The World of Shredderman

Students who are ready to crossover from graphic novels to chapter books should take a look at the Shredderman series by Wendelin Van Draanen. Shedderman is a cyber superhero for ages 7 to 10. The series includes four titles, Secret Identity, Attack of the Tagger, Meet the Gecho, and Enemy Spy. There are a few graphics in black and white which give off similar vibes as graphic novels, but these are definitely chapter books. The series is published by Random House and has a very cool website for introducing the characters. The website also includes resources and activities for teachers.

Flying High with "Fly Guy"

Tedd Arnold's kindergarten to 2nd grade Hi! Fly Guy has won the 2006 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award from the American Library Association. It sells in the Bound to Stay Bound version for $9.79. Shoo, Fly Guy and Super Fly Guy are both $10.25 in BTSB. The originals are all published by Scholastic. The BTSB versions will stand up to a lot usage by children. All are easy to read but still a fun graphic novel for the little ones.

His newest book Hooray for Fly Guy will be out in September 2009. In this book Fly Guy plays football. Fly High! Fly Guy was published in 2008. In this version Fly Guy takes a road trip. Arnold also has There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy which is an interesting concept for a super hero fly. Arnold is the author of one of my favorite picture books, Green Wilma. Wilma is another creature with big eyes. For a comprehensive list of Tedd Arnold books visit his booklist

Spotlight Beefed Up the Comic Classics

Spotlight has added many new additions to their graphic Marvel collections such as Ironman and Captain America. Ironman should be popular due to the movie which came out last year. They have also added to their Hulk and Spiderman series. X-Men: First Class and and X-Men Power Pack complete their previous selections in this series. These will be a big hit with students due to the popularity of the X-Men:Wolverine movie. Keep in mind the ever popular Thor is now out also.

Spotlight is a division of Abdopublishing. Spotlight has high quality library editions which can take a lot of wear and tear. Don't forget that Spotlight also has the beloved Archie series with Jughead, Betty, and Veronica. This series is in their graphic novel collection and is a big hit with fourth and fifth grade girls.

Explosion in Graphic Novels

Wow! There is an amazing amount of graphic novels coming out. At last publishers are producing many titles for grades 1-5. The Magic Wagon division of ABDO publishing has increased it's titles dramatically. They have Katherine the Almost Great series and Fiona and Freida's Fairy-tale Adventures for grades 2-5. Graphic Classics for grades 3-6 such as Moby Dick, White Fang, and Robin Hood are also available. I would want to see these before buying to check the quality of the stories. Now that everyone has jumped on the graphic novel bandwagon, librarians have to be sure the books they purchase are still worthy of being in a school collection especially in these times with limited funding.

Most interesting is the set of 6 of the series Boxcar Children. Although the Magic Wagon is not listed as a division with library editions, the Boxcar Children has reinforced library binding, so they should be able to stand some wear and tear. They have full color pages. However, the books are only 32 pages which makes me wonder if the content of the story is still in tact. Experienced teachers have for many years used the Boxcar children as the bridge to reading chapter books for grades 2 and 3. Those readers with less experience would be still be able to feel on par with their peers by reading the graphic novel Boxcar children.

The Last Airbenders

Just received the series of six of The Last Airbender from Perma-Bound. Now I find the famous director M. Night Shyamalan is releasing the movie in July 2010. I wish had access to more. Movies always spark students interest. Students are certainly going to be wanting more of the series. This series is based on the original Japanese Anime series.

The Avatar is the master of all four elements, water, earth, fire, and air, which are involved in continued warfare. Only the Avatar can stop the Fire Nation from conquering the world.

Kids are now coming to school with the Airbender hair cut. It's not from reading the book. It's from watching the series on TV. They have a shaved head with just the arrow showing in hair. Will wonders never cease?

New Recommended books: School library Journal

Rise of the Toa Nuva Book #1 by Greg Farshtey grades 3-6. 2008.
A graphic novel series based on the LEGO toy line. Art is vivid, attention grabbing, and the story line is exciting and action packed. A great purchase for comics and graphic novel collections. Reviewed by Tracie Glass, Eugene Public Library, Or.

The Legend of Old Salty: The Seaside Adventures of Jack and Benny by Matthew Louz. grades 3-6. (Salt Water Taffy Series) 2008.
Brothers Benny and Jack solve a mystery after learning of the legend of Old Salty a monstrous sea creature. Strong art and nicely paced action. Review by Lauren Anduri, Brooklyn Public Library, NY.

Unfortunately both these selections are paperback which makes them hard to use in a school library setting, but not impossible.

New Hardbound Manga

In one of my early posts I reported I was unable to find hardbound Manga for elementary. That is no longer true. It's limited, but there is some. Perma-Bound has come out with editions of Manga. Manga for grades 2-5 is represented by the 8 volume series Avatar: the Last Airbender by Tokyopop which was shown on Nickelodeon TV for a few years. Cine-Manga from Tokyopop ages 3-6, includes Enchanted, and Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Also for that age from Tokyopop is Kilala Princess Vols 1,2,3,and 4. Kilala Princess for this age is a mini version of the original series. There is a Manga Literary Classics Series for ages 4-7 which includes Gulliver's Travels, Little Women, and Treasure Island. Perma-bound has more manga for middle school and high school. Naruto has become a big middle school favorite with youngsters since it became available in the United States as anime on the cartoon network in 2005. Elementary students ask for it, but it's not appropriate for elementary students. Beware of the new manga's coming out for elementary students. They could be really bad versions of the original art form. I am not saying they are bad. I am just saying take a look first if you can. I would not order many copies of any of the manga titles until I see the actual books.