Graphic Novels

Good As Lily by Derek Kirk Kim Illustrated by Jesse Hamm

Recommended Reading Grade: 8 & up

This was my first time reading a Graphic Novel –and I really liked it! I thought that black and white cartoons would be slightly dull but they weren’t at all. The pictures in these graphic novels I read were so good and entertaining and grasped my interest. The stories read so much faster than an ordinary novel that I could see how this could intrigue children that don’t necessarily like to read. Good As Lily is about a girl Grace Kwon who turns 18 and has this weird experience with a piñata that results in her meeting herself at different ages of her life. She encounters a 70 year-old version of herself, a 29 year-old version, and a 6 year-old version simultaneously. Grace has to deal with her present situation of hiding her other selves, but along the way the other Graces help enlighten or waken her up to certain things in her life that will happen if she doesn’t change. It’s a really cool book and even has some Korean translations.

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks

Reading Level: Ages 12 & up

Friends with Boys is about a girl Maggie who has been homeschooled her whole life and is going to attend public school for the first time. Not only has she never had any friends outside of her three brothers, she is starting high school where many kids that have attended public school all along still don’t know who they are or where they fit it. On top of trying to find out who she is, Maggie is dealing with her mother’s abandonment and a ghost who is stalking her! This is an awesome graphic novel; and some pages don’t even have (or need) words-the illustrations do all the talking. Again, I didn’t think I’d like this style of writing and couldn’t put it down!

As You Like It Manga Shakespeare Adapted by Richard Appignanesi Illustrated by Chie Kutsuwada

Age Level: 12 & up

Manga Shakespeare is a series of graphic novels that take William Shakespeare’s plays and adapt them. I loved reading Shakespeare in high school and college courses so I thought this would be really neat and it delivered. Appignanesi takes the play As You Like It and transports the basis to an Oriental setting with some twists. I’m not going to lie; it was a little hard to get through-but so is the original plays! There is a lot going on (fighting, four weddings, girls who dress like boys-many ideas from the original version) but Appignanesi supplies the reader with a colored (the rest of the book is black-and-white) character glossary in the beginning that you can refer back to, which I needed to in order to keep track of who is who. Overall I thought it was cool to see a Japanese version of Shakespeare, especially in graphic novel form! Very unique and would recommend to students who may need to read Shakespeare but don’t like to read or are having trouble understanding his works; this is a great alternative.

Michael Townsend’s Amazing Greek Myths of Wonder and Blunders

Age Level: 8 & up, Grade Level: 3^rd & up

This book is adorable, and does a great job simplifying 9 common Greek myths. The graphics are not only all in bright, vivid color, but are pretty funny. They (the graphics) mock the myths’ literal interpretations; like “Arachne Gets a Big Head” taken literally and she’s pictured with a blown up head and so on. Although these graphics are comical and clever, they do get the actual messages across from the myths and explain why they occurred. This is an excellent resource for students learning about Greek myths and classic tales, and I believe it would definitely be more memorable with the graphics rather than just reading about them.

Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

Reading Level: Ages 12 & up

This book was strange; very imaginative but weird to me. It is a graphic novel and contains more pictures and fewer words, but wasn’t a graphic novel in the sense of cartoon strips. It is a compilation of 15 stories, each containing a strange circumstance or random event that takes place in this made-up suburban community. There could very well be an underlying message or theme here, but I didn’t comprehend it. Although, I could see how some children might see this as an interesting, different type of book, and enjoy the author’s bizarre imagery. The two short stories I liked best were the one about the community decorating their government-issued missiles, and the one about the foreign exchange student who liked discovering small things found on the ground.

