small boat, become lost at sea, and must learn to work together to survive.

The Way Back From Broken, by Amber Keyser, 2015. After losing his infant sister, Rakmen's family is devastated. While his parents figure things out, they send Rakmen on a camping trip in the Canadian wilderness with another grieving family. Rakmen is far from thrilled about the trip, and he has to decide whether it's too late to find his way back from broken.

Nation, by Terry Pratchett, 2008. After a devastating tsunami destroys all that they have ever known, Mau, an island boy, and Daphne, an aristocratic English girl, together with a small band of refugees, set about rebuilding their community and all the things that are important in their lives.

Endangered, by Eliot Schrefer, 2012. Sophie is not happy to be back in the Congo for the summer, but when she rescues an abused baby bonobo she becomes more involved in her mother's sanctuary--and when fighting breaks out and the sanctuary is attacked, it is up to Sophie to rescue the apes and somehow survive in the jungle.

The Trap, by John E. Smelcer, 2006. In alternating chapters, 17-year-old Johnny Least-Weasel, who is better known for brains than brawn, worries about his missing grandfather, and the grandfather, Albert Least-Weasel, struggles to survive, caught in his own steel trap in the Alaskan winter.

Peak, by Roland Smith, 2007. A 14-year-old boy attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest. (Sequel: The Edge, 2015.)

Help Yourself

Feel uncomfortable asking about a topic?

Find it Yourself --Browse the nonfiction shelves. 

Look for these numbers (in the 300s & 600s):

       Topic.... ....Dewey Decimal Number

       abuse/incest......362.76 & 362.76-.78

       abusive relationships...362.8292 & 362.88

       acne/skin care.....616.53 & 646.726

These are not the cats you're looking for...

       aids/hiv..........616.9792

       alcohol...............362.292

       anorexia................616.8526

       birth control...363.9609 & 613.94

       body changes/puberty....612.661

       body image.......306.4613 & 616.852

       bullying...........302.34 & 371.58

       cyberbullying........302.34 & 345.73

       date rape...........362.883

       depression.…616.852, 616.8527, 616.85844

       divorce.....306.89

       drugs.....362.292 & 362.2918

       health/hygiene...613.04243 & 613.7043

       lgbtq..........306.766 & 613.951

       pregnancy......306.856, 306.8743, 618.2024

       relationships/dating...305.235, 306.70835, 646.77

       self-esteem...305.235

       sex.................613.951

       std....................616.951

       suicide........362.2, 362.28, 362.283

Athena the Reada

Inspired by the superhero summer reading theme, the Teen Think Tank created a video for the library:

Power up with a Superhero Booklist

In honor of the 2015 superhero teen summer reading theme, here is a book list to assist you in leaping the library in a single bound.  And, if the science of superheroes intrigues you...then, kapow: 
Register for one of our airplane, glider, rocket, metamorphosis, or astronomy workshops coming up in July and August.

Quantum Prophecy: the Awakening, by Michael Carroll, 2006. First book in Quantum Prophecy series. Ten years after the disappearance of superhumans--both heroes and villains--13-year-olds Danny and Colin begin to develop super powers, making them the object of much unwanted attention.


Sidekicks, by Jack D. Ferraiolo, 2011. Batman has Robin, Wonder Woman has Wonder Girl, and Phantom Justice has Bright Boy, a.k.a. Scott Hutchinson, a middle schooler by day and Justice's super-fast, super-strong sidekick by night. Life isn't easy for Bright Boy...especially after an embarrassing incident involving his tight spandex costume. And, even worse, B.B. is starting to see signs that his boss may not be entirely on the up-and-up.

The Adventures of Superhero Girl, by Faith Erin Hicks,  2013. "What if you can leap tall buildings and defeat alien monsters with your bare hands, but you buy your capes at secondhand stores and have a weakness for kittens? Cartoonist Faith Erin Hicks brings charming humor to the trials and tribulations of a young, female superhero, battling monsters both supernatural and mundane in an all-too-ordinary world" -- from publisher's web site. Graphic format.

Vindico, by Wesley King, 2012.  First book in Vindico series. When supervillains of the Vindico realize they are getting too old to fight the League of Heroes, they kidnap and begin training five teens, but James, Lana, Hayden, Emily, and Sam will not become the next generation of evil without a fight.

Illusive, by Emily Lloyd-Jones, 2014.  First book in Illusive series. "After a vaccine accidentally creates superpowers in a small percentage of the population, seventeen-year-old Ciere, an illusionist, teams up with a group of fellow high-class, super-powered thieves to steal the vaccine's formula while staying one step ahead of mobsters and deadly government agents"-- Provided by publisher.

Hero, by Mike Lupica, 2010.  Fourteen-year-old Zach learns he has the same special abilities as his father, who was the President's globe-trotting troubleshooter until "the Bads" killed him, and now Zach must decide whether to use his powers in the same way at the risk of his own life.

