Young Adult Lit/Crit

Graphic Novels

I just thought that I would post this post from the adbooks listserv for those who were interested (Matt F).

Chrissy

As of May 1, 2006, 66 books have been nominated for YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens. The most recent nominations are listed below. New nominations will be posted monthly throughout the year.

Information about Great Graphic Novels for Teens and a complete list of nominations is available online at the YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens website:

www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/gn

Nominations from the field are encouraged. Books must be published between September 1, 2005 and December 31, 2006 to be eligible for Great Graphic Novels for Teens.
Thank you.

Catherine Schaeffer
Administrative Assistant
Great Graphic Novels for Teens

******************************

Abel, Jessica.  La Perdida.  Random House/ Pantheon Graphic Novels, 2006. $19.95. (0-375-42365-6).

Bendis, Brian Michael.  House of M.  Marvel Enterprises, 2006. $24.99. (0-7851-1721-0).

Card, Orson Scott.  Ultimate Iron Man, Volume 1 Premiere HC.  , 2006. $19.99. (0-7851-2151-X).

Kawai, Chigusa.  La Esperanca, Volume 1.  Digital Manga Publishers, 2005. $12.95. (1-56970-933-5).

Kyle, Craig.  X-23:  Innocence Lost.  Marvel Enterprises, 2006. $15.99. (0-7851-1502-1).

Nibot, Root.  Banana Sunday.  Oni Press, 2006. $11.95. (1-932664-37-8).

Wood, Brian.  Demo:  The Collection.  AiT/Planet Lar, 2005. $19.95. (1-932051-42-2).

You, Higuri.  Gorgeous Carat.  TOKYOPOP, 2006. $9.99. (1-59816-102-4).

What I Want My Words to Do to You

Hey there!  Last week, a few people asked where they might find the D.V.D. I was showing at the end of my seminar.  For the rock bottom price of $24.98 you can get your very own copy of What I Want My Words to Do to You.

Enjoy!

Jacqueline

Alex Sanchez

Hello all - I just received an e-mail from Alex Sanchez, author of "Rainbow Boys."  I asked his help in locating studies that deal with same sex literature and its effects on students' academic abilities for my Literature Review for AED 663.  Here is a copy of his response:

Dear Christine,

Thank YOU for your email and kind words! I'm happy to hear that my

article was a source of inspiration for you. I’m sorry it’s taken me

so long to get back to you.

I don't know of any specific studies to examine the effects of having

(or not having) gay and lesbian representation in literature increases

student reading/writing skills and GPA's (test scores) and identity

formation.

Perhaps the www.NCTE.org or

www.IRA.org might have some studies.

www.GLSEN.org has done research on the effects of homophobia on student

performance.

Also, the School Library Journal did a cover story for January 2006 on

"OUT AND IGNORED: WHY ARE SO MANY SCHOOL LIBRARIES RELUCTANT TO EMBRACE

GAY TEENS?"

Warmest wishes with your paper,

Alex

(Chrissy)

comic and graphic novel discussion

Last Thursday, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information on graphic novels I received during Professor Richards’ class.  She had Professor Washburn and Kenny give a presentation on comics and graphic novels and here is a little of what went on.

            They explained how the comic business matured during the eighties as comic book readers matured, which inspired longer and more sophisticated comic books (graphic novels) like Maus, Watchmen, and Batman: Dark Night Returns.  They provided examples of comics from the ‘70s, graphic novels from the 80’s and contemporary comics and graphic novels. 

They stressed the importance of comics and graphic novels in the classroom because of their appeal to kids, which could make more students life-long readers.  They discussed the appeal of the action hero to male teenagers and the popularity of Manga comics with female teenagers.  They showed and discussed comics that address feminist themes in the 70’s, openly gay characters today and comics that question the politics of war.  They also pointed out some themes, like eastern and western philosophy and accurate science, common in comics and graphic novels that students might miss out on in reading canonized literature.  I think it is important for students to get a taste of these themes and it seems traditional hero comics and graphic novels could be very effective classroom tools.  The speakers also called super-hero comics and graphic novels “American Mythology,” which could be an excellent supplement to teaching Greek Mythology.

Matt      

Reading Rants Top 10-2005

Check out Reading Rants Top 10 for 2005 list. Great list.

I want to thank Jacqueline for the link to Folger. I had the pleasure to visit the actual library in D.C. some years ago and she's right about the resources there. They have special fellowships for teachers that are very much worth looking into.

I AM a S'peare fanatic and took h.s. students to Stratford, Ontario, starting in the late sixties to see plays there. World class theatre. In fact, Stratford happens to be my favorite place on the N. American continent!!

This spring S.U. Drama and Syr. Stage are both doing S'peare, the former MIDSUMMER and the latter LEAR. To continue to pump up your S'peare street creds I strongly recommend you see both of these productions if you possibly can. And bring a teenager--even if you have to rent him/her out for the evening. S.U. Drama is an especially great resource for CNYers. Their student productions are always very professional and this one promises to be lots of fun.

And we so rarely get a chance to see a live production of LEAR (in c. 40 years of teaching English I've seen only one live production--at Stratford) that I hope you will get to it. Any of you interested in this topic, I have a wonderful little book to share with you, HEIRS TO SHAKESPEARE: REINVENTING THE BARD IN YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE, that you might like to borrow.

I look forward to other links and recommendations you can share. We are terrific resources for one another. And Betsy, who you must have wowed last night since she has joined our class, will continue to share her insider's knowledge that comes from a her work in a librarian/teacher masters program. She may even convince some of you to become school librarian teachers!

KES