Would You Like Some Graphics with that Novel?

Late this spring I was observing a school visit at my library. As one of our librarians began a book talk for a room full of seventh graders, she started off asking them if they liked to read. There was a low rumble of "noooo" around the room. "Why not?" my coworker asked. One kid responded "because the books don't have pictures anymore."

...

I had to make a conscious effort to keep my jaw off the floor at that point. Within that same moment, however, I thought to myself "gee, I wish I knew more about graphic novels, those would be a good gateway book for kids like this." Luckily for me, the timing was such that I needed to sign up for one last class for my masters program (!), and I had been hearing good things about the graphic novels course offered by my favorite professor. I reserved a seat that very day.

And so, on Monday, I will begin the final class of my library sciences program. This will be an interesting experience for me, as I know next to nothing about the genre. In order to help really get myself thinking about the books, I am going to post about them here. I've already read three (I feel like Hermione, reading everything before class even starts!) and I'm excited to start sharing them with you. I hope this experience will allow me to make even more recommendations to kiddos in the library!