Stitches: A Memoir by David Small

Stitches is a graphic novel that tells the story of David Small's boyhood with a workaholic dad and a crazy, frustrated-lesbian mom.  It's a fascinating story with amazing pictures (like one of Mr. Small as a child literally diving into a sketch book in order to escape his immediate surroundings), but I just think it's a bit too dark for most jr. high readers.  I would definitely recommend it to advanced, mature readers, particularly ones with a penchant for the visual arts.