Fish You Were Here by Colleen Af Venable Illustrated by Stephanie Yue

Grade Level: 2^nd & up Age Level: 7 & up

This is a part of the Guinea Pig Pet Stop Private Eye series (#4). Mr. Venezi hires a new assistant for his pet store, Viola. At first the pets love her and all that she does for them, but then they see that Viola plans on not doing any work once Mr. Venezi is not around. The pets, mainly the hamster and the guinea pig, are upset when they think that Mr. Venezi has left them. They consider themselves detectives and decide to team up with the other pets to figure out where Mr. Venezi has gone. This is a great example of getting younger readers to read without realizing they are. I think that young readers, especially boys, would enjoy these types of graphic novels because of all the pictures. I thought the facts on Goldfish and Plecos, as well as the job recommendations for animal lovers in the back of the book were adorable!

BabyMouse Queen of the World by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Grade Level: 2^nd & up Age Level: 7 & up

This was my first experience with BabyMouse – and she is adorable! I loved that this was a girls’ graphic novel, or I should say this would probably be a girl-based audience, because of the girliness of the main character. For example, BabyMouse is fashionable and loves tiaras and big, pretty dresses, she seeks fame and glamour, she wears a heart on her dress, she talks about having curly ‘whiskers’ (which I thought was so cute), and every page number is placed in a pink heart. The pages are in black-and-white with touches of pink only throughout the book. Most graphic novels I thought were male-based, where as this definitely stood out to me. There’s a moral to the book too. So BabyMouse desperately wants to be invited to Felicia FurryPaws’ sleepover to show everyone how fun and adventurous she is. After sacrificing her book report and almost her friendship to her true friend Wilson, BabyMouse finds out that this sleepover and Felicia FurryPaws isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

Ann M. Martin’s The Baby-Sitters Club #4 Claudia and Mean Janine by Raina Telgemeier

Age Level: 8 & up, Grade Level: 3^rd & up

I couldn’t believe it when I first saw The Baby-Sitters Club books in the graphic novel section! I grew up reading these and adored them, and had no idea that some of them were turned into graphic novels. Since I have read them all (ages ago), I was curious to see how accurate they were or how much of the story was included. The story summed up is Claudia, one of the members of the club, is having issues with her older sister Janine. When their grandmother has a stroke, the family must come together to help get her back on track. I think it was cool that some of the books were turned into graphic novels so that students who may not be avid readers would get to know these awesome books. What I didn’t like though, was that the graphics give the readers an image of the members and characters in the book. I think that most readers come up with their own images in their minds while reading, and seeing them from an illustrator’s perspective can ruin that experience for the reader – not that this illustrator wasn’t on with certain characteristics because she was and did a great job. I just feel that, in general, an author’s descriptions of characters or settings can be interpreted slightly different from each reader. So I think that’s a disadvantage to readers who are given the image, instead of them picturing it for themselves.  

The Boston Tea Party by Matt Doeden illustrated by Charles Barnett III & Dave Hoover

Age Level: 8 & up, Grade Level: 3^rd & up

This is an amazing resource for learning about the Boston Tea Party, and should be used in social studies lessons to help instruct. We live in a visual world where a lot of students learn better visually, so for topics that are harder to understand or remember, graphics are definitely a great choice to use. This non-fiction book describes the colonists’ protest against being ruled by Britain. It includes an index, a glossary, a table of contents, key facts, Internet sites, and more books to be read on the topic. I found out that they have published many other graphic history novels such as The Battle of the Alamo, The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, The Salem Witch Trials, and The Sinking of the Titanic to name a few. I would absolutely add these to my classroom library as an elementary teacher because they are perfect for students to read up on topics, with pictures included, that they normally wouldn’t understand just by reading the words. Graphic novels are perfect for remembering history because the pictures aid the memory.  

Biographies in Picture Book Format/Picture Books for Older Readers

A Picture Book of Amelia Earhart by David A. Adler

Age Level: 6 & up

This is an awesome book that tells the story of “the first woman to cross the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean” by airplane. It tells the biography of Amelia as well as her quest and determination. She was a very courageous woman that stood up for women’s’ rights and challenged others to take risks. Illustrations are colorful, and this book would be great for any student looking to find information on Amelia Earhart and what she contributed to the aviation world.

