Graphic Novels/Comics – Page 14

Top Checked Out Books by Kellee’s Middle School Readers 2014-2015

April 22, 2023June 26, 2015 by Kellee

As part of our blogiversary, Ricki and I decided to revisit some of our favorite posts and recreate them with a new twist. My original post, on July 28th, 2013, shared my recommendation for books that struggling/reluctant readers had enjoyed in my classroom. Although many of these books are still favorites, thought it would be interesting to let the students speak for themselves.

I have a mix of students who check out from my classroom library; however, the students who visit the most are from our intensive reading classes which is an intervention class for students reading below grade level. I did decide, though, not to include the word “struggling” in my title because this is a list of books that all readers of all levels can enjoy.

Today I am going to share the top books that were checked out from my classroom library this last year.
**I did combine some series into one if all of the books in the series were high volume check outs.**

Tied for 15. Hereville by Barry Deutsch

Tied for 15. Missile Mouse: Rescue on Tankium 3 by Jake Parker

Tied for 15. Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri

14. Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice by Mike Maihack

13. Bad Island by Doug TenNapel

12. Tommysaurus Rex by Doug TenNapel

Review of Tommysaurus Rex

11. Scorch Trials (#2 in the Maze Runner series) by James Dashner

10. Teen Boat! by Dave Roman

9. Mal and Chad (series) by Stephen McCranie

8. Cow Boy by Nate Cosby

7. Bird and Squirrel: On the Run by James Burks

6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (specifically The Long Haul, Hard Luck, and The Third Wheel) by Jeff Kinney

5. Hazardous Tales (series; I only had #1, 2, & 3 in my library last year) by Nathan Hale

Review of Hazardous Tales #4: The Underground Abductor

4. Drama by Raina Telgemeier

3. Explorer (#1 & #2) edited by Kazu Kibuishi

Review of Explorer: The Lost Islands

2. Smile and Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

1. Amulet (series) by Kazu Kibuishi
**By far the most popular book in my classroom since book #1 came out**

As you can see from the list, graphic novels are very popular with my readers. To be more precise, 34 of my top 35 checked out books were graphic or illustrated novels/series.

I think there are many reasons why graphic novels are favorites: helps students visualize, fun to read as many of these students have only found reading to be a horrible chore, and colorful! Graphic novels are something I truly believe will help students love reading more and become better readers, and if you look at how much these students are reading and increasing in their reading ability, I think they back me up. (To see more research about the importance of graphic novels, check out my graphic novel teaching guide with Abrams.)

What books/series do you find to be most popular with your middle school readers who are reading below grade level?
Have you found success with the books I listed above?
Have you read any of the books I’ve listed? Did you enjoy them?

I hope this list of books helps point you in the direction of some texts that your struggling readers will truly love!

Review and Teaching Guide!: Harzadous Tales: The Underground Abductor by Nathan Hale

August 21, 2016May 27, 2015 by Kellee

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

The Underground Abductor
Author and Illustrator: Nathan Hale
Published April 21st, 2015 by Amulet Books

Goodreads Summary: Araminta Ross was born a slave in Delaware in the early 19th century. Slavery meant that her family could be ripped apart at any time, and that she could be put to work in dangerous places and for abusive people. But north of the Mason-Dixon line, slavery was illegal. If she could run away and make it north without being caught or killed, she’d be free. Facing enormous danger, Araminta made it, and once free, she changed her name to Harriet Tubman. Tubman spent the rest of her life helping slaves run away like she did, every time taking her life in her hands. Nathan Hale tells her incredible true-life story with the humor and sensitivity he’s shown in every one of the Hazardous Tales—perfect for reluctant readers and classroom discussions.

My Review: I love this entire series! Nathan Hale has taken history and made it accessible (with a dash of humor!). If you don’t the concept of the series, it revolves around Nathan Hale the Revolutionary War spy who, in the first book, was eaten by a history book so now knows all that has happened in history and is sharing it with the hangman and British officer who are guarding him before he is executed. The first book is Hale’s own story and then each of the following are his telling of different times in history.

This installment of Hale’s graphic novel series may be my favorite so far. I found it to be the most intense of his stories even though it is up against stories of wars, but Harriet Tubman’s story is one of one person’s resilience in the face of pure doom. Although it is evident through any story you hear of Harriet how truly brave she was, Nathan Hale’s story immerses you into Harriet’s life and shows you how much she truly did and faced.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book is written to start discussions (in reading/language arts OR social studies)! I was lucky enough to write the teaching guide for The Underground Abductor (as well as the rest of the series!), and I have included some of my discussion questions below.

