The Middle Grade Graphic Novel, a guest post by Savannah Hartje and Hannah Spencer
The Middle-Grade Graphic Novel
Elementary-age kids are flocking to the library in droves to check out the latest Dog Man or The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel. All kinds of kids with all kinds of hobbies are interested in reading graphic novels. The format is gaining popularity at an extraordinary rate. Why is this? There are a few reasons graphic novels are amazing and so important to middle-grade age readers on their literacy journey.
The graphic novel format covers a wide range of genres and topics. Today’s graphic novels aren’t just your dad’s 80s superhero comics. Your local library’s middle-grade graphic novel section will hold all sorts of genres from fiction (The Baby-Sitters Club) to fantasy (Wings of Fire) to mystery (InvestiGators). No matter what a kid is interested in, there is a graphic novel to fit their needs.
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Graphic novels are also an incredible resource for reluctant readers. I can’t count the number of times I have engaged a grown-up and their middle-grade reader in a reader’s advisory interaction and struggled to find a book they were interested in until we got to the graphic novel section. The colorful pictures, exciting design, and smaller blocks of text can draw out their interest and make a reluctant reader agree to try it out.
Last, but certainly not least, graphic novels are amazing for their unique format that offers readers a new and exciting reading exercise. It is usually true that a traditional print book will contain more words than a graphic novel, but graphic novels tend to contain more rare words that help to beef up the reader’s vocabulary. You might have heard of the University of Oregon study that showed that the graphic novels they studied contained an average of 53.5 rare words per 1,000. There is something to be said for the colorful and bountiful illustrations in graphic novels as well. Kaitlin Coulter writes in her article, Do Graphic Novels Count as Reading?, about some evidence that the illustrations in graphic novels provide valuable context clues that aid in word recognition. So, don’t be afraid to communicate the value of graphic novels to middle-grade readers and their grown-ups and to recommend them to reluctant readers.
There are many great ways to reach out to readers about graphic novels, but offering programming that celebrates and validates the graphic novel format has been particularly successful at our library. Some successful programs we’ve run at our library have been programs based on popular graphic novel series that kids are already reading and enjoying. We recently started running a series of “Graphic Novel Parties,” which is essentially a fun book club to celebrate popular graphic novel authors, series, or standalone stories.
Our first program focused on The Baby-Sitters Club and a range of kids from 2nd–6th grade showed up and enjoyed trivia and activities and crafts related to the books. For this program, we made bracelets as an art project, did a leadership challenge with LEGO blocks, played MASH, and took a “Which Baby-Sitter Club Member Are You?” quiz.
Here’s the trivia slideshow we made in Canva for this program! Our library branch also had a “SUPA” time making comics, building villains, answering trivia, and testing our noses at our Dog Man Party to celebrate the release of Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder, which was released in March of 2024. Here’s another trivia slideshow we made for the Dog Man program!
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For the last two years, our library has also partnered with a local comic shop that provided us with comics for Free Comic Book Day. If you haven’t heard of Free Comic Book Day, it is a massive nationwide event every year on the first Saturday in May where special editions of popular or new comic books are sold to comic shops at a low price (usually between .20-.50 cents each). There are comics rated All Ages, Teen, and Mature, and our library was able to have around 150 All Ages comics donated. Reach out to local shops to partner. Some big name titles this year include an Encanto comic, a Pokemon title, Phoebe and Her Unicorn, InvestiGators, and Spidey and His Amazing Friends. The program could be as passive or involved as you wish and could include anything from setting out the comics and allowing patrons to take one of their choice, to a more involved program with related games and activities like a “create your own comic” station. Last year we were able to offer a Young Jedi Adventures comic and had cosplayers from a local Star Wars group attend to take pictures with patrons!
Of course, your classic reader’s advisory methods are always helpful for reaching out to readers. When it comes to these methods, make sure you’re always including graphic novels in the mix. Graphic novels don’t need to always be on their own display or only suggested to patrons who specifically ask for them. Try mixing graphic novels into your regular book displays and conversations with readers to get them as much exposure as possible. If you are a public librarian, make sure not to forget that outreach is a wonderful opportunity to reach more readers than you normally would. Let kids at schools know that the public library might have graphic novels that the school library doesn’t. A book talk is a super fun way to engage kids in a discussion about graphic novels. Check out this presentation we used to talk to fifth graders about new graphic novels in 2022.
Keeping graphic novels in mind when providing services to young patrons is pivotal, and is especially beneficial for reluctant readers and young patrons. It is also beneficial to the publishing industry which will continue to publish fun and engaging children’s literature for as long as kids remain interested, which is a win-win for us all!
Biographies
Savannah Hartje, MLIS
Savannah is a youth services librarian, working primarily with teens. She loves cozy romantasy books, all things art, and staying up to date with trends on TikTok.
Hannah Spencer, MLIS
Hannah is a youth services librarian who works with kids of all ages, and especially loves program planning. She is a LEGO and puzzle fanatic, and enjoys reading epic fantasy and graphic novels.
Filed under: Guest Post
About Ally Watkins
Ally Watkins is a Youth Services Librarian in Mississippi. She has worked in public libraries for over 8 years and previously served as library consultant for the State Library of Mississippi.
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