Death Junior by Gary Whitta
This is an odd graphic novel. Now, I don’t often read graphic novels (manga is my genre) so that may account for my initial balk (I mean, really; an armless, legless diaper-wearing malcontent in a tank-like formaldehyde jar?).
I began to enjoy it though, as the dialog proved witty and contemporary.
For example, Death is paying Thomas a little visit:
“Thomas Bellamy. May I have one of your hash browns? / MMMM. These are good! I can see why you ate 13,147 over the course of your life. / But you really should have listened to that doctor. The one who warned you that all this junk food would be the death of you.”
“How… Do you know… my name? Who are you?”
“I am the Death of you, Mr. Bellamy.”
A lot of this sort of humor helps me to forget the odd nature of the fantastical freaks in an otherwise normal world who are at the core of this story.
The P.L.A.I.N. Janes by Cecil Castellucci
A good pick for reluctant girl readers, The P.L.A.I.N. Janes kicks off a graphic novel series about a group of misfits, with some tie to the name Jane, brought together by the Main Jane.
Main Jane has just relocated to a suburb after being a victim of a bomb attack in Metro City. Tired of the type of friends she had in the city, she snubs the schools Queen bee and gravitates to the misfit table, determined to gain their friendship.
Despite the stereotypes, Jane brings some depth to the characters and touches on thought-provoking topics near and dear to the teen audience. Highly accessible and a very quick read.
Korgi by Christian Slade
I stumbled upon this delightful wordless graphic novel while in search of titles to recommend for summer reading. I’m working on a list (grades 3-5) for our system and I believe Korgi will be a good series for those reluctant girl readers.
Want to learn more. Watch the trailer.
