Graphic Novels Will Really Get Kids to Read!

Try Graphic Novels When Your Child Hates Reading

will get kids to read

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graphic novels will get kids to read. They have become extremely popular over the last few years. Sometimes people call these books comic books, but the new term is graphic novels. These books have the text broken down into those little speech bubbles which make it easier for some kids to read.

I have seen reluctant readers start one of these books and devour the whole series.  One of the reasons reluctant readers may be drawn to these books is because there is only a small amount of text with a lot of graphics. Graphic novels can get kids to read for sure!!!




Even though these books are fictional, made up stories, they are actually located in the non-fiction section of libraries because of the pictures/graphics. They are located in the 741.5 section of libraries which is the Arts and Sports (700) section. The 700 section includes drawing books, sports books such as football, basketball, ballet, cheerleading, etc. The graphic novels sections grow larger and larger every year, even to the point of outnumbering the sports books.

These books are many times a stepping stone to novels so I never talk children out of taking them from the library.  Some people feel that they are not good literature, but I disagree!!!



Bone by Jeff Smith: The three Bone cousins, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone find themselves in a deep, dark forest filled with wonderful and terrifying creatures. (grades 3-6)

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey. When Greg the police dog and his cop companion are injured on the job a life-saving surgery changes the course of history and Dog Man is born. With the head of a dog and the body of a human, this heroic hound has a real nose for justice. This a new hero has no problem going after crooks and robbers to get the job done!!(grades 2-6)

Giants Beware by Jorge Aguirre: With her best friend Marie (an aspiring princess), and her brother Gaston (a pastry-chef-to-be), Claudette embarks on a super-secret quest to find a giant-without parental permission. Can they find and defeat the giant before their parents find them and drag them back home?  (grades 2-5)


Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure by Nadja Spiegelman. The sights-the sounds-the SMELLS! New York's crowded subway system is known for many things, but being easy on a lost kid isn't one of them. When Pablo gets separated from his new classmates during his first field trip in New York City, he desperately tries to find them. This story features maps, archival photos, and fascinating facts to help readers explore the subway without ever having to get caught like Pablo in the mob of Times Square. (grades 3-6)

Pokemon Adventures by Hidenori Kusaka:  This series is an adventures of Red as he tries to make friends with Pokémon as well as training them, while Team Rocket tries to steal his Pokémon at every turn.  (grades 2-5)

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova. On her first day at her new school, Penelope--Peppi--Torres reminds herself of the basic rules of the middle school. But when she trips into a quiet boy in the hall, Jaime Thompson, she's already broken the first rule, and the mean kids start saying that he's her boyfriend!  How does she handle this crisis? By shoving poor Jaime and running away! How will she survive middle school when she's already broken the first rule!  This book will get kids reading! (grades 3 - 6)

Babymouse: Queen of the World! by Jennifer Holm: In Babymouse's mind, she's Queen of the World! In real life…she's not even Queen of the lunch table. There's always an adventure around the corner with Babymouse! (grades 2-5)

Dan TDM: Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal by Dan TDM. After a day of experiments, Trayaurus and DanTDM are about to call it a night when a strange-looking crystal plummets to earth, breaking into five pieces that scatter far and wide. DanTDM and Trayaurus recover one of the shards and quickly realize they are in possession of an object more powerful than anything they've ever known. And the adventure begins when others find out they are in possession of the shards! (grades 3-6)

 

 

Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi: A sinister creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement where they come upon an underground world inhabited by demons, robots, and talking animals.  This series was number one in the library! It will get kids reading for sure!  (grades 3-5)

Binky is a Space Cat - at least in his own mind. (grades 2-4)

Smile by Raina Telgemeier: Raina severely injured her two front teeth! She needs braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached!  (grades 3-5)

The Baby-Sitters Club by Rainer Telgemeier. Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey are best friends and founding members of The Baby-sitters Club. Whatever comes up -- cranky toddlers, huge dogs, scary neighbors, prank calls -- you can count on them to save the day. Baby-sitting isn't always easy, and neither is dealing with strict parents, new families, fashion emergencies, and mysterious secrets. But no matter what, the BSC have what they need most: friendship.

(grades 3 - 6)

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson: Astrid wonders if she is strong enough to handle a roller derby, a lost friendship, and middle school. Time will tell how things turn out for her. (grades 3-5)

Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang & Mike Holmes. Stately Academy, is a school which is just crawling with mysteries to be solved! The founder of the school left many clues and puzzles to challenge his enterprising students. Using their wits and their growing prowess with coding, Hopper and her friend Eni are going to solve the mystery of Stately Academy no matter what it takes! (grades 3 - 6)

gets kids to readInvisible Emmie by Terri Libenson. This is the story of two totally different girls—
quiet, shy, artistic Emmie and popular, outgoing, athletic Katie—and how their lives unexpectedly intersect one day, when an embarrassing note falls into the wrong hands! (grades 3 - 6)

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Braillier. Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, average thirteen-year-old Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he's armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. But Jack alone is no match for the hordes of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only as Blarg. Can he do alone and survive? (grades 3 - 6)

The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey: They sound like bad guys, they look like bad guys and they even smell like bad guys. But Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark are about to change all of that!

Mr. Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys' first good mission. They are going to break two hundred dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound. But will they succeed? (grades 2-6)

And check out some of these great posts and pages below:

 




Graphic novels will get kids reading! If your child loves to read or does not love to read, Graphic Novels are LOVED in my library! I can't keep them on the shelves!  Sometimes you just have to give it time - be patient as there are lots of resources available to you.  What works for one child may not work for another one, and sometimes when you try a product or technique and it doesn't work, the timing could have been off - try it again!

If there's another book genre that you'd like to check out, click here. If there is a specific book or other reading product you're looking for or a question about reading, just leave a comment or question below or email me at jean@reading-love.com. I'd love to hear from you!