Battling Boy, by Paul Pope, 2013.  A twelve-year-old demigod is sent to help the people of Arcopolis, a city infested with monsters. Graphic format.

I Am Princess X, by Cherie Priest, 2015. Years after writing stories about a superheroine character she created with a best friend who died in a tragic car accident, 16-year-old May is shocked to see stickers, patches, and graffiti images of the superheroine appearing around Seattle.

Shadoweyes, by Campbell Ross, 2010. First book in Shadoweyes series. After getting knocked unconscious on her first mission, aspiring vigilante Scout Montana discovers that she's able to transform into a blue superhuman creature, and with this new body she becomes the superhero Shadoweyes. Graphic format.

Hero, by Perry Moore, 2007. Thom Creed's father is an ex-superhero who was disgraced in a terrible tragedy, so when Thom begins to develop superhuman powers, he doesn't tell his dad. He secretly begins training with the League of Superheroes. But after a series of hero-murders threaten not only the League but world security, Thom and his team realize it's up to them to save the day. -- Description by Ellen Foreman.

V is for Villain, by Peter Moore, 2014. Brad Baron, and his friend Layla, discover dangerous secrets about the superheroes who are running their society, a finding that pulls them into a web of nefarious criminals, high-stakes battles and startling family secrets.

School for Sidekicks, by Kelly McCullough, coming August 2015. "Superhero geek Evan survives a supervillian's death ray, and is sent to the Academy for Metahuman Operatives. Unfortunately, instead of fighting bad guys, Evan finds himself blacklisted, and on the wrong side of the school's director. Can he convince his semi-retired has-been mentor to become a real hero once again?"--.

Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson, 2013.  First book in Reckoners trilogy.  At age eight, David watched as his father was killed by an Epic, a human with superhuman powers, and now, ten years later, he joins the Reckoners--the only people who are trying to kill the Epics and end their tyranny.

Nimona, by Noelle Stevenson, 2015. First book in Nimona series. Lord Blackheart, a villain with a vendetta, and his sidekick, Nimona, an impulsive young shapeshifter, must prove to the kingdom that Sir Goldenloin and the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are. Graphic format.

Ms. Marvel. Vol. 1, No Normal, by Willow Wilson, 2014. First book in Ms. Marvel series.  Kamala Khan, a Pakistani American girl from Jersey City who lives a conservative Muslim lifestyle with her family, suddenly acquires superhuman powers and, despite the pressures of school and home, tries to use her abilities to help her community. Graphic format.

The Shadow Hero, by Gene Luen Yang, 2014. In the comics boom of the 1940s, a legend was born: the Green Turtle. He solved crimes and fought injustice just like the other comics characters. But this mysterious masked crusader was hiding something more than your run-of-the-mill secret identity: the Green Turtle was the first Asian American super hero. The comic had a short run before lapsing into obscurity, but Gene Luen Yang has revived this character in Shadow Hero, a new graphic novel that creates an origin story for the Green Turtle. Graphic format.

Perhaps you have an interest in the cape swirling adventures of a particular superhero? Here are catalog links to a few favorites: 

Avengers    Batgirl    Batman    Daredevil    Green Lantern   Justice League   Spider-Man   Superman    Teen Titans    Thor    Wolverine    Wonder Woman    X-Men

Or, maybe you would like to create your own superhero comic:

How to Draw Superheroes, by Andy Fish, 2011. Tools, techniques, and basic skills -- Developing style -- Types of superhero bodies -- Good, evil, and supporting characters -- Emotion and motion -- Costumes -- Super environments -- Glossary.

How to Draw Supernatural Beings, by Andy Fish, 2011. Tools, techniques, and basic skills -- Goblins and demons -- Ghosts and ghouls -- Werewolves and shapeshifters -- Vampires -- Voodoo priests and zombies -- Legendary humanoids -- Mythical creatures -- Settings and environments.

Draw Comic Book Action, by Lee Garbett, 2010. A guide to drawing comic book superhero characters emphasizes techniques for drawing the body in movement and putting these poses to work to portray action scenes.

Stan Lee's How to Draw Superheroes, by Stan Lee, 2013. Demonstrates how to draw superhero characters in the style of Marvel favorites, demystifying specific tools and techniques while sharing advice for also creating villains, sidekicks, and monsters.


DC Comics: The Ultimate Character Guide, by Brandon T. Snider, 2011. A compact, alphabetic reference profiles the heroic and villainous characters that make up the DC Universe, from Aquaman to Zatanna, providing fascinating details about their powers, weaknesses, enemies and more. Other DC Comics Guides.

The DC Comics Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics, by Freddie E. Williams, 2009. Examines the entire process of making digital art, from creating a template to establishing a digital file, with step-by-step directions, detailed illustrations, timesaving shortcuts, and more from one of the industry's leading digital artists.