Graphic Novels

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Art and Adaption by Young Kim. Ages 14 and up. Having read the original version of Twilight, I enjoyed seeing the bright and energetic illustrations in this graphic novel to tell the story. I liked how this book used both black and white and colors pictures giving a clear description of different scenes. The orignial story comes to life in this version because you can see the emotions that Bella and Edward are feeling towards each other in their illustrations. This book is perfect for teenage girls interested in a fantasy genre.


Baby Mouse: Beach Babe by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. Ages 7 and up. This silly graphic novel tells a story of a nosy little brother trying to get attention from his big sister, Baby Mouse to play with him. Baby Mouse ignores her little brother multiple times because she is so excited to explore the beach on her own. She does all kinds of activities like surfing and tanning in the sun. However, her activities don't see to go right and she realizes she isn't having that much fun alone. Baby Mouse decides to play with her brother at the beach instead and they have a blast. This story is relatable for girls who have pesky little brothers that are always trying to get their attention.


Hansel and Gretel by Donald Lemke. Ages 8 and up. This creatively illustrated graphic novel gives a twist to the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. I feel that children who have read the original fairy tale will enjoy the vibrant and colorful illustrations in this book. I like how the colors of the characters and the backgrounds changed throughout the story to express different feeling of terror or hunger that the characters felt at that moment.


The Donner Party by Scott R. Welvaert. Ages 8 and up. This graphic novel is an excellent way to get boys interested in learning about history. This book can be used as an introduction to learning about the families heading out west to start a new life and hoping to get rich. The Donner Party is group of people who took their wagons and headed to California from Missouri. These people got caught in bad snowstorms when trying to cross the Sierra Nevadas. Many of the families died from starvation and their oxen got buried in the snow. I like how this book lists several facts about the Donnor Party at the end of the story that the reader may not know.



Bigfoot: A North American Legend by Jack DeMolay. Ages 7 and up. I think that children who are curious about different legends and find it fun to read about things that are out of the ordinary would be eager to read this book. It doesn't say whether there is enough proof for or against the existence of Bigfoot. It is left up to the reader to use their imagination and decide whether they want to believe in the existence of Bigfoot or not. The story talks about people who have claimed to have seen Bigfoot and others who say they have real pictures of him.


King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by M.C. Hall. Grades 4-6. I feel that this graphic novel is geared towards boys interested in knights battling against monsters. This book has mini adventures that King Arthur and his knights, specifically Lancelot went on to save thier kingdom. The story beginnings when Arthur is a boy and the king dies in his land. A sword is put in a stone by a wizard, Merlin that only the next true king can pull out of the stone and that king becomes Arthur. I think that this is a good independent read for boys that like graphic novels.


Slow Storm by Danica Novgorodoff. Grades 10 and up. I felt that this graphic novel was very confusing and hard to follow what was going on. The dialogue switches back and forth from English to Spanish, but doesn't give a translation of what the Spanish words mean. The story jumps from one scene to the next and doesn't explain how the next scene falls into the story. I also felt that the book used sexual innuendos in the words and illustrations that were out of place and unnecessary to the story. I think that this graphic novel wouldn't be inappropriate to have in a school library. Along with the sexual innuendos, the book uses multiple curses, and some religion in the story and I feel that some parents might challenge this book.



The Sinking of the Titanic by Matt Doeden. Ages 8 and up. The illustrations in this book give a depiction of the panic and devastation that the passengers felt when the Titanic was sinking. I like how sounds words were bold and highlighted across the page. This was used to describe the power of impact when the Titanic hit the iceberg and when the Titanic split in half as it was sinking. The differences in the feeling of dread from passengers to the band playing calm and still is clearly defined in the illustrations. This book gives websites and other books at the end of the story that are related to learning more about the Titanic.


The Boxcar Children by Shannon Eric Denton. Grades 2 and up. I didn't like the illustrations in this graphic novel. I felt that they were blurry and the features of the characters weren't clear. I think that this book would be appropriate for boys or girls. I think that this book could incite interest in children to want to read the Boxcar Children novels and engage them in reading several books from the series. I feel that this book can be used as a read aloud because it is short and appealing for young students.



The Babysitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea by Raina Telgemeier. Ages 9 and up. When I was twelve I used to babysit for my neighbors. I put out fliers and would get calls to babysit. This book talked about different babysitting experiences that the four girls had while babysitting. I found some of the experiences funny because I was able to connect them to my own experiences. I think that this book is excellent for girls because the different four girls are unique in their own way and can be seen as relatable. This book discusses friendship and being patient by listening to others. The girls got into a fight in the story, but they were able to talk out their problems and become friends again.

Historical Fiction Books

One Eye Laughing, The Other Weeping by Barry Denenberg. Ages 9 and up. This story is about a Jewish girl, Julie Weiss that lived in Austria during the time the Nazis occupied it. Her diary talks about the hardships that her family faced during the occupation and the impact it had on her. Being that this diary is based on a true story, I found this book shocking and devasting for a twelve year old girl to have gone through what she did during this time period. Julie was eventually sent to America to live with her aunt and had to start her life over in a brand new environment.


Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess by Carolyn Meyer. Ages 9 and up. This diary looks at Anastasia's family life as the daughter of Tsar Nicholas of Russia. Anastasia lived a comfortable life until the first World War and her father abdicated his position as Tsar. This book describes Anastasia's move from the palace with her family to going into hiding in Siberia. The diary leads up to the final days of Anastasia and her family's lives until their execution. I found it disturbing and upsetting that the diary has no real ending because the family was murdered.


Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop. Ages 10 and up. I liked how the children in this book outwitted soldiers who were looking for Jewish children that were hidden in their house. The children were brave and stood their ground instead of revealing where the Jewish children were hiding. It was because of their courage that the Jewish children survived and were safe for the remainder of World War two. I think that this book is good for older elementary students because it shows the importance of sticking up for what is right no matter what.


The Little Ships: The Heroic Rescue at Dunkirk in World War II by Louise Borden. Ages 9 and up. This story is about a little girl who helped her father and his men rescue British and French soldiers trapped by the German army. The book is very descriptive on what she feels, and sees during the rescue. This gives the reader an understanding of what it may have felt like to be there at this time and how frightening it was for the soldiers who were being rescued.


Under the Quilt of Night by Deborah Hopkinson. Ages 5 and up. I like how this story flows together and has a rhythm to it. The way the story is written in short phrases and sentences keeps the story moving from one part to the next keeping the reader hanging out to read what is going to happen next. The pictures also flow with the woods showing the intensity of the slaves running to escape their overseer. The first page from left to right shows the people far away blurred and then they get closer as you move across the page until they are in clear view.


Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey. Ages 4 and up. This book has a poem at the beginning and end of the story to get the reader into what the story is about. Katie Casey is one of the first woman to play baseball for an All American Girls Professional Baseball League despite people who doubted that girls could play baseball. Katie proved the crowd wrong when she hit a homerun for her team. This story is based on the time period when men were sent to war and fans still wanted to see their favorite pastime, baseball. Women were then given a chance to be on a professional baseball team. This story shows girl readers that they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up and don't have to be restricted to certain jobs just because they are a girl.


Boom Town by Sonia Levitin. Ages 5 and up. This story is about a girl Amanda whose family moves to California to try to strike rich by finding gold. Unfortunetly, Amanda's father comes home with empty pockets. Amanda decides to start making pies and her pies soon become popular throughout the town. It is with Amanda's pie that turns into the family's bakery that begins the opening of shops, hotels, and banks. The town that once just relied on men trying to find gold became a booming town of people selling and buying from one another. This book uses rhyming words to detail how the town grew and became successful.


Tricking the Tallyman by Jacqueline Davies. Ages 5 and up. This silly tale gives children an understanding on what a census is and how a census what done in 1790. A U.S. census taker comes to a town called Tunbridge to take a tally of how many people live there. At first the townspeople don't want the census taker to count all the people because they are afraid that they will have to pay more taxes if their is a lot of people. The town hides some people and the census taker counts the wrong amount. The tallyman than starts to leave, but the town hears that the more people that are counted the more votes the town will get. The town then calls the tallyman back. This story uses slapstick humor to show how hard it was for the census taker to get a tally for the exact amount of people during this time period.

