Komi Can’t Communicate: Making Friends and Not Scaring People By Tomohito Oda and Natalie Schriefer3/1/2026 
Illustrated by Tomohito Oda
Booklist review Sara's Rating: 8/10 Suitability Level: Grades 7-12 Publisher: VIZ Media Publication Date: Mar 10, 2026 ISBN: 9781974753208 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Graphic Nonfiction, Mental Health, Friendship, Romance, Disabilities, VIZ Media
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In this collection of short stories, Monzusu presents her own road to personal diagnosis as well as other personal narratives from neurodivergent people who have discovered something special about themselves. Monzusu personally came to arrive at her diagnosis after her son was born, and she sought medical advice for his ADHD. After noting similarities between her son's behavior and her own, she persued a medical diagnosis for herself. The following eight stories include a range of neurodivergent stories, including depressing, schizophrenia, Autism spectrum disorder, and others.
Fujinaga’s lifelong dream has been to become an actor on the screen — whether TV or film — but feedback at auditions and from his theater troupe is much the same: his overacting is distracting and scene-stealing. Then he meets Keito, a freshman who is Deaf and utilizes Japanese Sign Language, hearing aids, and lip reading in order to communicate with hearing people. Fujinaga begins learning signs from Keito and eventually expressing language in unique ways, drawing on his acting ability and connecting with Keito.
Illustrated by Bruno Chiroleu, colored by: Jordan Hart, lettered by Oceano Ransford
George is trying to live his life under the radar as much as possible. He wants to write the next great American novel, but many of life’s worries pile up and cause crippling writer’s block. For starters, he’s living in a trailer behind his parent’s house, he has a year left under their insurance, and he’s developed type 1 diabetes. While most adults don’t develop type 1 later in life, George’s diagnosis came with another development: impenetrable skin and near imperviousness to damage. One day, he crosses paths with a local super hero who desperately tries to convince George his fellow humans need him. Other than the normal fears for becoming entangled in superhero dealings, George worries about his blood sugar crashing or needing his glucose pen at an inopportune time. He also worries how superhero life will impact his ultimate goals of becoming a writer and paying off his mounting medical debt. 
School Library Journal review - part of Fall 2025 Manga Fiction Series, "Hidden Identities and True Love"
Sara's Rating: 8/10 Suitability Level: Grades 7-12 Publisher: Kodansha Publication Date: October 22, 2024 ISBN: 9798888774380 Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, School Life, Disabilities, Friendship, Kodansha 
Vol 1: Temperature of Orange
School Library Journal review Sara's Rating: 8/10 Suitability Level: Grades 9-12 Publisher: UDON Entertainment Publication Date: June 3, 2025 ISBN: 9781772943610 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Romance, Disabilities, Slice Of Life, UDON Entertainment  Booklist review
Sara's Rating: 9/10 Suitability Level: Grades 10-12 Publisher: Kodansha Publication Date: May 14, 2024 ISBN: 9798888771938 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Romance, School Life, Disabilities, Kodansha 
This manga is a collection of graphic essays about Hara’s life, where she battled weight as a junior high student, developed an eating disorder, and found body positivity in her young adult years. Hara shares a lot about her struggles with trendy clothing, and how she came to terms with being plus sized and still able to wear clothing she considered to be fashionable and cute. Clothes were an initial trigger for Hara, so it is one of the main foci of her essays. She also shares her development of anorexia that turned into bulimia nervosa in college. She continues to struggle with eating enough food, but through therapy and hard work, she is able to keep her eating disorders in check.
Itsuomi tells Yuki he’s leaving the country for a little over a month, but before he leaves, he asks her to be his girlfriend. Yuki is shocked and still a little doubtful that Itsuomi could really fall for a girl like her, but she accepts. While he’s gone, Itsuomi sends Yuki photos of his adventures and asks her to send sign language videos so he can practice. When he returns, Yuki misreads his lips, and she ends up acquiescing to her first kiss accidentally!
Shino Oshima practices saying her name over and over, but she just can't get out Oshima. Shino has a stutter, and it makes it extremely difficult to say words that begin with vowels. So the next day, the first day of her high school career, Shino has to introduce herself to her homeroom class, but can't get her own name out. The students laugh mercilessly and Shino feels hopelessly defeated. One day, she gets up the courage to apologize to Kayo who she accidentally injured, but Kayo isn't about to let anyone get close to her so easily after being ostracized in junior high for being tone deaf. The two strike up a rocky friendship, and Kayo realizes Shino doesn't stutter when she sings. They practice together and Kayo tries to break Shino of her crippling shyness by performing outside and signing them up as an entry for the talent show.
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