A Picture Book of Robert E. Lee is another one of David A. Adler’s many picture biography books. This tells the life story of military officer Robert E. Lee. He was named lieutenant colonel, superintendent, and appointed commander of the army in Virginia. He fought for his hometown, the Confederates, during the Civil War but always remained a “dignified…American” throughout. Although he fought the North and attacked them, he felt slavery was evil and was torn as to which side to fight for. He was looked at as a very brave, wise leader. Illustrations are decent; not full page like Amelia Earhart’s biography (published four years apart).

Age Level: 6 & up

A Picture Book of Benjamin Franklin by David A. Adler

Age Level: 6 & up

This book is cool because Benjamin Franklin was such an amazing guy. He did so much for so many people and really was ahead of his time. In my opinion, he was brilliant! He had his hand in almost everything: he was a printer, he wrote a famous almanac, he helped set up the first lending library and hospital as well as Philadelphia’s first fire and police departments, he invented many, many things, he spoke to England and France and tried to get them to help Americans, he wrote the Declaration of Independence, he spoke out against slavery…the list goes on and on! Could you imagine if we had a present-day Ben Franklin?! He was beyond successful in so many different ways- there aren’t words to describe him! But Adler does a great job supplying the reader with such interesting facts.

Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco

Reading Level: Ages 6 & up

Pink and Say is about two soldiers, Pinkus “Pink” and Sheldon “Say”. Say is rescued by Pink when he is shot in the leg during a battle. Say brings him back to his house and introduces him to his mother Moe Moe Bay who helps nurse him back to health. Say is embarrassed to admit to Pink that he can’t read but tells them that he’s done something important: shook President Lincoln’s hand. He is scared to go back to fighting but when the marauders find and kill Moe Moe Bay, he tries to be brave and they set out. The boys get taken prisoners of the Confederate Army not short after and are separated. Say is released months later but Pink never makes it. He was hanged; his last words to Say are “let me touch the hand that touched Mr. Lincoln”. Sheldon tells the true story to his daughter Rosa, Patricia Polacco’s great-grandmother! Patricia dedicates the book to Pinkus and asks for the readers to vow to remember him always. That is so neat to honor him like that. I love Patricia Polacco books; her writing styles and her illustrations. She also adds, what I think are, real family photographs to her books which is really cool. Awesome book.

Betty Doll by Patricia Polacco is a story of a doll made by Patricia Polacco’s mother and grandmother. The doll, Betty Doll, had been Mary Ellen’s, Patricia’s mother, best friend and joined her throughout her life and saw every adventure with her. She was a comfort to Mary Ellen whenever she needed it, and Mary Ellen passed Betty Doll on to Patricia knowing that she would need Betty Doll’s comfort once she passed away. This is a true story and is very touching and sweet. The illustrations are so great because the whole book is in black-and-white with only Betty Doll being in color. It really gives a cool effect.

Age Level: Ages 4 & up

Confessions of a Former Bully by Trudy Ludwig

Reading Level: Ages 8 & up

I loved, loved, loved this book! It is a must read for everybody, everywhere – of all ages: young kids, older kids, even parents. Bullying is an epidemic that has reached a sad, sad place. As an elementary teacher I see this happening every single day – not physical bullying, but verbal and emotional bullying. This book has great “tools” that children can follow if put in a bullying situation. It also explains that there are behaviors that you may use that are hurtful without even realizing so. It’s neat because it comes across from the view of a child, and has expressions that are so common and realistic without sounding made-up for a story. This is a must-read to students!

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein

Interest Level: Pre-K – Grade 3

Caldecott Award Winner

I could definitely see why this won the Caldecott Award! The pictures are amazing. This is a true story of a man Philippe who walked on a tightrope between the World Trade Center buildings in 1974. I couldn’t believe this was a true story and researched it and found out it is indeed true. How crazy is that?! The illustrations of New York City are breathtaking.

