GRAPHIC NOVEL CORE COLLECTION FOR ELEMENTARY …



GRAPHIC NOVEL CORE COLLECTION FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Introduction: All of the books in this bibliography are currently in my elementary school collection. I haven’t read most of them, however, I do look through all graphic novels before shelving them to check for violent content that may not be appropriate for younger students.

The ratings are based on my experience with my students, and I do take the recommendations from Follett into consideration even though their recommendations don’t always seem to be quite right when determining if they’re appropriate for primary (1-3) students. At this time no Kindergarten students check out graphic novels in our library. Very few graphic novels are reviewed in professional journals, but some are and those ratings I’ve found to be fairly accurate. Not completely accurate though. There are a couple of good websites for graphic novel reviews. One is Good Comics for Kids ( .com/blog/540000654.html), now living on the School Library Journal site; another is Graphic Novel Reporter ( ). There is also a professional listserv called Graphic Novels in Libraries where you can ask the “experts” for information about particular books you are thinking of purchasing.

I would suggest shelving graphic novels in a separate area. We started this practice this year, and it’s much easier to shelve and keep fairly neat than when they’re in the regular collection.

The books listed below are the ones that I’ve found to be the most popular. I have a lot more than the ones you see here in my library – and there are hundreds more available. This is just a place to start. Comic books are fun – so have fun building your collection!

Jo O’Garro

Central Park Elementary School

2009

The Adventures of Tintin by Herge; translated by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner.

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Notes: As all Tintin fans know, once you've read one of his terrific adventures, you've got to read another and then another. Each of these collections contains three classic and fully complete Tintin adventures. Packed with all the color, wit, and derring-do that has made Tintin one of the world's most beloved comic characters, these books are easy to carry and fun to read.

Review: These books sat on the shelf for a year, and now they’re checked out all the time! Originally written in 1929, they seem to appeal to upper elementary students.

Rating: Grades 5-6

Attack of the Mutant Lunch Lady by Nickel, Scott, illustrated by Smith, Andy

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Notes: Buzz Beaker and his best friend, Larry, must find a way to stop the cafeteria lady, who has turned into a blob of mystery meat and is now terrorizing the students.

Review: This is one of 42 lively and humorous stories in the Graphic Sparks series, designed to develop reading skills, as well as to communicate such values as responsibility, fairness, caring, etc.

Rating: K-6

Avatar The Last Airbender by Dimartino, Michael Dante and Konietzko, Bryan

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Notes: Aang must face his destiny as he fights for the Water Tribe's safety and his life.

Review: One of three manga selections I have in the library. Some violence, so I limit it to upper elementary students.

Rating: grades 5-6

Babymouse. 1,Queen of the World! by Holm, Jennifer L.

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Notes: An imaginative mouse dreams of being queen of the world, but will settle for an invitation to the most popular girl's slumber party.

Review: Super popular with girls, a Children’s Choice selection in 2006 this is now a series of 12, with more to come I’m sure!

Rating: Grades 3-6.

The Baby-Sitters Club by Martin, Ann M. and Telgemeier, Raina

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Notes: Kristy gets an idea for a babysitter’s club and enlists the help of her friends, Mary Anne and Claudia, who introduce a new member, Stacey.

Review: Another popular series for upper elementary girls.

Rating: Grades 4-6

Bone. 1,Out from Boneville by Smith, Jeff

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Notes: Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone are run out of their home, Boneville, and become separated in the wilds, but better fortune begins when the three cousins reunite at a farmstead in a deep forested valley, where Fone meets a young girl named Thorn. First of a multi-volume series.

Review: Bone is great! The stories are really interesting and the artwork is fun and appropriate. Absolutely no objectionable material therein!

Rating: Grades 4-6.

Creepy Creatures Goosebumps Book One

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Notes: "R.L. Stine, Goosebumps."; Comic artists Gabriel Hernandez, Greg Ruth, and Scott Morse adapt and illustrate three R. L. Stine stories, in which a girl pays a frightening visit to her grandparents' farm, a boy meets a stray dog that just might be a werewolf, and a brother and sister encounter a snow monster in Alaska--and in California. These selections from the "Goosebumps" series have been abridged and put in a graphic-novel format, and the fast pace and horror elements make them perfect for this format.

Review: Suitable for upper elementary, this series will be checked out by Goosebumps fans.

Rating: grades 5-6

Fashion Kitty by Harper, Charise Mericle.

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Notes: After a stack of fashion magazines falls on Kiki Kitty's head while she is blowing out the candles on her birthday cake, Kiki turns into Fashion Kitty, a feline superhero who saves other kitties from fashion disaster.

Review: Very silly but fun this will appeal to reluctant female readers. She’s also a series now!

Rating: grades 3-6

The Hardy Boys Vol 1: The Ocean of Osyria by Lobdell, Scott and Rendon, Daniel

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Notes: Based on the series by Franklin W. Dixon. A graphic novel in which Frank and Joe Hardy, Callie, and Iola must recover the Ocean of Osyria, an art treasure taken from a Middle Eastern museum, in order to save their best friend, Chet, who has been accused of stealing it.

Review: This modernized version of the classic stories have found a new audience in the graphic format. All students enjoy this series.

Rating: grades 5-6

Jack and the Box by Spiegelman, Art

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Notes: A rabbit named Jack receives a jack-in-the box as a present from his parents, but his spring-loaded device is more than a mere silly toy.

