Get Graphic: Bringing Literature to Reluctant Readers

Using graphic novels in the classroom is a great way to bridge what students already know with what they have yet to learn. Graphic novels are multimodal and help facilitate and support students’ ability to visualize and understand complicated ideas. In addition to being manageable for students to read, they are relevant, engaging, and approachable. Milne Library has recently acquired a large collection of graphic novels in a variety of subjects, topics, and reading levels. For help finding graphic novels, visit the reference desk or contact the Education & Instructional Design librarian, Michelle Costello.

A sampling of graphic novels found in Milne Library:

Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean
by Maris Wicks.

juv 741.5 WIC

A look at ocean science covering the biology of coral reefs as well as their ecological importance.

Flying Couch: A Graphic Memoir
by Amy Kurzweil
juv 741.5 KUR

Flying couch tells the stories of three unforgettable women. Amy Kurzweil weaves her own coming-of-age as a young Jewish artist into the narrative of her mother, a psychologist, and Bubbe, her grandmother, a World War II survivor who escaped from the Warsaw Ghetto by disguising herself as a gentile. The voices and histories of these wise, hilarious, and very different women create a portrait not only of what it means to be part of a family, but also of how each generation bears the imprint of the past.

Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom
by Booki Vivat
juv F VIV

Nervous about middle school because her family does not get her and her friends know exactly what they want to do, Abbie Wu searches for her own passion before discovering a knack for leadership when injustices in the cafeteria come to light.

Such a Lovely Little War: Saigon, 1961-63 by Marcelino Truong ; translated by David Homel
ya 741.5 TRU

A memoir, in graphic novel form, on the early years of the Vietnam war through the eyes of a young Vietnamese boy.

The Maid of the Mist
by Tanya Anderson
juv 741.5 AND

In graphic novel format, retells the Native American legend about a young woman living along the Niagara River near its waterfalls who is transformed into a Thunder Being.

Sidewalk Flowers
by JonArno Lawson
juv P LAW

A little girl collects wildflowers while on a walk with her distracted father. Each flower becomes a gift, and whether the gift is noticed or ignored, both giver and recipient are transformed by their encounter.

Space Dumplins
by Craig Thompson
juv 741.5 THO

For Violet Marlocke, family is the most important thing in the whole galaxy. So when her father goes missing while on a hazardous job, she can’t just sit around and do nothing. To get him back, Violet throws caution to the stars and sets out with a group of misfit friends on a quest to find him. But space is big and dangerous, and she soon discovers that her dad has been swallowed by a giant, planet-eating whale. With her father’s life on the line, nothing is going to stop Violet from trying to rescue him and keep her family together.

El Deafo
by Cece Bell
juv 741.5 BEL

In this graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful–and very awkward–hearing aid. The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear–sometimes things she shouldn’t–but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become “El Deafo, Listener for All.” And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she’s longed for.

Sisters
by Raina Telgemeier
juv 741.5 TEL

Three weeks.

Two sisters.

One car.

A true story.

Tippy and the Night Parade: A Toon Book
by Lilli Carré
juv 741.5 CAR

Follow Tippy on a nocturnal adventure through mist, up a mountain, down a hole and back home.