Abe’s Honest Words Doreen Rappaport

Age Range 7-9 years old

The illustrations in this book are awesome; they are drawn but look so real! The attention to detail by the illustrator really shines through. This book explains the life of Abraham Lincoln and his part in freeing the slaves and ending slavery, in simpler words for children. “People felt he spoke from his heart” sums up Abraham’s honesty and integrity; he stood up for what he felt was right even if others didn’t agree, or it wasn’t the popular view. It’s worded perfectly to lead to discussions on this time period and the significant role Mr. Lincoln played during it.

Wash Day by Barbara H. Cole

Age Level: 5 & up

Wash Day tells the story of a little boy and his grandfather, Mrs. Ett, their hired help, and her grandson, Sherman.  The two little boys and Mrs. Ett enjoy listening to the grandfather play his trumpet to keep the boys occupied and away from the fire on wash days. Sherman wishes for a trumpet for Christmas but times are tough for the family, especially when their house burns down. Then grandfather has a stroke and can no longer play the trumpet so he passes it on to Mrs. Ett’s grandson. Sherman makes everyone happy again by playing grandpa’s trumpet. The story ends without saying what happens to grandpa; I thought he was going to pass away, but it doesn’t tell the reader if he does. It is still a nice, sweet story.

Coretta Scott King/Pura Belpre Awards & Multicultural Perspectives

The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Pura Belpré Award 2011

Recommended Age: 9-14

The Dreamer tells a story of a young boy named Neftalí who has an amazing imagination and curiosity for “things” in life. He wonders about and is curious about the things around him in his world such as birds, twigs and swan. His father is verbally abusive to him and cruel, but Neftalí overcomes and discovers a way to get his thoughts and words across to other people. I loved the text choice of the book; the pages are shorter than the average book and the words are double spaced making it easier for younger readers to read. There are Spanish words mixed in throughout the book, which I think is really neat that students can learn some words in another language. There are also pictures every few pages that enhance what is going on in the story at that point. The illustrations are exaggerated thoughts and feelings of Neftalí and are pretty cool/different.

The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales

Pura Belpré Award 2006

Reading Level: 4^th-7^th grade

The Tequila Worm is a story written about a young girl Sofia, who alike Junior in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is also torn between honoring her native town and culture, with dreams of venturing out and discovering the world around her. Sofia is Mexican and her family means everything to her, but she decides to pursue an academic scholarship to an Episcopal college-prep school 300 miles away from her hometown and all that she knows. The story not only tells about her culture; her family traditions and customs, but blends her dream of attending this prestigious school. There are also some Spanish words mixed in, but not as much as in The Dreamer. I really enjoyed this book and learned things I didn’t know about the Mexican culture! I also didn’t mind all of the Catholic references, whereas I usually get offended the way Catholics are sometimes portrayed in stories. There is also the issue of death in this story but it ties into the story and Sofia’s beliefs greatly. I would definitely recommend this book to all ethnicities to read.

Little Night by Yuyi Morales

2008 Américas Award Honorable Mentions
Reading Level: Ages 2 & up

Little Night was the 2008 honorable mention of the Américas Award. This award recognizes an American work that can be published in either English or Spanish, and that authentically portrays Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos living in the United States. Little Night tells a bedtime story with Mother Sky calling for Little Night to get ready for bed. Little Night hides and tells her mother to find her. The story is really cute and would make a great bedtime story. The illustrations are of darker-skinned characters which is nice to see, and the concept of Little Night balancing the moon and having a bath filled of stars is adorable.

