a. Audience for whom the book is written
b. Audience to whom it will appeal (might differ from a.)
c. Particular strengths of the book
d. Particular weaknesses of the book
e. Any special considerations (artwork, curriculum links, community values, beliefs espoused, etc)
f. And, in the School Library Journal’s format: Your verdict, supported with details
No plot summaries and no spoilers please. Failure to follow that rule will result in revocation of your authoring rights, guaranteed!!
My Choice Book “The Other Side of the Wall”
ReplyDeleteA) As a media specialist, I believe the author wrote this book for middle and high school students, to share his family’s story and bring awareness to a portion of recent history that may not be discussed in history class.
B) As a media specialist, I think this book would appeal to middle and high school students, but also older elementary students and adults who are interested in the genre of graphic novels and/or historical fiction/biographies. I would recommend this book to any students who enjoy graphic novels or historical fiction. I would also recommend it to any social studies teachers who are teaching about the Cold War or post-war Germany.
C) The book is easy to understand, historically intriguing, and emotionally moving. The graphic novel format creates a page turning adventure for students to learn about an otherwise difficult story. The author was very thorough and specific with his family’s history and the organizations and movements they were involved with. By having pictures, the author was able to portray emotions in a way the written word cannot convey.
D) Because the book is written from the perspective of a child, some of the greater details of the situation are lost. While authentic to the author’s perspective of the historical events, because a child is an unreliable narrator, since they are sheltered from some events, I felt that there were pieces missing from the story. Also, because the book focused specifically on one family’s perspective we do not learn if these are normal or unique circumstances.
E) This book provides a narrative of historical events in an easy-access format. As a media specialist, I would use this book to collaborate with social studies teachers to explore this era of history, post-World War II and the Cold War. I could also use this book to collaborate with art teachers where students could create their own comics or graphic novels telling a family or historic story.
F) VERDICT: This book beautifully uses the genre of graphic novels to convey the heart-wrenching decisions made in East and West Germany during the Cold War. A must-buy for any middle or high school library that has graphic novel or history enthusiasts.
Interestingly, one of the first graphic novels was Maus which told the story of the Holocaust through the perspective of mice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maus
ReplyDeleteIf you want to read a great book, not a graphic novel, told through a child's perspective about the Holocaust, I recommend The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.
I read the book Maus for my undergraduate young adult literature class. I thought it was a very clever way of showing how inhuman the actions were for a younger audience!
DeleteI read, “March Book Three” by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. It was illustrated by Nate Powell.
ReplyDeleteA. “March Book Three” was written for students ages 11- 15.
B. I would recommend this book to anyone in 9th grade and up that would like to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement. This would also be a great book to use in a civics class to teach about the Jim Crow laws and the importance of voting. Because it is a graphic novel it also would be a great recommendation to reluctant readers or visual learners.
C. “March Book Three” follows the author John Lewis (currently serving as a US representative for Georgia) as he recalls his days as the chairman for the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) during the 1960’s. Lewis worked tirelessly to force America to face its injustices during the Civil Rights Movement. The book recalls historical events including the freedom vote, the freedom summer, the 1964 Democratic convention, and the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery. Lewis recalls the violent deaths of martyrs who worked for the cause as well as the violence and unjust arrests inflicted upon the protestors at the time. Nate Powell, the illustrator, does an excellent job capturing the sentiments, emotions, and events with dramatic illustrations. Reluctant readers will appreciate the telling of the story through visuals. Anyone that reads this book will walk away with a better understanding of the movement and trials activists faced during this time period. Through it all, Lewis continually advocates for nonviolence, love, and forgiveness. This book is one that will stand the test of time and would be a powerful teaching tool.
D. There are many graphic scenes throughout the book. Negative language is also used (the “n” word and one “f” word). Because of this, I would not recommend it to younger readers.
E. “March Book Three” (and other books from the trilogy) have received a dizzying number of awards and recognition. A few include: the 2017 Printz Award, the 2017 Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner, and the 2017 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction.