Review: This jack-in-the-box can talk, and its appearance registers somewhere between goofy and clownlike sinister. With Jack's parents out of the room, the toy performs Cat-in-the-Hat/Marx Brothers–like slapstick tricks timed to perfection. Vocabulary and action are geared to beginning readers.

Rating: grades K-3

Jellaby by Soo, Keen

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Notes: A little girl whose father disappeared mysteriously finds a gentle purple monster outside her house and sets off with her friend Jason to try to reunite it with its parents.

Review: Clean, simple layouts and numerous points of view are a highlight of this story. It’s somewhat sophisticated, but is enjoyed by the upper elementary crowd.

Rating: grades 4-6

Jimmy Sniffles Dognapped! By Nickel, Scott illustrated by Harpster, Steve

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Notes: Jimmy Sniffles smells trouble when the neighborhood dogs begin to disappear, and suspects that a creepy clown and a lady with big hair are behind it.

Review: Another selection from Graphic Sparks series that seems to appeal to boys.

Rating: grades K-6

Magic Pickle by Morse, Scott

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Notes: The Magic Pickle, a secret weapon created in a special lab under the floor of Jo Jo Wigman's bedroom, and Jo Jo set out to stop the Brotherhood of the Evil Produce. Presented in graphic novel form.

Review: Totally goofy and laugh out loud funny, this is enjoyed by boys and girls alike. Another series with five books so far.

Rating: grades 3-6

Nancy Drew GN Vol 1: The Demon of River Heights by Patrucha, Stefan and Murase, Sho

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Notes: Based on the series by Carolyn Keene. Teen sleuth Nancy Drew, and her friends George and Bess, search for missing studentn film-makers and, in the process, discover the secret behind the local urban myth known as The Demon of River Heights.

Review: Just like the Hardy Boys, Nancy has found a new audience in this series of 20 adventures.

Rating: grades 5-6

Naruto Vol. 1 by Kishimoto, Masashi

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Notes: “Translated from the Japanese.” Uzumaki Naruto is determined to become the greatest ninja ever; however, he must first graduate from the academy, dela with his would-be rival, and face the terrifying force that destroyed his village twelve years ago.

Review: Most popular manga series, probably due to the Naruto anime series and movies. Violence and some suggestive photos.

Rating: limited to 6th grade only

Owly Vol. 1 The Way Home by Runton, Andy

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Notes: A kind, lonely little owl tries to earn an earthworm’s trust and struggles with the knowledge that his new friends, a group of hummingbirds, must depart for the winter.

Review: Most reviews recommend this almost wordless series for mid to upper elementary, but students of all ages seem to gravitate toward it.

Rating: grades 2-6

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Adventure Vol 1 by Shigekatsu, Ihara

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Notes: Hareta, a young boy raised in the wild with Pokemon, is recruited by Professor Rowan to become a Pokemon trainer.

Review: This is only one of 3 manga series I currently have available in my library. Some violence.

Rating: grades 5-6

Scooby Doo 1, You Meddling Kids! by Duffy, Chris

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Notes: As seen on Cartoon Network. Presents a collection of cartoon adventures features Scooby-Doo and the gang at Mystery, Inc.

Review: Very popular with students of all ages.

Rating: grades 3-6

Spider-Man: Duel with Daredevil! by Dezago, Todd

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Notes: Spider-Man attends the circus at which he has been advertised as the main attraction, and is rescued by Daredevil after the ringmaster hypnotizes Spidey and everyone else in the crowd in order to commit a mass robbery.

Review: The entire series is finding a new audience due in part to the popularity of the movies. Some violence.

Rating: grades 4-6

The Swamp Thing by Farber, Erica

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Notes: The Critter Kids come face to face with wild creatures when they visit the Snake Hill Swamp Sanctuary.

Review: The Critter Kids' classroom travels take them on exciting adventures as they learn about archaeological digs, tropical coral reefs, etc. Offset fact-boxes explain important vocabulary and reference details by linking factual information to the stories. Mercer Mayer fans love these!

Rating: Although Follett recommends grades 3-6, my 1st and 2nd graders also enjoy these.

Tiger Moth Insect Ninja by Reynolds, Aaron illustrated by Lervold, Erik

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Notes: Young Tiger Moth and his friend Kung Pow go into action to find a valuable painting that disappeared from the school prop closet.

Review: Another Graphic Sparks selection, lever, and with a solid moral about assumptions and good intentions, the book exhibits the basic visual literacies of graphic literature.

Rating: grades K-6

Time Warp Trio vol 1 Nightmare on Joe’s Street by Rau, Zachary

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Notes: Joe and Sam meet Frankenstein and travel back to the nineteenth century to return the monster to Mary Shelley. Presented in graphic novel format.

Review: Scieszka's popular Time Warp Trio series has been adapted into an animated television series and is now available in graphic-novel adaptations of the series episodes, using screen captures of the animation to illustrate the books. Fans of the print and television series, enjoy this reworking, and the book might lead reluctant and struggling readers to Scieszka's original stories.

Rating: grades 3-6

Tiny Tyrant by Trondheim, Lewis and Parme, Fabrice

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Notes: Translations into English of eight French stories originally published 2001-2004. A collection of twelve comics featuring King Ethelbert, a six-year-old tyrant who expects odd things from the people of his kingdom.

Review: Reviewers compare this to Calvin and Hobbes, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and Pink Panther, which tells me it has a pretty broad appeal!

Rating: grades 3-6

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