The Great Migration: Journey to the North by Eloise Greenfield

Age Level: 3 and up, Grade Level: Preschool and up

2012 Coretta Scott King Honor

Eloise Greenfield tells the story of the migration that thousands took part of; families from the South pursuing their dreams to live up North so that they can be free, so that they could be safe, and have respectable jobs. Eloise was four months old when her family took the trip by train. The book tells the perspective of varying ages such as a child saying goodbye, a woman, and a young woman. The illustrations are very, very cool; in one page the people that are being left behind are camouflaged in with the fields, the next shows the train tracks heading North with the Southern states mapped out.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia

Reading Level: Grades 4-7

Newbery Award Winner, Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner (2011)

Delphine and her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, are sent to California for the summer to meet their mother that abandoned them when they were babies. They don’t know really anything about their mother really and think that this trip will bring them some answers, or at least allow them to get to know their absentee mother, Cecile. When they arrive they do not get the warm, affectionate mother they were hoping for- instead Cecile is cold and seems to not really want to have anything to do with them. Cecile makes the girls attend a summer camp supported by a group of Revolutionists who are trying to spread change. Delphine has to help navigate her sisters throughout this trip. This book is nicely written from the perspective of eleven year old Delphine and is a great way to spark discussions on the Civil Rights Movement.

Journey to Jo'burg : a South African Story by Beverley Naidoo

Reading Level: Ages 9 & up

Journey to Jo'burg : a South African Story is a story of thirteen year old Naledi and her younger brother Tiro. Their younger sister is sick and their mother works far away in the city of Johannesburg, so Naledi decides to sneak off with Tiro to go see their mother for help. Along their way they learn more about the racial segregation dividing their country. Although there are some really horrible things happening, they discover some people who are genuinely nice. This is a good story for all to read to show this horrific time period from children’s’ perspectives.

Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson

Interest Level Grades 1 - 6  

Reading Level Grades 3 - 4

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent in Illustrations, Notable Children's Books,
2011 Best Book for Young Children, Children's Africana Book Award, 2011 Notable Books for a Global Society list, Green Earth Book Award Honor, 2011-2012 Great Lakes Great Books Awards ballot, Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award, Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
Seeds of Change has won many, many awards. It tells the story, in simpler vocabularly, of Wangari Maathai who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. Wangari started the Green Belt Movement which involved planting and growing trees in her native country Kenya, as well as spread her message throughout the world. It tells an environmentalist message as well as encourages equal rights for woman. The illustrations are really beautiful!  They’re colorful and unique and add to the story greatly. I can definitely see how the illustrations won the John Steptoe Award for New Talent in Illustrations. 

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

Age Level: 5 & up

This is about two young girls, Clover and Anna. Clover lives on the African-American “side” of town, and Anna on the white side. They are told by their parents to not cross over the fence that separates the two sides. The little girls decide by themselves that they do not care for this fence and would like to be friendly. They know that mother has said not to climb over “but she never said nothing about sitting on it”. I think this book is adorable and shows the strength and admiration of Clover and Anna’s characters. It is a great message to students; that even though adults have rules, more important than those rules are for common respect and courtesy to others.  The illustrations look water-colored and really are beautiful.

Newbery Winners

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

Newbery Award Winner

Reading Level: 10 & up

Kira-Kira is a story of a little girl Katie and her Japanese-American family, who must learn to adjust to life in Georgia. Katie’s best friend is her older sister Lynn, whom she looks up to, and who teaches her everything she knows. Katie becomes worried when Lynn becomes sick with Lymphoma and she realizes she could die. This story really touched me when I read it. I remember crying my eyes out over it. I also bought a copy of the book for my older sister because the admiration Katie felt for Lynn I could relate to and thought the wording was so nice that I wanted my sister to know I felt that way about her too. This book brings up some tough, and maybe even controversial, subjects such as racism and death. Overall, a great book to read.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Newbery Award Honor

Reading Level: Grade 4 & up

Recommended grades: 4-7, Reading level: 9 and up

Delphine and her sisters, Vonetta and Fern, are on their way to California for the summer to meet their mother that abandoned them when they were babies. They don’t know anything about their mother really and think that this trip will bring them some answers, or at least allow them to get to know their absentee mother, Cecile. What they get instead is “one crazy summer”. I liked this book and thought the political-movement parts are a great way to discuss history with students. I enjoyed Williams-Garcia writing style and the way she wrote the words the way the character would say them; in an Ebonics-sort of way.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Newbery Award Winner