I could also see Hale’s Hazardous Tales being used in lit circles with each group reading a different one of the tales. This could lead to wonderful discussions about each time in history. Students could then present their history to the rest of the class.

Discussion Questions:

When Araminta heard the story of Moses and the pharaoh, she envisioned Moses as a slave and the pharaoh as an owner (page 15). How does Moses’s story compare to a traditional story of a slave? Harriet is later called “Moses” or “Black Moses.” How does Harriet’s story compare to Moses’s?
How did Nat Turner’s rebellion affect slave laws (page 21)? He meant to make a positive change, but it actually turned negative. How? Why?
On page 44, Nathan Hale personifies debt as the ghosts and men Minty had been dreaming about. Why is debt shown as a terrifying thing? How did Mr. Brodess’s debt affect Mindy and her family?
Complete a character web with adjectives describing Harriet Tubman. What type of person was she that allowed her to overcome a debilitating injury and slavery?

Book Trailer:

Read This If You Loved: Hazardous Tales series by Nathan Hale, March by John Robert Lewis, Stolen Into Slavery by Judith Bloom Fradin, Elijah Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Morgan at Abrams Books for providing a copy of the book!**

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

May 3, 2015April 30, 2015 by Kellee

Roller Girl
Author and Illustrator: Victoria Jamieson
Published March 10th, 2015 by Dial Books

Goodreads Summary: For most of her twelve years, Astrid has done everything with her best friend Nicole. But after Astrid falls in love with roller derby and signs up for derby camp, Nicole decides to go to dance camp instead. And so begins the most difficult summer of Astrid’s life as she struggles to keep up with the older girls at camp, hang on to the friend she feels slipping away, and cautiously embark on a new friendship. As the end of summer nears and her first roller derby bout (and junior high!) draws closer, Astrid realizes that maybe she is strong enough to handle the bout, a lost friendship, and middle school… in short, strong enough to be a roller girl.

In her graphic novel debut, real-life derby girl Victoria Jamieson has created an inspiring coming-of-age story about friendship, perseverence, and girl power!

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: How did I not read this book the instant it came out?! First, it has eye-catching, colorful artwork which is my favorite in graphic novels. Yes, everyone is comparing it to Raina’s work, and I can see why, because they are both just so well done and fun to read. Second, it is such a girl power book. Not an over-the-top girl power book, but it is a book about being a girl and being awesome at it. Third, it has roller derby in it! I love that we get to learn about the sport with Astrid. Fourth, the book has an awesome mom! Even when Astrid is complaining about her, she is being awesome (like taking her to poetry readings and the art museum). Fifth, this book is also about friendships and the ebbs and flows that come with teenage friends. Finally, it is about putting your mind to something and doing it! Astrid works her butt off, and it pays off. I think Roller Girl is also a great jumping off point to talk about bullying, friendship, and working hard to meet a goal.

This book is going to be loved by fans of Raina Telgemeier, El Deafo, The Dumbest Idea Ever!, Astronaut Academy, and Cleopatra in Space. It is definitely going to make the rounds in my classroom library!

Discussion Questions: How should Astrid had dealt with Nicole not going to derby camp?; Have you had a friend like Nicole?; Astrid really wants to learn roller derby; Nicole wants to get better at ballet–what is your passion?; How did Rainbow Brite help Astrid?; What do you think about Astrid’s mom?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: Smile, Sisters, and Drama by Raina Telgemeier, El Deafo by Cece Bell, The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley, Astronaut Academy by Dave Roman, Cleopatra in Space by Mike Maihack

Recommended For:

Jellaby: The Lost Monster & Jellaby: A Monster in the City by Kean Soo

April 11, 2015March 6, 2015 by Kellee

Jellaby
Author & Illustrator: Kean Soo
Published February, 2008 by Hyperion Books for Children
(Rereleased in 2014 by Stone Arch Books)

Jellaby
Author & Illustrator: Kean Soo
Published April, 2009 by Hyperion Books for Children
(Rereleased in 2014 by Stone Arch Books)

Jellaby Goodreads Summary: Quiet, brilliant Portia has just moved to a new neighborhood with her mom. Adjusting to life without a father is hard enough, but school is boring and her classmates are standoffish — and even Portia’s mom is strangely distant. But things start looking up when Portia mounts a late-night excursion into the woods behind her house and discovers a shy, sweet-natured purple monster. Life with Jellaby is a lot more exciting, but Portia’s purple friend has secrets of his own; secrets that may even lead to the mystery of Portia’s father’s disappearance!