F. VERDICT: A series that is sure to stand the test of time, the “March” trilogy should grace the shelves of every high school library. Any reader of the series will walk away with a better understanding and appreciation of the events that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement.
I agree! This trilogy belongs in every HS library!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy choice book was "Drama" by Raina Telgemeier
ReplyDeleteA. This book was written for a sixth through eighth grade audience.
B. This book would most appeal to a fifth through eighth grade audience since it is based on middle school experiences.
C. This graphic novel tells the story of seventh grader Callie and her involvement with the drama club. She loves plays but realizes she is not a good singer so she develops a deep passion for designing sets. While being involved with the play there are many complicated relationships Callie becomes involved in. The middle school reader will relate to the crushes, complex relationships, and drama with friends that exist in this story. Middle schoolers will love the confidence that some of the characters find and the goals they accomplish. This is a quick read which will appeal to many readers and the illustrations are simple and complex at the same time.
D. It is hard at times to discern all of the emotion and activity that is trying to be conveyed in a small cartoon square. Not as much information can be conveyed in a graphic novel in comparison to other types of literature.
E. School social workers could use this book to talk with students who are struggling with their sexual identity. This book could also be used with LGBT groups in high school to discuss experiences the characters are having that may be like experiences they are having.
F. This is a happy, entertaining, uplifting book that belongs in every middle school library.
I appreciated the discussion of this book last week and how it differs from other books that Raina Telgemeier has written. Excellent point that it is difficult to determine all the emotion happening in a person's life from one small square frame on a page. Perhaps that is a limitation of this genre?
Delete“Awkward (Berrybrook Middle School)” by Svetlana Chmakova
ReplyDeleteA) This book was written for middle school aged students (6-8).
B) Awkward would appeal to students in grades 5-8; especially those who are new to a school or have been “the new kid” before.
C) This book is an easy read and it has fun, color comic pictures. It deals with middle school issues including bullying, homework, teachers, new friends and male/female friendship awkwardness.
D) The vocabulary is possibly too basic. The main character is Penelope. One of her friends, Maribella, has a situation with her parents. The issue wasn’t handled strangely, so I think that could be a negative.
E) In the back of the book there is a “drawing process,” and a “design gallery” that artistic students will enjoy learning from and seeing behind the scenes of creating a graphic novel. This is the first book in a series so readers will have more books to read after they have finished this one. Awkward has won many awards including the Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award, Louisiana Young Reader’s Choice Award, YALSA’s Top Ten Graphic Novels for Teens and Rocky Mountain Book Award Gold Medal.
F) VERDICT: Awkward is about a middle school girl named Penelope. She is starting a new school and is nervous about finding friends and fitting in. Peppi, as everyone calls her, joins the art club and she loves it! Having a place she fits in helps, but she still has daily struggles. This is a book that older elementary students and middle schoolers will connect to. They will be rooting for Peppi and her art club. If you’re looking for a fun, clean, easy to read comic series for your collection, the Berrybrook Middle School books will a great addition to your library!
I also enjoyed the design process that Svetlana Chmakova walks the reader through at the end of her book. I thought it was insightful and gave hope and encouragement that if you like to doodle, maybe one day your art can become a book!
DeleteAwkward by Svetlana Chmakova
ReplyDeletea. Audience for whom the book is written: middle grades
b. Audience to whom it will appeal: middle grades
c. Strengths: Color illustrations. Discusses how Chmakova designed the characters and the setup of each page at the end of the book. This component would be interesting for anyone interested in graphic novels, art, or cartooning. The story line is of a new girl in school and belonging. It is a story line that will resonate with most middle grade students.
d. Weaknesses: “lazy bxxxx mother” and “go find a bridge troll”. Poor choice of wording on the author’s part.
e. Special considerations: One of School Library Journal’s Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2015, on YALSA’s 2016 list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens, won the 2nd Annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids' Comics, Dragon Award for Kids Comics at the 2016 Shuster Awards, and was nominated for an Eisner Award.
f. VERDICT: : I am undecided on this book. I originally thought that this book should be included in all middle grade libraries for students who enjoy graphic novels and books about friendship and the trials of school, but the two quotes I included in the weaknesses left a sour taste in my stomach. They seem like extreme sentences to include in an otherwise well done book. I have this book in my elementary library and now I am questioning whether it should be there.
