Lynn: Like the picture books in our earlier post, several graphic novels published this year also offer the opportunity to walk in the shoes of refugees and immigrants. Aimed at middle-school and teen readers, these books combine outstanding text and dramatic visual images to provide reading experiences that make a deep emotional impact. The Unwanted: […]
Over the past 20 years, Jason Lutes has been steadfastly churning out a stunning epic, and today, for the first time, it’s out in its entirety from Drawn & Quarterly. Berlin, which he started writing and drawing in 1998, recounts the intersecting paths of a diverse group of people living in Weimar-era Berlin, and how the rise […]
Spill Zone, the first volume in a series of the same name that began last year, marked Scott Westerfeld’s first foray into comics and was resoundingly well-received. The series takes place in a near-future Poughkeepsie, New York, which has been taken over by an otherworldly presence. Inside the zone, corpses float ominously, detritus suspended in […]
Since I recently shared some utterly satisfying single-volume graphic titles for adults, I figured I should point out a few outstanding titles for middle-grade and YA readers, as well. That said, so-called grown-ups will surely find many of these titles just as satisfying. Equal literary opportunities for all! Be Prepared, by Vera Brosgol Caldecott Honor […]
Based on their own experiences as a sufferer of epilepsy, Iasmin Omar Ata’s Mis(h)adra (Gallery 13) follows protagonist Isaac in his attempts to balance a rigorous college schedule and social life while managing his illness. Using a minimal color palette where yellows and purples reflect the calms of their illness and reds and black depict the storm, Ata has […]
Netflix has billed its first German series, The Dark, as a grown-up Stranger Things. Little wonder: it features a small town with a creepy government facility, weird and inexplicable events, kids on bicycles, and 80s nostalgia out the wazoo. But where Stranger Things is quite funny and has a certain coziness, The Dark is maudlin and […]
Lynn: Sentient pigs, Ludwig II, hot air balloons, and steampunk may sound like unusual elements for a graphic novel, but the results are high-flying fun for middle-school readers! Take a look. Castle in the Stars: The Space Race of 1869 (2017) by Alex Alice is a gorgeous, action-packed adventure with enough gadgets to make Jules Verne […]
Lynn: Cecil Castellucci’s new graphic novel, Soupy Leaves Home (2017), offers a terrific way to absorb some fascinating history. Set during the Great Depression, it tells the compelling story of Pearl, a young girl who runs away from her abusive father. Desperately unhappy and with nowhere to go, she decides to disguise herself as a boy […]
The trailer for Chabouté’s Alone (Gallery 13/Simon & Schuster), an award-winning graphic novel and international bestseller newly available in English, introduces readers to the solitary life of a lighthouse-keeper stationed in the middle of the ocean. The hermit has only fish and a dictionary to occupy his days—until the sailor responsible for his provisions begins […]
Lynn: When you’re the new kid in town, finding friends can be tough. Mike Lawrence takes an out-of-this-world look at the issue in his recent graphic novel, Star Scouts (2017). Barrel-racing, rodeo loving Avani Patel is having an especially hard time fitting into her new school, so her well-meaning dad signs her up for Flower […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
Follow the Booklist Reader