Jellaby: Monster in the City Goodreads Summary: As Portia, Jason, and Jellaby continue their journey through the city of Toronto, Portia is torn between her friendship with Jellaby and her duty to help the sweet monster find his way back to his home. How can Portia say goodbye forever, when Jellaby has become her best friend?
But the clues leading them to Jellaby’s origins begin to turn sinister. When a hooded wizard introduces them to another monster like Jellaby, Portia and her purple friend are in for a gruesome shock — this monster befriends children, too — and then she eats them Now Portia must find a home for Jellaby, save Jason from the grasping tentacles of his new “best friend,” and come to terms with the mysterious disappearance of her father. It’s a lot to take on, but Portia is mad, bad, and ready to kick some monster butt.

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I am a big fan of the mostly single color comics (ala Babymouse, Lunch Lady, etc.) and Jellaby is one as well with primarily purple in its illustrations. Also, Kean Soo’s style of illustrations are perfect for the story he is telling. They are very comicy, but realistic and filled with emotions.

This little graphic novel has a lot of heart in it. Portia, Jason (her classmate) and Jellaby all feel abandoned and the story is not only about finding where Jellaby belongs, but also helping Portia and Jason feel like they belong as well.

You will want the second one as soon as you are done, so make sure you have it available! And luckily, this sequel is a continuation of the first Jellaby because that one definitely left you hanging and the story does not disappoint. You see the characters growing so much through this journey even when they encounter obstacles that they shouldn’t be able to overcome. I, personally, didn’t like this one as much as the first one because I wish it had more answers, but I truly loved the ending. I am sad that there is no more Jellaby, but luckily the author has extras on his website!! I will be buying both for my classroom.

Discussion Questions: Portia doesn’t feel like she fits in at her new school- when was a time that you felt like you didn’t belong? How did you deal with the situation?

We Flagged: “I hope you like Tuna. I remember mom making me a tuna sandwich for my first day of school. It was terrible. My first day of school, I mean, not the sandwich. We had just moved out here, and I didn’t know anyone at all. Everyone was so strange and they all had their own friends anyway. I really didn’t want to be there, so I snuck out at lunchtime and ate my sandwich out on the bleachers. Now whenever I smell tuna, I always think about that first day.” (Jellaby p. 28-29)

Since the snatch doesn’t give you the full picture, below you will find the an interview with Kean Soo to give you an idea of the drawing style:

Read This If You Loved: Bone (series) by Jeff Smith, Zita and the Spacegirl (series) by Ben Hatke, Sidekicks by Dan Santat

Recommended For:

**Thank you Netgalley and Stone Arch Books for providing the e-galleys**

Top Ten Tuesday: Graphic Novels We Can’t Believe We Haven’t Read Yet

August 4, 2016February 3, 2015 by Ricki

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Today’s Topic: Top Ten Graphic Novels We Can’t Believe We Haven’t Read Yet

We don’t feature graphic novels often on TTT posts. The Broke and the Bookish allowed us to pick any genre/form, so we were excited to explore graphic novels this week.

Ricki

1. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

I have always wanted to read this GN. Everyone raves about it. Now, I wish I had added it to my #mustreadin2015 list!

2. Maus II by Art Speigelman

I loved Maus I, so I would love to read the sequel.

3. Blankets by Craig Thompson

This graphic novel has received rave reviews, and the cover is beautiful

4. Stitches by David Small

Ever since this book came out, it has been on my TBR list. Why the heck haven’t I read it yet?

5. El Deafo by Cece Bell

Arg! Why haven’t I read this yet? It is on so many lists of top books from last year.

Kellee

I love graphic novels, and they are a large portion of my reading each year. These are the ones I just haven’t gotten around to yet.

1. Blankets by Craig Thompson

This is the one that I hear about the most when I say I love graphic novels: “You haven’t read Blankets?!“

2. The rest of the Fables series by Bill Willingham

I read the first 12 of this series, and I was sucked into the world. Now I just need to read the rest of the GNs that have come out (and I’ll maybe need to reread the first 12).

3. Spin offs of Fables by Bill Willingham

Fables has a couple of spin off series that I would love to read as well.

4. Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang

I cannot believe I haven’t read these yet! I love Yang’s work, and I own them! Unacceptable.

5. Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan

The premise of this GN series sounds so fascinating! “Y” is the only living male on the planet after a plague killed off all humans with the Y chromosome. Crazy!

