GRAPHIC NOVELS HITTING THE SHELVES

One of the new trends in the library, and in Sycamore Park's library, is the presence of graphic novels. Many people dismiss graphic novels because they connect them to comic books. Some say they don't have a serious place in the library and in the students' journey to literacy. However, graphic novels are important in so many ways! As Macmillan.com says so well, "graphic novels are a great way to go for kids making the transition from image-centric books to more text-based books, and for those just learning English". Pictures give visual hints about what is happening in the story if children are struggling with the words. Also, because the story is told with panels of pictures, the students are challenged to think critically as they move from panel to panel. Macmillan's PDF about graphic novels and their place in the classroom is linked here and is an interesting read.

I can tell you that in Sycamore Park's library, graphic novels are EXTREMELY popular, and our collection is continuing to grow. They can sometimes be difficult to find because they are often placed in the nonfiction as they are considered a form of art. I have outlined some of the library's new and popular graphic novel series below in case your students (or you) are interested in checking them out! Some of them are quite entertaining!

Pilot & Huxley
Taken from Amazon.com: Pilot & Huxley get zapped to another dimension by aliens seeking to enslave Earth. Things get weird when they traverse a swamp of bees, battle a sea monster, and end up in the nose of a giant dragon. But with help from a girl who can transform into a monster, they might just make it back home.

Thea Stilton Series
Taken from Amazon.com: The Thea Sisters are five fun, lively students at on Whale Island, who want to be real, live journalists just like their hero, Thea Stilton. Between classes and friendships, love and small fits of jealousy, they’re finding life is really exciting!

Olympians
George O'Connor highlights an important person from Greek mythology in each volume of this exciting and beautifully illustrated series.

Frankie Pickle
Amazon.com talks about this graphic novel/chapter book hybrid: Wight's children's book debut introduces a protagonist as singular as his name. Frankie Pickle (short for Franklin Piccolini) fuels his everyday life with fantasy.

I hope you and your students enjoy this new book trend!