Getting Graphic in Schools: Graphic novels, comics, and manga in education

Presenter: Robin Brenner, Brookline Public Library
Reference and teen librarian in Brookline Public, website No Flying no tights URL at bottom of post, graphics review site. Published in any important publications and 2008 chair of great graphic novels for teens committee for ALA and YALSA.

Basic definitions:
format = comics
academic terms is sequential art (= panels, text + image)

Defending comics in collections
Definitions of literacy changing and evolving to include parsing diverse media. Literacy as a skill set for interpreting information. Comics require "reading between the panels". Learning to read these takes time. Beginners should start with a genre that you already like.

Comics include sound effects as well as image, so feel very cinematic. Panels used like a camera. US Comic symbols easily recognized. Speech bubble, thoughts, swearing, dead. Why do we know these? We have seen them. They are culturally unique to the US. For contrast, Japanese symbols death, sweat, joke (looks like a death symbols, but isn't). Sweat drops show state of mind.

Figuring out panel sequence and reading the panels very sophisticated skill. Establishing shot is starting point. Japanese use aspect-to-aspect transitions. Japanese fight scenes are particularly challenging.

Title research:

• read a few - find titles in a genre you already enjoy

• talk to fellow librarians

• journal reviews (ICv2 Guide - new and great source of statistics. They also have a website)
  

• check with local comic stores, library holdings

• check with your readers (Graphic novel Survivor - kids voted books off table)
  

Age range ratings (content based):

• Marvel not useful

• Manga companies conservative ratings

• Tokyo Pop - strict list/criteria to their ratings
• Rating systems not universal

Good comics for kids - new SLJ blog, Bridget Alvorson (based in Melrose)
has reviews, recommendations, news, soon to be released titles

Links:
http://www.icvs.com
http://www.angelfire.com/comics/gnlib
http://www.comiccon.com/pulse/
http://www.mangablog.net/

Lesson Plans:
http://www.teaching comics.org/
Comics in the Classroom -
http://comicsintheclassroom.net/
Teaching with Comics -
http://www.flummery.com/teaching/
Secret Origins of Good Readers -
http://www.night-flight.com/secretorigin/

Ideas for Comics Exercises:
symbolism, point of view, sound effects, vocabulary, character analysis, layout/measurement, comic story starters (give first and last panel and have kids fill in middle), chemical elements using superhero in comic to show chemical properties (flummery.com), compare/contrast different comics
Comic Life - use original digital photos, upload, and add text bubbles and actions. $250 per school site license. Includes teacher home license. Good for kids to generate their own.

Title recommendations:
(MS/HS) Magical Life of Long Tack Sam (biography); Fleming
Town of evening calm, County of Cherry Blossom; Kouno (history of Hiroshima, family)

WWII - genre
Maus
We are on our own; (memoir) Kattin
Barefoot Gen; (memoir) Nakazawa
The Wall; (memoir) Sis

Nonfiction titles (MS/HS):
The United States Constitution; Hennessey
Isadora Duncan; (bio) Jones - bio series
911 Report - approved by commission

Shakespeare adaptations (many):
Merchant of Venice; Gareth Hinds
British firm doing every play in 3 different versions

Fiction (K-5):
Jellaby; Soo
Amulet (older elementary)
Flight Explorer - anthologies on flight
Glister; Watson, Andi
Rapunzel's Revenge; Hale, Shannon* good presenter on this - does reader's theater
Coraline; Gaiman, Neil (graphic version, nice adaptation)
Salt Water Taffy; Loux, Matthew (set in Maine, strong boy appeal, older elementary, MS)
Minister Jade; (Chinese Imperial Court, super-hero, magical belt of jade, MS)
Atomic Robo; (robot design by Tesla in the 20s, physics jokes, action adventure)
Monster Zoo; TenNaple, Doug (a little creepy, older elementary MS)
Stuck in the Middle; Schrag, Ariel (MS, collection of short comics about what MS is really like)
War at Ellesmere; Hicks, Faith Erin (scholarship student at elite academy, older elementary, MS)

MS Manga - (Manga makes up 60% of the publishing market in Japan, started in '50s)
Shojo manga - girl manga
Shonen manga - boy manga
Sugar Sugar Rune; Anno, Moyoco (pair of witches who collect hearts, mystical)
Palette of 12 Secret Colors; Kusakawa
Shirley; Mori, Kaoru (Victorian England, 13 year old girl learning to be a servant)

HS Manga
Fever; Park, Hee Jung (HS)
High School Debut; Kawahara, Kazune (HS)
Fairy Tale; Mashima, Hiro (favorite with boys, magic, protagonist gets seasick)
Hikkatsu! Strike a blow to vivify!; Yagami, Yu (changing the world with appliance repair to readjust Earth's magnetic core)

