JOIN USA starter list of graphic novels
Graphic novels are becoming increasingly popular with kids. What are graphic novels though? Just fancy names for comics? Not exactly. Comics are shorter, the stories simpler, and usually follow a series. Graphic novels are just like novels — except that they’re heavily illustrated, and have comic-like panels. They are full of text. The storylines and plots are quite complex, and often, they deal with heavy subjects.
Sometimes, the term graphic novel is used interchangeably with manga, which are comics and graphic novels from Japan. But manga stories have their own formulas, and the artwork follows a certain distinctive style.
Reluctant readers tend to gravitate towards graphic novels, because these books feel much more engaging and accessible to them than a book with a solid block of text.
Why exactly are graphic novels so popular? One possibility is that for an entire generation that grew up on cartoons, graphic novels feel more familiar and relatable than regular books. If you want to try them, here’s a starter list.
The Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey are funny and hugely popular with new readers.
Raina Telgemeier is one of the most popular creators of graphic novels. Her books, Smile, Guts, Sisters, and Drama, are all bestsellers. In fact, riding on the popularity of graphic novels, the beloved The Babysitters' Club series by Ann M Martin has been brought out in graphic novel form with illustrations by Raina Telgemeier.
El Deafo, written and illustrated by Cece Bell, is based on the author’s experiences living with deafness. The characters are all bunnies.
Nadya, by Debasmita Dasgupta, is a gorgeously illustrated, short graphic novel, dealing with the subject of divorce.
Though it is not strictly classified as a graphic novel, I’m going to bend the rules and put Lavanya Karthik’s funny and hugely popular Ninja Nani series in this category, because it is a fun combination of some pages in graphic novel format and other pages in regular text.
Nonfiction graphic novels exist too, for instance, graphic novel versions of the immensely popular I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis.
The very first graphic novel that I read was Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, a memoir of a girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. The book moved me deeply, and I wonder if it would have had such an effect on me had it been a regular novel.
Indira by Devapriya Roy, is a biography of Indira Gandhi with stunning and detailed illustrations by Priya Kuriyan.
They Called us Enemy is by George Takei (of Star Trek fame), Justin Eisinger and Steve Scott, and illustrated by Harmony Becker. These are Takei’s memoirs, and includes an account of his experiences in the Japanese internment camps in America during WW2.
There’s a lot of creative work happening in this genre and there’s so much potential! I look forward to the treasures in store for us readers.
The author has written 10 books for children and can be reached at www.shruthi-rao.com
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