Key, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Jarrett J. Krosoczka's mother began many of her letters to him with the greeting Hey, Kiddo (Graphix, $24.99 HB/$14.99 PB), right before explaining that she couldn't come to his birthday, to his graduation, to pretty much anything. Jarrett eventually discovered that his grandparents were raising him because his mother was a heroin addict, and her letters came from jail or a halfway house. Krosoczka’s graphic memoir, an artistic leap forward from the simpler line drawings of his beloved Lunch Lady series, highlights his deep compassion: for his addicted mother, absentee father, alcoholic grandmother, and for his own younger, hurting self. Ages 14-18.