I love graphic novels so much! These books tell smart, intelligent stories in an appealing visual format. Many parents complain that these books aren't "real" books. I would put to you that these books draw kids in, teach them to use context clues for new vocabulary, and encourage critical thinking and making predictions. How? Because of the white space. That space in between the picture panels... it forces readers to make predictions and draw conclusions based upon what they read in the previous panel and what is portrayed in the second panel. Bonus points for increasing reading fluency and enhancing vocabulary.
Not every kid is going to love every book. But in the summer, kids get to choose whatever they want to read. And if that book encourages them to read through 10 or more books in a series and it encourages development of the higher order thinking skills that teachers spend all year teaching - what a great, painless way to reinforce what they just spent the last nine+ months working on!
As a parent, I am a fan of anything that my kids willingly pick up to read. The job of the school is literally to teach my kids how to read and understand what they've read. MY JOB is the best one - I get to teach them to love reading!
And so, I present to you my favorite Graphic Novels and Graphic Novel Crossovers for this summer! If you've never read a graphic novel before, I think these are a great place to start!
image: worldcat.org
This book! I read this book first, and enjoyed it so much I went back and read the entire rest of the series! These crime fighting gators are dueling against the Rock Mobster (a lobster) and his evil crew as they work to find out what is happening to the glowing rocks? In order to efficiently move from location to location the gators travel through toilets. The puns! Both visual and printed, the puns made this book an absolute gem!
Maggie keeps a D-20 die in her pocket. She rolls it every time she needs to make a decision. Everything from whether to make new friends to answering questions in class - it is all determined by a roll of the die. As Maggie settles into middle school, she joins the RPG club and makes a wonderful new group of friends from all over the school who love Role Playing Games as much as she does. But, there’s a monster stalking the grounds of Lilac Middle School. A mysterious monster that is rustling around the school grounds and eating bicycles.
As the monster draws nearer to the school, will Maggie be able to conquer her fears and track down the monster?
Note: I had this book with me at an outreach event. Kids were so interested in this book that they were asking questions about the book and having their parents taking pictures of the book cover so that they could check it out. There was a hold list on the book when I returned my copy last week after finishing up my book talks.
Image: worldcat.org
Ruth is a young journalist who is determined to uncover a secret that threatens her town. When she discovers a strange black slime in the man-made lake of her suburban neighborhood, She decides that she needs to investigate. Encouraged by her parents and teachers, Ruth investigates everyone, including the owner of the country club, who she believes is responsible for the pollution. Between the teasing from the friends at school, and a sudden viral spotlight on social media, Ruth discovers how difficult it is for a journalist to take a stand for what's right
image: worldcat.orgBen is your average, ordinary 8 year old who loves eating noodles more than anything else until that fateful day that he opens a fortune cookie that says “live each day as if it were your last.” Ben is now convinced that he has just one day to do everything he has ever wanted to do. So, he makes a list. A list that includes things like “Finish putting together my 1,000 piece model of the Taj Mahal. Make a cake. Play Clair de Lune all the way through without messing up, and “Jump over Mr. Hoggenwoff’s prize winning hedge.”
Ben’s quest to finish everything on his list in just one day leads him on a hysterical, slightly terrifying journey that just might end up being the very worst day of his life.
image: worldcat.org Portico Reeves is a real life super hero named Stuntboy. At least, in his head he is. He works hard to keep his friends and his family safe. And like every super hero, he has an arch nemesis who is determined to prove to everyone that Stuntboy is not as wonderful as he thinks he is. But, when his parents start fighting, Stuntboy faces his biggest challenge yet: to keep his two biggest heroes (mom and dad) safe.
How can you not love a book written by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Raul the Third?
Unless otherwise noted, these images were taken by me, Library Nut.