Which graphic novels do you want to read?

and

Nonfiction Graphic Novels

October 22, 2014 by Kellee

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

Although many elementary students enjoy and love nonfiction, this love tapers off when students get to middle school. Very few of my students read nonfiction at all. However, there is a wonderful thing happening that is helping increase the amount of nonfiction read in my school: memoir and informational nonfiction graphic novels. Here are some that I have read that my students and/or I have truly enjoyed.
(Clicking on any cover will take you to the Goodreads page or my review.)

Children’s/Middle Grade

primates

Middle Grade/YA

Hope you and your students enjoy some nonfiction graphic novels!

Captain Underpants Series by Dav Pilkey

October 12, 2015October 17, 2014 by Kellee

Captain Underpants series
Author: Dav Pilkey
#1: Adventures of Captain Underpants published September 1st, 1997 by Scholastic, Inc.
#11: Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 published August 26th, 2014 by Scholastic Inc.

Goodreads Summary #1: Pilkey plays with words and pictures, providing great entertainment. The story is immediately engaging – two fourth-grade boys who write comic books and love to pull pranks find themselves in big trouble. Mean Mr. Krupp, their principal, videotapes George and Harold setting up their stunts and threatens to expose them. The boys’ luck changes when they send for a 3-D Hypno-Ring and hypnotize Krupp, turning him into Captain Underpants, their own superhero creation.

Goodreads Summary #11: When the Incredible Robo-Plunger defeated the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, George and Harold thought their toilet troubles were over. Unfortunately, their porcelain problems were only beginning . . . Just when you thought it was safe to flush . . . The Turbo Toilet 2000 strikes back! The carnivorous commode known for devouring everything in its path has built up a real appetite . . . for REVENGE! Join Captain Underpants for another epic showdown of Wedgie Power vs. Potty Power as our tighty-whitey-wearing superhero GOES TO ELEVEN!

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Ever since I started teaching I have had Captain Underpants fans in my classroom. Readers (especially boys though, like all books, it is not exclusive) love these books. When I started teaching intensive reading, my students loved that I read so much but were astonished that I had never read a Captain Underpants book. So, during the summer of 2012, I read the entire series that was out at the time. And suprsingly, I am happy I did. I enjoyed the books so much, and I found many different ways that I could use in the series in classroom. As I read I not only enjoyed the stories (well most of them; the booger one was quite gross), but I kept notes on different ways each book could be a mentor text. I know that students already love the books so I would love to be able to use them in the classroom. I think that part of what makes Pilkey’s humor work is that he never talks down to his reader. The humor is intelligent and witty, and he makes sure to have his books be as entertaining as possible to keep the reader’s attention.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Some of my favorite things that are addressed in the series are spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and puns. The spelling is not directly addressed; however, Harold and George misspell a lot of words and it would be good to use to talk about phonics and spelling. Also, each book begins with an anagram which is great word play. The grammar is sporadic only showing up in some books, but the vocabulary is in all of them. Some vocabulary I found was billowing, narratively convenient, fizzled, improbability, jubilant, mock, scurried, and merciless and that is just in book 3! Also the puns in each book are really quite clever (check out p. 34 in #11 and any of the flip-o-ramas to see what I mean). Each book also has some great alliteration (#11, p. 29, 27, 208)- each title alone has alliteration in them. There are also allusions and onomatopoeias!

Additionally, I love the set up of the novels. They are a great mix of novel, graphic novel, comics, and picture books. It is a great transition between picture books and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I especially like the flip-o-ramas. They are unique to the Captain Underpants books and I think it puts a great interactive and kinesthetic feel to the books.

One thing I do not understand is why these books are challenged. Yes, they have some potty humor. Yes, the adults aren’t the best representation of teachers. Yes, it is silly. But they are harmless and actually have some really great qualities to them.

Discussion Questions: In the first Captain Underpants, Harold and George brainstorm a superhero including his name and then create a comic based on their superhero. With a partner, brainstorm a name for a superhero and then complete a story to go along with your superhero. To expand it even more, complete a comic for your superhero.; In #11 novel, time travel plays a large part of in the plot. What event could you go back in time to try to change?; In some of the Captain Underpants books, there are grammar, convention, and spelling mistakes. Why do you think Dav Pilkey makes the choice to use incorrect grammar? What mistakes idd you find?; In #11, Harold and George end up being cloned (kind of). What would you do if there were two of you?

We Flagged (#11):

Read These If You Loved: Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney, Big Nate series by Lincoln Peirce, Charlie Joe Jackson series by Tommy Greenwald, The Adventures of Ook & Gluk and Super Diaper Baby series by Dav Pilkey, Lunch Lady series by Jarrett Krosoczka, Frankie Pickle series by Eric Wight, Knights of the Lunch Table series by Frank Cammuso

Recommended For: