Our Ratings

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Every book we review is given a rating on a 10 point scale, as well as the age rating and some other criteria included in reviews. Below is a breakdown of what this rating means.

Rating: 10/10
  • This title is so good, we're probably gonna by merch. When we think of the usual divides of readership, this one will bridge all of them. This title appeals to readers across the globe, across genders, spans ages, and belongs in every library. This is definitely going to see some high circulation. Not only are we going to buy a copy for the libraries we serve, we're probably going to buy one for our personal libraries as well. If there's a chance to see this creator at a Con, we're standing in line. When we book talk, we're talking this title. In fact, we can't shut up about it. The characters are all amazing, the illustrations are fantastic. The depth of the storyline and the richness of the.... you see what I'm saying?

Rating: 9/10
  • This book knocked our socks off,  could be a stand out title that has broad appeal and will connect with lots of readers despite reading habits or genre-faithful. There are several characters to read for and root for. The illustrations are interesting and/or detailed. This will enjoy wide circulation amongst patrons and may even spark conversation and be recommended via word-of-mouth.

Rating: 8/10
  • This is by far the most common rating: This story is pretty good, and it will probably be purchased for the libraries we serve. It might only appeal to a niche audience or those readers faithful to a particular genre. The illustrations were standard or at least pleasant. The storylines are entertaining and make sense. Characters are well developed, and there's at least one reason to keep reading this series.

Rating: 7/10
  • This story was good. There could be some flaws in storytelling; the illustrations are was decent but probably not detailed or original. Depending on the area, this story might find more success in some libraries, while have limited success in other areas of the world.

Rating: 6/10
  • This story was ok. It wasn't anything great, the illustrations weren't stand-out. There might have been overt issues that detracted from the plot, such as nonsensical sexualization of characters, random or gratuitous violence, or disjointed dialogue.

Rating: 5/10
  • We did not like this story, and possibly had a visceral reaction, because of a storyline issue: a power system so convoluted that fails to make sense; a premise that is too outlandish even for graphic novels; creators who don't balance world-building with story progression; disproportioned people so noticeable that it pulls the reader out; or having something blatantly be a cash-grab. 

Rating: 4/10
  • We begrudgingly finished it, but this volume had major flaws in story, art, or characters; maybe something  were underdeveloped; storytelling issues could have detracted from the enjoyment of the story and pulled the reader out several times

Rating: 3/10
  • Did Not Finish (DNF): We might have come close to finishing it, but couldn't stick through till the end. Issues with story, pacing, illustrations, character development, or just lack of appeal overall failed to keep this interesting. This title will probably see little success.

Rating: 2/10
  • DNF: We maybe made it halfway or so through the book, but probably couldn't finish it due to issues comprehending the story or the illustrations

Rating: 1/10
  • DNF: This was absolutely unreadable, un-finish-able, and indiscernible - storylines were nonsensical, characters were confusing or non-existent, art was unrecognizable in some way, or this just didn't resemble anything to do with graphic novels. This does perhaps needs a few more passes with an editorial team before coming before young readers.

Suitability Levels

All three contributing authors live and work in California, and we base our age ranges on the typical school ages of the populations we serve:

Suitability: Adult
  • Even though some of our high school seniors can be 19, this age range begins at age 18.
  • These recommendations are provided mainly for public and university library settings, but some graphic novels have appeal to adults even as they're marketed to a younger audience, and will receive an Adult tag despite not having "adult" content.

Suitability: High School
  • The typical high school where we work is Grade 9 - 12, or ages 13-18.

Suitability: Middle School
  • The grade levels of a typical middle school where we work is Grade 7 - Grade 8, or ages 12-14.

Suitability: Elementary School
  • This encompasses grades Kindergarten - Grade 6, or ages 4-12, though most graphic novels reviewed for this age start around Grade 3 due to students reading abilities.
  • Students able to follow the flipped format of manga and navigate speech bubbles in manga or graphic novels could potentially start reading some of the elementary recommendations earlier than Grade 3.