Handouts:
http://www.noflyingnotights.com/confrences/msla2008
robin@noflyingnotights.com

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly- What's New in YA Literature - with Maureen Ambrosino and Sarah Sogigian

One of my favorite sessions at MSLA every year is the YA Literature.  The handouts, which are located in the binder are excellent and the book list will be located on the Metrowest  website and will be linked . Below you will find my notes from the session:

• My Most Excellent Year - Kluger (Favorite Book of the Year) families, funny, letter, email, IM formats, extended format
  
• Rumors - Godbersen : Sequel to Locks(?) 7-8, third one comes out in Spring
• Gone - Grant : like The Girl Who Owns a City, everyone over 15 dies. Good vs. evil with a cliff hanger ending 6-8
• Spirit - Hightman: Takes place in Massachusetts in 17oo's.  Ghost hunters, cliff hanger climax, short, quick read 6-8
• All the Lovely Bad Ones - Hahn : Not the best of Mary Downing Hahn; Haunted Inn story
• Ghosts of Kerfol - Noyes : Retelling of a previous story in the beginning. MA Author 6-8
• Ghost Child - Hartnett: Takes place in an afternoon as a woman looks back on her life through the eyes of a child. Not sure that kids would like it. 8 and up
• Graveyard Book - Gaiman : Like the Jungle book, but in a Grave yard- Child was raised by spirits- 6 and up
• The Unspoken- Fahy : Kids survived a fire at a compound (think Wako) are reunited by the funeral of one, who dies of his worst fear.  This was a prediction. 6-8
• The Hunger Games - Collins : one of the favorites.  US has had a war and is divided into regions. Kids are sent to the Hunger Games, like survivor only real.  
• Chains - Laurie Halse Anderson : Headed for some awards! Different from the usual Anderson.  Historical Fiction.  Story of the American Revolution through the eyes of a slave
• Guardian - Lester : very short, 9 and up, aftermath of a lynching.
• Reincarnation** - Weyn : Story of 2 souls that are reincarnated over and over again. Ageless love story where the souls keep being reunited. 9-up Middle could read it
• Curse as Dark as Gold - Bunce : retelling of Rumpelstiltskin set in the Industrial Revolution
• Ever - Gail Carson Levine : Girl is going to be sacrificed to the gods. Not up to the usual Levine
• Merlin's Dragon - T.A. Barron : Bridges the gap between The Lost Years of Merlin and The Trees of Avalon. You can request a Teacher Pack for his books for free! Middle level
• Feathered - Kasischke : not a favorite. 2 high school friends who go on a trip to Cancun and get into trouble. One friend goes missing.  At the ending, the girl is found. Sounds like a Jodi Picoult book to me.
• Shift - Bradbury : Two friends graduate from HS and go on a bike trip. One goes missing and the other one is a suspect.  Mystery. HS guys appeal, quick read
• Stolen Car - Patrick Jones : Tough topic.  First line "I am 15 years old and I am driving a stolen car." Friends, tough topics, bad boy, friendship, cautionary tale. HS
• Bliss - Myracle : Creepy story, set in the 1960s, girl sent to live at boarding school.  Mystery of someone who died at the school.  Chapters are interspersed with The Gong Show and the Tate/Manson Murder trial.  Very creepy character, but the ending was a little bit of a letdown.  HS
• Night Road - AM Jenkins : not that great. pass
• Suck it Up - Meehl : makes fun of the other vampire stories. Humorous story of Morning, a vegetarian vampire (drinks Blood Lite) nominated for YALSA Best Book for YA .6 and up
• Twilight and the series: go to the web site
• Pandora Gets Jealous - Hennesy Ancient Greece- likes the Lightening Thief, Girl Power!
• Three Willows: The Sisterhood Grows up - Brashares : Sister Lite! for younger readers.  Friendships, girls. Good for mean MS girls, Sweet story.
• First Kiss (then Tell) - Busby- short stories about first kisses of YA authors
• All We Know of Heaven - Mitchard : the story of 2 girls that are riding in a car and crash, they look alike, and mistake her for the other one.  Survive story. HS
• Rapunzel's Revenge - Hale : Graphic novel Fantastic! Any age group.
• Danger Overseas - Keene and Dixon : not good.  Very predictable.  Older Technology, outdated.
• Little Brother - Doctorow : Scary, HS read, story of Malcolm and Internet hacker, terrorists blow up a bridge, and the kids are suspected. Very Techie.

Go to GoodReads.com for more their recommendations!