My fifth year as a teacher almost began with a strike. As the contract negotiation process between our union leaders and the administration stalled out, whispers of greed and corruption began to poison the community…
Review of Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love
Written By: Patricia C McKissack and Frederick L McKissack Jr. Illustrated by: Randy Duburke REVIEW Each era of American history has a distinct color and feel to it – from the black and white clad…
Review of Beowulf by Gareth Hinds
By Erik Kallenborn For the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to travel the country, speaking about the benefits of comics and graphic novels in the classroom, helping many teachers get started with…
American Born Chinese, Review
By Michael Gianfrancesco REVIEW The brainchild and signature book of author/artist Gene Yang, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, the graphic novel American Born Chinese has won its share of awards. For…
Review of Sisters
By Ronell Whitaker Written & Art by Raina Telgemeier Appropriate for grades: 2nd grade and up Review When I first read Raina Telgemeier’s 2010 graphic novel Smile, I had trouble relating. As a…
El Deafo Review
Review by Chloe Anderson Written and Illustrated by Cece Bell Winner of the John Newberry Medal SYNOPSIS El Deafo is perfect for new readers as a bridge between sight-word books and more complex stories. It…
MARCH Review
By Eric Kallenborn Last August, I was privileged enough to hear Rep. John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, co-authors of the award-winning graphic novel trilogy March, speak at Evanston Public High School in Evanston, Illinois. It…
Pride of Baghdad Review
By Michael Gianfrancesco Brian K. Vaughan’s and Niko Henrichon’s 2006 masterpiece Pride of Baghdad combines fact and fiction in a way that not only creates an impactful and poignant story, but also makes serious and…
The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation
Written by Johnathon Hennessey Art by Aaron McConnell Appropriate for Grades: Middle School and up REVIEW In interesting times such as these, the laws and traditions of the United States are finding themselves hotly…
Lumberjanes, Volume 1: Beware the Kitten Holy
Written by Noelle Stevenson & Grace Ellis Art by Brooke Allen Appropriate for Grades: 3rd grade and up REVIEW Full disclosure: When I was growing up, I was obsessed with all things related to summer…