Going North by Janice N. Harrington. Ages 5 and up. The use of words and repetition in this story makes the words run smoothly. I like how the some words are repeated and written in bold for emphasis to describe how of the little girl telling the story. Onomonopia is used in this story as well, so that the reader can see and hear the story in their mind while reading the words. I didn't like how the illustrations were blurred. I would have liked clearer illustrations of the characters and story line. This book could accompany a poetry unit on free verse in school or a unit on the slaves moving from the South to the North to start a new free life for themselves.


Coolies by Yin. Ages 5 and up. This book recognizes the dedication and hard work the Chinese immigrants put into making the railroad. Two Chinese brothers came to America for work because their family was starving in China. The brothers were hired by the Centrail Pacific Railroad Company and that is where they worked for four years until the railroad was finished. At the celebration for finishing the railroad, managers and other workers were invited but the Chinese were not. This story gives the reader a Chinese worker perspective during the building of the railroad. I liked how the illustrations in this book were descriptive down to the littlest details.

Multicultural Books

Mansa Musa by Khephra Burns. Ages 10 and up. I found some of the parts in this book confusing and at times got names of people are places mixed up. The book was long for a picture book and would work best as an independent read. The character Kankan gets taken from his home and travels on a long journey of self discovery to figure out who he is. The reader follows Kankan in his journey through the desert until he eventually finds his way home and shares his discoveries with his people.


Home Now by Lesley Beake. Ages 4 and up. A young African girl loses her mother and father due to sickness. Sieta learns to adjust to her new life with her aunt by forming a bond with an orphan elephant at the elephant park. I think that this book is good for a child who may be coping with the loss of a family member. Sieta realizes that she is not the only one who has lost parents because the elephant has as well.


Halmoni's Day by Edna Coe Bercaw. Ages 5 and up. Jennifer's grandmother, Halmoni visits her in America from Korea. Halmoni attends Jennifer's school for Grandparents Day. Jennifer is worried about what story Halmoni might share with the class because she doesn't speak any English and the other students' grandparents are from America. Halmoni tells a heartwarming story of her life in Korea with Jennifer's mother translating. The students are entranced by Halmoni's story and Jennifer is proud to have her as her grandmother. The pictures in this book were very life like and kept me absorbed in the story.


The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco. Ages 4 and up. This story is about the traditions of a Jewish family that came to America from Russia. The narrator is the author telling her own life and her memories of a quilt that has been passed on from generation to generation in her family. I like how the author talked about how family traditions changed some as a new generation came along. However, the use of the quilt as a blanket, tablecloth or a "huppa" to get married under remained the same as it was passed along from one family member to the next.


The Stars in my Geddoh's Sky by Claire Sidhom Matze. Ages 4 and up. Alex's "geddoh" which means grandfather in Arabic, comes to visit him in America. Alex learns about his grandfather's life in Arabia and the culture that his grandfather is used to. Alex teaches his grandfather how to play baseball with him and how to speak some English. I think that this book could be used in an Elementary class to discuss different cultures and the differences between them.


Love as Strong as Ginger by Lenore Look. Ages 4 and up. This story looks at Katie's grandmothers life working at a cannery cracking crabs. Katie goes to the cannery with her grandmother and realizes how demanding the job is. Cracking crabs was the only job her grandmother could get because she didn't speak English. Katie's grandmother is Chinese. This book looks at the hardship of her grandmother working just to make a small amount of money and the conditions she has to work in.


Peacebound Trains by Haemi Balgassi. Ages 8 and up. The pictures in this book are very bold and life like making you feel as if you are in the story with the characters. The scenes with snow or water shows it blowing around giving the reader a glimpse of what it must have felt like to be enduring the conditions that the characters faced. I felt that the ending to this story was sad because Sumi is sitting with her grandmother or "harmuny" in Korean waiting and wondering if her mother is going to come back from the army to her.

Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say. Ages 4 and up. The author narrators the story of his own grandfather's life and journey back and forth from Japan to California. I thought that the story was sad because the author like his grandfather found himself homesick for either Japan or California when he was staying at the opposite place. It seemed as if him and his grandfather were lost and torn between being able to be content in one place. The pictures in this story show a beautiful depiction of the author's travels.


Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco. Ages 4 and up. This book shows the true meaning of friendship between a black boy and an old Jewish woman. Larnel visits Mrs. Katz often and keeps her company since her husband past away. He learns about her Jewish traditions and spends Passover with her. He also gives Mrs. Katz a cat and the two of them bond with the cat. This story can be used when discussing friendship in a classroom and how friendships can be formed no matter how old or young a person is.


