• Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed (Pantheon) wins Book of the Year
• JAJ: A Haida Manga by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre) awarded the Mosaic Award.
Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed (Pantheon) is the 2024 Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards Book of the Year. The graphic novel also won best Adult Fiction title in this year’s EGL Awards.
“This is the best comic I’ve read this year,” wrote Shane Gomes, an Assistant Professor at Tennessee State University and 2024 EGL Awards Juror, in his assessment of the title. “Deena Mohamed provides an amazing amount of world-building through inventive formatting, as the three main narratives each separately demonstrate that the problems of our world can’t simply be wished away, even when wishes are real.”
JAJ: A Haida Mangaby Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre) is this year’s recipient of the Mosaic Award, which celebrates stories about and from diverse communities, ethnicities, nationalities, faiths, and identities. JAJ was a 2024 EGL Awards finalist for best Adult Non-Fiction title.
“This is a unique and important anticolonial perspective that is very relevant for American audiences,” commented EGL Awards juror and Collection Specialist Librarian at Denver Public Library, Amanie Mahmood, in her evaluation of the title. “I have never read anything like this before, and it really resonates.”
Founded by Pop Culture Classroom in 2017, the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards spotlight graphic literature with lasting artistic, intellectual, literary, and cultural value.
“The breadth of content and genres available in the graphic literature format is astounding, and there’s truly outstanding content out there for every kind of reader.” said Matt Slayter, Director of Education for Pop Culture Classroom. “The Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards help educators, parents, and readers of all ages find comics, manga, and other graphic literature that’s compelling, and that has potential for academic study or social-emotional enrichment.”
Pop Culture Classroom announced this year’s finalists and winners for the best fiction and non-fiction graphic literature in the Children’s, Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult categories last week. A list of winners can be found on The EGL Awards website.
This year’s Book of the Year and Mosaic Award — like all EGL Honorees — were chosen by a select group of highly qualified experts in the art and science of reading, learning, and graphic literature with serious consideration of their practical use settings.
2024 EGL Jurors
Affiliations are for identification purposes and do not imply endorsement by the institution.
Adult Fiction
- Jessica Hedaria, ELA & Journalism Teacher, Yearbook Advisor, Coral Academy of Science
- Shane Gomes, Assistant Professor, Tennessee State University
- Moni Barrette, Librarian, Creators, Assemble! Inc./Library Pass
Adult Nonfiction
- Matthew Noe (Chair), Librarian, Harvard Medical School
- Amanie Mahmood, Collection Specialist Librarian at Denver Public Library
- Teresa Slobuski, Head Librarian, Penn State, Brandywine
Children’s
- Jazmine LeBlanc, Executive Director, ELLA Library (Chair)
- Jeremy Estes, Library Associate/Paraprofessional, Nashville Public Library
- Dawn Marie Lewallen, Kids and Family Librarian at Golden Library
- Leslie Hass, Associate Professor, Xavier University of Louisiana
- Ryan Clark, 4th Grade Teacher, Boulder Valley School District – Emerald Elementary School
Middle Grade Fiction
- Sterg Botzakis, Professor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Chair)
- Aimee Rogers, Library Media Specialist, Grand Forks Public Schools: South Middle School
- Drew Reynolds, Social Studies Teacher, JeffCo Public Schools, Dunstan Middle School
- Shannon Live, President/Director of Outreach, Bat City Comic Professionals
Middle Grade/ Young Adult Non-fiction
- Kenny Loui, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Loras College
- Quinn Rollins, History Teacher, Cyprus High School/Adjunct Faculty Teaching Methods, University of Utah
- Jessica Salazar, Teacher, Bear Creek High School
Young Adult Fiction
- Tina Lerno, Librarian, Los Angeles Public Library (Chair)
- Jack Phoenix, Collection Development Manager, Cuyahoga Falls Library
- Amanda Samland, Head Librarian, Regis Jesuit High School
- Ronell Whitaker, English Department Chair, Community High School District 218
For media inquiries please contact:
Matt Slayter, Director of Education, Pop Culture Classroom, m.slayter@popcultureclassroom.org
Social Media Graphics:
The category winners and finalists for the 2024 Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards are:
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Pop Culture Classroom is a nonprofit arts and education organization that works to inspire a love of learning, increase literacy, celebrate diversity, and build community through the tools of popular culture and the power of self-expression. Learn more at PopCultureClassroom.org