Recommended Reading Level: 5^th grade and up

This book discusses the time period when the middle states of the United States had drastic weather conditions such as dust storms and drought, known as the ‘Dust Bowl’ years. The main character, Billie Jo, endures many struggles in her short life as well as the Dust Bowl, such as the tragic death of her mother and brother. Billie Jo and her dad’s relationship is also strained. I felt this was a sad book, but realistic. It made me curious to look up information on the Dust Bowl years (which I did). This would be a good book to tie in with social studies when learning about the Dust Bowl. I also think that the author’s writing style (diary-like entries, free verse, and poetry) is intriguing to young readers.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

Newbery Award Winner

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

This Newbery Award Winner is about an orphan who has grown up in several foster homes and an orphanage and is seeking his birth father. All he has left from his biological mother is a bag of rocks, a photograph of his mom as a child, and some fliers of a man Herman Calloway and his jazz band. Bud pursues these fliers and thinks that there is a connection between his father and jazz, and predicts Herman to be his father. The book takes you on Bud’s journey to find out this connection and the reader will be surprised to see how Herman is related to Bud. I remember reading this as a young kid and thinking that Herman was Bud’s dad because the clues were indicating so and that’s what most books and movies as a child were: predictable. But this ending is a little different. Bud, Not Buddy is sad, but also written with humor.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Newbery Award Winner

Reading Level: 9 & up

Holes is another book I can remember reading for a school assignment and enjoying very much. The main character Stanley Yelnats is wrongly accused of stealing and as his punishment is sent to Camp Green Lake, a boys’ juvenile detention center. At Camp Green Lake, the Warden is cruel and forces the boys to dig big, deep holes in the dirt everyday in search of a buried treasure. The boys do not know of the treasure at first nor know that is why they are digging holes. Stanley and another character’s families, “crimes”, and the treasure all tie in together at the end interestingly. Sachar’s writing style for this book is perfect to keep the interest of the reader; entertaining and funny.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Newbery Award Winner

Interest Level: Grades 4-7

Thirteen year old Salamanca’s mother has left her. Sal is traveling with her Gram and Gramps from Kentucky to Idaho, hoping to see why her mother has left her and her father. Along the way she tells her grandparents the story of her friend Phoebe, who has a very similar story to herself; such as her mom disappearing. We find out at the end of the story that the reason why Salamanca’s mother will not be returning is because she has passed. Also, Gram dies along the way! It is a sad book for students to read, but it is realistic and can spark conversations and emotions dealing with death and grief.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Newbery Award Winner

Reading Level: 4^th grade & up

Personally, I think that The Giver is an amazing book. I remember reading it long ago and although I may not have fully understood all of it, it did make me think a lot about our world and society and if things like this really occur. Jonas is a 12 year old boy who lives in a world where everyone’s life is predetermined and basically set-up for them. The community in which this takes place strives for “sameness”; all people being void of emotion, color, love, and knowledge. When a child turns 12 they are assigned their life-long job. Jonas is assigned “Receiver of Memory” and needs to store all the past memories prior to “Sameness”. The previous Receiver of Memory was The Giver, who is full of knowledge not available in the community. Very cool point-of-view book and makes the reader wonder and think a lot. I loved it!

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Newbery Award Winner

Reading Level: 9 & up

This Newbery Award Winner is written in diary-format. The main character, Leigh, writes to his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw, for a school assignment. Mr. Henshaw answers him back and asks him some questions. Leigh continues to write down his personal feelings and struggles he endures such as his parents’ divorce and being the new kid in town. The wording is so cute. For example in one letter he signs his name the way it should be pronounced: Leigh (Lēē). I could see why kids would like to read this book and how they can easily relate to Leigh’s thoughts and feelings.