Tea with Milk by Allen Say. Ages 5 and up. I found the beginning of this story upsetting because May lived in the United States and was happy. Her parents then moved with her to Japan and she couldn't get used to the differences in the two lifestyles. May seemed lost and confused in Japan. However, at the end of the story May was able to join both worlds together when she married a man who spoke English. She was finally happy. I liked how May still held onto her American ways, but was able to invite new Japanese ways into her life as well.


One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. Ages 9 and up. I felt bad for Delphine and her sisters throughout this story because no matter how much they tried to get attention from their mother she ignored their tries. I felt that Delphine was a strong willed character and she put her sisters before herself in every situation. Delphine even cut down her bath time because she knew she would have to get back to her sisters so that they wouldnt fit. However, I also found it sad that Delphine was missing out on being a child herself because she is only eleven and can't take the weight of the world on her shoulders all the time. I think that Delphine's character is a good role model of someone who is selfless and determined to pull together a family even though pieces are missing.

Newberry and Alex Award Books

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman. Ages 8 and up. This silly tale tells a story of a mischievous prince and his actions causing turmoil for his whipping boy. The prince and his whipping boy run away and their wild adventures together end up bring them together as friends. The two boys find themselves caught by thieves and they must outwit them to escape.


Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. Ages 4 and up. This book uses simple and descriptive language to describe Sarah and her time spent with her soon to be new family. This book is an easy read for young to older children. Anna and Caleb are eager to show Sarah their home and learn all about her past home in this story. The children make a special bond with Sarah and are happy when she decides to stay with them.


Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. Ages 8 and up. I found the accents used by the people in this book were confusing and some of the references were hard to understand. I found that I struggled to get through this book. I kept waiting for the plot to grab my attention, however I felt that the story dragged and I was losing interest.


Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Ages 13 and up. Ella is put under a spell of always being obedient and she must do what others tell her whether it is good or bad. Ella is a genuine and relatable character to a young teenager reading this book. The story will keep you cheering on Ella and hoping that she will be able to undo her spell so she can win her prince charming back. I liked the magical creatures and Ella's interactions with them as she journeyed to try and free herself from the spell.


Holes by Louis Sachar. Ages 10 and up. This book was one of my favorities when I was younger. The story line is funny and unique, making you feel for Stanley and the misfortune that seems to fall onto him and his family. The family likes to blame their misforturne on Stanley's "no good dirty rotten pig stealing great great grandfather." However, as the story unfolds all of the events that took place in the past end up connecting to the present and Stanley's luck turns good.


Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Ages 9 and up. This book gives you a glimpse of what it was like for Jewish people in Denmark during Nazi occupation in 1943. This story shows the fear and pain that the people of Denmark went through during this time and honors the people who risked their lives to help Jewish people escape the Nazis. The story is told through a ten year old girl's point of view and her determination to help her Jewish friend and her friend's family.


The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman. Ages 9 and up. I felt that this book was sad and depressing. A girl who decides to name herself Alyce has no family and nowhere to go. She has to constantly struggle by working to get some food for herself. Alyce is hired by a midwife, but the midwife and the village people are cruel to Alyce. The story is about Alyce trying to figure out what she wants with her life to be content. Through her time working as a Midwife's Apprentice, she decides that that is who she wants to be and wants to learn how to one day become a midwife herself.

 
The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds. Ages 8 and up. This short and very detailed book shows a ten year old boy's bravery that rescues his family from Indians. Edward's father goes away and when the Indians arrive at Edward's home he fires his father's Matchlock Gun killing three Indians and scaring the rest away. It is because of his courage that his mother and sister are safe. I feel that as a reader you admire Edward's courage when he fires the gun at the Indians to be able to save his family. I liked how this book used both black and white and colored pictures throughout to give the reader a visual of what was happening.


Room by Emma Donoghue. Grades 11th and 12th. The narrator of this book is a five year old telling the story from his point of view. The language that is used is simple and written as if the five year old was writing the story. I liked that the little boy told the story because it gave me a different perspective of what it must have felt like to be trapped in a tiny room all your life and not know anything different. I sympathized with his character and was happy when he was able to escape the room with his mother, but also understood his confusion as to learning everything about life outside of the room for the first time.