The Colourful Appeal of Graphic Novels

What is a graphic novel?

Graphic novels are, by the simplest definition, book-length comics. Sometimes they tell a single, continuous narrative from first page to last; sometimes they are collections of shorter stories or individual comic strips. [source]

You might be forgiven for thinking that authors and illustrators of this genre would be pleased by the import of the genre name, yet many who have their work marketed as 'graphic novels' by publishing companies, dislike the term. This group is quite content to call their work comics—a comic novel or book, as opposed to a comic magazine—and feel it’s simply an unnecessary rewording for marketing purposes. (Although many in the book industry would argue strongly that the marketing of books is quite a necessary business!) Jeff Smith, author of the award-winning, humorous graphic novel series, Bone (for ages 11+) is one artist not keen on the descriptor,

"… 'graphic novel'... I don't like that name. It's trying too hard. It is a comic book. But there is a difference. And the difference is, a graphic novel is a novel in the sense that there is a beginning, a middle and an end." [source]

Diverse appeal

Be this as it may, debate over the terminology has not diminished the widening appeal and growing popularity of graphic novels. And the term seems here to stay, perhaps in part because the word ‘comic’ can be misleading: many comics are not humorous in nature. Instead, they are dramatic, adventurous, romantic—in fact, any genre a text-based novel can be. Just as the stories portrayed in graphic novels have become more diverse in content, so too, has the readership has widened. Publishers of many popular series, such as Twilight (for ages 12+) by Stephanie Meyer, and Anthony Horowitz’s Power of Five (for ages 12+) and Alex Rider (for 9+ years) series, are keen to produce the books in graphic novel format for a variety of ages.

 

Advancing literacy

While comic magazines and graphic novels are spurned in some quarters for curtailing literacy, some of their biggest supporters are librarians. In fact, librarians were among the first to note the fast-growing trend through the lending cycle, and have been strong supporters of the genre, viewing graphic novels as powerful tools in the process of advancing literacy. They not only combine words and images, but require the reader to interpret the narrative flow by linking the actions in the panels together. Graphic novels are also popular with younger readers, and appeal to reluctant and struggling readers as well as those who are more advanced. [source] Jeff Smith commented on this phenomenon during an interview some years ago. 

"...there was a time when people actually thought comics caused illiteracy. They thought it would make you more stupid. So this was our chance [invited to speak at the American Library Association national conference in 2002]. And we were all excited to make our case for comics being good. But immediately, it was clear that the librarians were way out in front of us. They knew this.

They told me that circulation in libraries was down everywhere. You know, internet, video games... standard fears that everybody has that we're losing you minds. But there was one exception. The circulation had gone up 300 percent across the country... in graphic novels. So the librarians didn't need to be convinced. They were there going, "We want more. What do we do?" [source]

Have you noticed...?

Have you noticed the world is changing? Sounds almost too self-evident to mention, yet it’s a contributing factor in the growth of graphic novel readership in recent years. No one can deny that communication has changed and will continue to change. The combination of images and text is becoming a standard way of conveying information and one that requires new interpretative skills. [source] University of North Florida assistant professor of literacy Katie Monnin refers to this as "the greatest communication revolution since the invention of the printing press," as a way of illustrating the scale of what is occurring.

Couple that with the fast pace of these means of communication—movies, videos, internet—and you can see how graphic novels help span the gap between these visually stimulating forms of entertainment, and the format of print. Graphic novels may appeal more to those who have become used to this quick delivery style of a story because text-only books might seem slow by comparison. In addition to providing reading and enjoyment in their own right, far from turning readers away from traditional novels, graphic novels may actually make them more accessible.

We're currently building our reference of graphic novels for children and young adults. If you have any suggestions you'd like to make, please email us at: books@cerealreaders.com

Marielle Rebbechi

The 11+ Reading Level - a Bermuda Triangle?

It's November - already! To coincide with the eleventh month, we're undertaking a mini-blitz on books for the 11+ age group. You may have noticed that this age group has been mysteriously missing from our Reading Level browse feature since our launch - and not because we have any bias against 11-plusers! No, somehow it's just that this age group is somewhat overlooked, or perhaps more accurately, one that slips through the cracks. Series descriptions from publishers often specify 10+ or 12+...but almost never, 11+. Of course, there is the ubiquitous '9-12 years', but the poor old 11-pluser is really wedged in there without fanfare.

if you're 11 years of age, you could be forgiven for feeling you've disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle of the reading public...

For librarians, parents and, of course, the readers themselves, eleven is a pretty key age. Readers are inching beyond the stable realm of the primary school books and looking ahead to all those enticing and well-promoted series firmly on the YA shelf. They want more action; more excitement; more intrigue; more complexity...perhaps even a tiny bit of romance; still, they're not really ready for the often dark and issue-ladden stories firmly in the 'young-adult' or 12+ age group. So, what's available for them then?

Well, we've done our best to start the ball rolling and hope you'll find some good choices as we unveil our 11+ age category. If you have any series you think work well for this important age group, please email them to us. We'll be continuing our search on behalf of the 11-plusers throughout the month of November. 11-Plusers - unite!

Marielle [November 2, 2012]

Larger Than Imagination - Film Versions of Children's Books

"My son's read the book, so he's fine to see the movie...."

This is a surprisingly common belief, and children often diligently finish a book or series as "proof" that they're ready to see the movie, regardless of its rating. Don't be misguided by this line of thinking; the experience of watching a film can be - and often is - a far cry from reading the book!

some aspects of film presentation you may not have considered...

The beautiful paradox of books is this: in utilizing children's imaginations - both the boundlessness of their creativity and the limitations of their knowledge and experience - there is, within appropriate reading material, a general safety net. Despite the potency of an author's story-telling abilities, children can typically only "picture" the worst thing they can imagine. Their image of a hideous troll, for example, will generally only be as hideous as their minds can create. The story might be gripping with an exciting tingle of fear, but their image of the creature in actuality, might be quite vague and blurry around the edges...and if it's all too much, they can always put the book down.

Now, cut to the film version of that book your child enjoyed so much. The images are no longer the product of one child's imagination, but rather the combined product of dozens of adult imaginations. The hideous troll is suddenly on screen, gruesome and overwhelming; the combined efforts of the writer, the director, the special effects crew, the make-up artist, the light guy, the sound guy...did I mention all these people were adults? And this alarming visual is all accompanied by dramatically loud and overwhelming music! When they need respite from the continuing action, confronted children can't put the film down and progress through the story at their own pace. Even leaving the cinema or stopping the DVD at that point, doesn't erase the image imprinted on the memory, larger than life; larger than a child's imagination.

Film versions of books are typically packaged into two-hour films, regardless of the length of the book; regardless of how many days or weeks your child took to read the book itself (at a pace befitting a child's imagination and reading ability); and, regardless of the label of "children's film", producers almost always target teens and adults as well. If you haven't already discovered the 'Parental Guide' on the Independent Movie Database, it's well worth referring to next time you're considering a movie. It provides very specific information (such as detailed scene descriptions, specific language, etc.) for any material that might be a consideration, and helps you make an informed decision in light of your child's age and sensitivities. The nature of the visual medium means it's worth taking extra care with the film versions of books and, if necessary, resisting those emotional pleas and beguiling eyes!

Marielle [August 18, 2012]