Yen Press has created these lovely resources as guides for their books, but they would also be helpful to save for collection development purposes. The first is a guide to helpful manga terms, which aligns with the definitions on my terminology page. The second guide is specific to Yen Press' age rating system.

Thank you, Yen Press!

by Sara Campbell

First published 8/1/26

High school libraries have an arguably the easier time collecting manga for their shelves than middle or elementary school because of the maturity of their population and the breadth of manga available for teenage audiences, so it taken me some time to get around to making this list. Admittedly, I also have a large gap in my reading of some of the "classics" that I have been trying to correct while keeping up with the currently published manga, so this list is lacking in some representation that I will eventually correct.

In 2022, Tennessee passed the "Age-Appropriate Materials Act - 2022", which declares vague language that any type of nudity or excessive violence is not appropriate for students in K-12 libraries, and calls for the removal of such materials from library collections. The full graphic from the ACLU can be found on their website. 

Who gets to decide what excessive violence is? 

Are people aware of how much sexual innuendo and content is available to folks in PG-13 movies before it becomes an R movie?

Do people reading books never see their own bodies sans clothing?

I could go on and on questioning the ludicrousness of this act. The reason for this post and list is because this legislation is being used to target graphic novels and a large number of manga.

Often, manga includes suggested nudity with the infamous "bathing scene" because bodies are not taboo in Japan, and often bathing is a communal act with those of the same gender. These moments are included in stories as characters interact and bond with one another, not in a sexual manner, but are then interpreted out of context by people looking to ban books. Nudity can also occasionally be used as punchlines in juvenile jokes because, again, the body is not shameful in Japan.  As evidenced by the books below, often the moments of brief nudity are used as justification to through out an entire title as adults sexualize and bring their own interpretations to panels that are not sexual to begin with. 

In other cases, books are being removed from the shelves because of instances of violence that would not even characterize a movie into the "R" rating. Groups of adults are looking at a few pages of illustration and deciding the entire work is too violent regardless of the message and themes the author is conveying and the purpose behind including the violent paneling. 

Often, these bans are targeting and falling upon creators of color and those in minority groups. Many of these books below have received Starred ratings from professional organizations for their powerful messages and inspirational stories that would have profound impacts upon their intended audiences. 

Below, I've provided links to reviews for the books that have been known to be effected by this recent legislation in case other librarians are being asked to justify their graphic novel collections. If you are in need of further assistance, I encourage you to read out to the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom. More resources can also be found at PEN America's website.

I will be adding more to this list as I complete more reviews as this is not yet exhaustive of all the books that have been targeted.

Educators, parents, and administrators still have interesting misconceptions about the content and educational merits of including manga in libraries and instructional settings. This session addresses the fallacies and provides information to dispel misunderstandings surrounding manga. There are also lesson ideas and book recommendations of  popular series students are clamoring for.

by Sara Campbell

First published: 6/16/25
Updated 1/3/26

It's safe to say that manga and graphic novel publishing has exploded over the last few years, and everyone wants a piece of the pie. Traditional publishers have created imprints, new publishers have sprouted up, and other graphic novel publishers have created new imprints to segment their business and meet the demands of rabid readership. It can be challenging to navigate all of these different publishers and their imprints, particularly knowing which audiences publishers are targeting when they publish under a certain imprint. Below is an extensive (not exhaustive!) list of publishers and imprints that are currently active in the market. I will strive to keep this list updated as I become aware of new folks entering, folks leaving, and new imprints coming or going. This would be a great list to employ that Command/Control F search feature on your computer so you can find information quickly for your collection development needs.

I'm sure I missed some! Feel free to let me know in the comments below and I'll add them to the list as I am able to.

by Sara Smith 
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First published - 4/18/2021
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Not sure where to start with buying manga for your library? Don't worry, you're not alone.  This is probably the #1 question I get from school librarians.  So, to help you and many others out, here is a list of recommendations to start.

These series have stood the test of time and will hopefully make every scarce budget dollar be well worth it, but I've also linked full reviews so you can check them out for yourself and make sure they're right for your library collection.

This Spring, the New Jersey Association of School Librarians held a virtual mini-conference with the theme, "Hope and Healing." My presentation for this conference was "Manga that Heals the Soul." After all, there is an entire genre of manga, "iyashikei", that is meant to heal the reader. Many of these stories have something to do with animals and nature, so you'll find tons of cute animals all over my presentation. Check out my resources below:​

I'm back with another edition of "Supersize your Graphic Novel Collection", this time with some added goodies. In addition to the list of books I'd recommend from this year, I also gave attendees a list of EVERY book I've ever recommended from ANY of my various PDs! All in one place! Have fun!

I had the pleasure of speaking at K.C. Boyd's Back-to-School professional development mini-con in August of 2022. I got to share about some must-buy titles for Fall of 2022, and hear from some folks from across the nation. This was a fantastic experience, and I'm so honored I was included! Below are the resources I shared with the audience. Hope you find some great titles to add to your lists this semester!

by Sara Smith 
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This February, I not only helped co-chair the CSLA 2022 Virtual Conference, I presented yet again! I love being able to share what I'm passionate about and to help others find great books to put on their shelves. Take a look at the resources below.

Title List