This One Summer

A quietly powerful graphic novel from First Second, This One Summer is a single, self-contained volume by cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki that captures a pivotal, hazy season of adolescence. The story follows Rose and her family on their annual summer vacation, where the familiar rhythms of the lake house are disrupted by the subtle shifts of growing up. Through Jillian Tamaki's evocative, blue-washed art and Mariko Tamaki's sharp, naturalistic dialogue, the book distills the ache and wonder of being caught between childhood and the adult world. A defining work of the 2010s, it remains a touchstone for its honest, unsentimental portrait of youth.