I would question placement in an elementary library as well. Could you donate it the middle school media center?
DeleteThe Other Side of the Wall 2009 by Simon Schwartz Translated to English, 2015
ReplyDeleteA The audience I beleive it was written for is older young adult readers, 13/14.+
B The audience I think it would most appeal to are those interested in historical fiction, history topics, and German/Soviet/Cold war history. I could see this used in a social studies type class for helping tell the "story" of history.
C Strengths of this graphic novel include that it is easy to read, it reads very quickly without giving up depth of content. The illustrations are basic but tell the story just as well. Readers will learn about the cultural and political effects of the Cold war, the Berlin Wall, and how communism affected families and the difficult decisions and sacrifices that some made. The book includes maps, a timeline, and a glossary of terms to help reference and understand the historical perspective.
D Weaknesses of this graphic novel might include that the illustrations of the characters are a bit difficult to tell apart, especially being just black and white. Readers might misinterpret which each character is if reading quickly. I know I had to go back a couple times and make sure I understood which family member or friend they were talking about.
E Special considerations. This book would be a good curricular connection to social studies or even art. Readers can get a more "emotional" connection to the history by reading the perspective of how these events affected families.
F Verdict. while I don't think this would be an essential resource for all libraries, I do think it should be for an upper grade level history class.
If you liked this one, you might also want to read Maus: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Maus-Art-Spiegelman/dp/0679406417
DeleteI chose to read Nimona by Noelle Stevenson for the graphic novels category. This book originated as a biweekly webcomic released in short bits by Stevenson starting in June 2012, when she was a twenty-year-old undergraduate. After ending its run online in 2014, the story was compiled into graphic novel form and published. The intended audience is young adults aged thirteen and up. The book will appeal to a wide range of readers, especially those with a strong interest in fantasy themes and settings. There is significant violence, but it is handled seriously, and there is very limited strong language, sexual content or other challenging subject matter for younger readers. Children as young as ten might enjoy the book, and it will also appeal to some older students and even adults.
ReplyDeleteOne of the greatest strengths of Nimona is its surprising story and character development. The setting and characters seem, at first, to play into obvious tropes about heroes, villains and sidekicks, yet the story constantly subverts the reader’s expectations. The book is a great exploration of the idea that “good” and “evil” are far more complicated than they appear on the surface. As the narrative progresses, the reader comes to question who is in the right, if anyone, and even whether the title character is the real “main” character of the story. The art is lively, beautiful and unique, and there is lots of well-written and genuinely funny humor. For some readers, the violence and themes of abuse and trauma in the story could be disturbing. Others might find the ambiguous ending unsatisfying. I don’t see any clear curriculum tie-ins for the book, but it is interesting to track how the talented artist’s style changed subtly over the course of the story as she aged and practiced while working on it, and it may be inspiring for students with an interest in art themselves to see how one person managed to create something, release it for free online, and eventually build a passionate audience of fans and spring from this passion project into a highly successful career. As an action-packed graphic novel, it is a good potential gateway into literature for reluctant readers. VERDICT: Nimona is a unique and well-crafted graphic novel with an exciting story and complex characters. It will be a popular choice for reluctant or fantasy-loving readers in any middle or high school library.
Did you happen to read the Webcomic when they were being created, or is the first time you've heard of Nimona? Great way to build readers for a book prior to its publication. It's a new title for me.
DeleteMy Choice book for Graphic Novels was Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo
ReplyDeleteA-I believe that the intended audience for the book is lower middle school and older
B-I believe that the book appeals to the audience that was intended by the author.
