Max de Radiguès

Joe is a shy high school student who is relentlessly bullied, and must find comfort in the natural world. Soon however, the story twists into a tale of power and fear complete with visual symbolism and beautiful cartooning. The morally ambiguous ending will keep you thinking long after you close the covers.

Moose

Maggie Gordon

Because I haven't seen this listed yet, CN: bullying that leads to sexual assault.

Moose is... not what I was expecting when I got it out of the library. Joe is a high school kid getting tormented at school, but no one seems to be willing to intervene despite the fact that the bullying is ramping up continually. However, this is not an afternoon TV special look at bullying. The ending doesn't involve an adult swooping in to save the day or the bully realising the error of his ways. The climax is chilling and I think speaks volumes to what the effects of constant harassment does to a person's ethical foundation (and no, the end doesn't involve anything like a school shooting or suicide). Don't let the cute, simple art fool you into thinking the book is going to be something you can foist off on a kid without some serious unpacking afterwards. Moose is a dark book with important things to say.

Moose

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