C-The main strength of the book is the premise of a modern-day retelling of Little Women written by Louisa Alcott. A story told of four daughters struggling through a year in their life, starting at Christmas and ending the following Christmas. The novel is a modern version in that the family is a blended one and is multiracial. They identify as one cohesive family and reject when people question if they are a family or not. Similarities in the book come from the timing of the story, the four daughters, the father away at war, the financial struggles, some outlying characters and the wealthy great aunt. This book could appeal to readers that would like the novel Little Women but could be a stand-alone book since there are also so many other changes in the story. A strength of the novel is the theme of belonging. The girls support and love each other, and their family is exceptionally close.
D-A weakness of the book is its lack of character set up for the age that the book should appeal to. Younger readers generally need more development early in their books of choice to avoid confusion. The characters and family structure are not explained until about a third of the way through the book.
E- A special consideration for this book is that there are many instances of conflict. There are instances of bullying and physical violence in a school setting. There is also classism explored in the book where it could amount to shaming. The novel does a great job of having the character conclude that she is proud after all of who she is and where she comes from. There is also a main character that is struggling with a LBGTQ identity. When she comes out to her family, there is nothing but love and support.
F-VERDICT-Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy is a graphic novel with a wide appeal. It’s modern day retelling of a classic seems to be an interesting new sub-genre coming from this wide genre. The story is not loyal to the original, so this would be a good novel to buy to boost this sub-genre if a library was interested in diversifying their collection. It would also be a book to pass on if their collection of graphic novels was fairly strong.
Here again is the name of the book I was telling about in class tonight (3/26) that is an adult historical fiction title based on March, the Little Women's father: https://www.amazon.com/March-Geraldine-Brooks/dp/0143036661
DeleteThis sounds like another creative way the author took a classic story and brought it into the modern day. I have not read Little Women, I tried years ago but just couldn't get into it. But I feel like this version would open my eyes to trying it again.
Delete“Drama” by Raina Telgemeier
ReplyDeletea. According to the publisher, this book is written for ages 10 – 14.
b. This book would definitely appeal to the intended age range. The main characters are in middle school so that age will have the most attraction to this book. Due to the graphic novel nature and the fact that the author writes books popular with 3rd and 4th graders it will appeal to the younger ages also.
c. Strengths – This is a quick read with colorful illustrations. The main character, Callie, is a 7th grader on the stage crew of the school drama production. She speaks her mind, and while she is insecure and uncomfortable with part of herself, it doesn’t bother her that she can’t sing, she follows her ambitions and never lets her relationships or felled crushes cause her to give up on her dreams. The way Raina seamlessly blends in the coming out of the characters and shows them as completely normal occurrences with little drama and being supported by friends is a unique feature in today’s literature.
d. Weaknesses – The graphic novel format leaves a lot up to interpretation. Even though Raina Telgemeier is great at using color to highlight people it is hard to understand the same level of emotions and backstory as it is in a full-length novel.
e. This book has LGBT characters who are coming to terms with their sexuality and would be a great book for counselors to use when talking to students struggling with the same issues. YALSA named it one of its Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens, NPR recommended it as one of the “Five Great Summer Reads for Teens”, It was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2012, A Washington Post Best Book of 2012, A New York Times Editors’ Choice; and A Booklist Editors’ Choice. Drama also received the Stonewall Book Award, and it is a top selling graphic novel in bookstores throughout this country.
f. VERDICT – This is book is brimming with diversity of characters, both in race and social class from geeks to cool kids to jocks. No matter their background or race they are wrestling with who they are, making it perfectly relatable to the middle school reader. A must-have for all middle school library shelves.
After the discussion of this book last week, I agree with you that this title is best placed at the middle school level.
DeleteDid you think that making this classic story into a graphic novel would make it accessible for more readers? I remember reading a play version of this story and watching a movie, but I still found it challenging to understand.
ReplyDelete