All the Carey Libraries have graphic novels as an option for reading choices. We encourage students to read graphic novels, as it is quite a different way of reading a story and one that is increasingly popular with students.
Graphic novels are works of art. Writers and illustrators work together to create quite amazing stories. As well as being a fun reading experience, graphic novels can help students develop visual literacy skills, alongside their reading skills.
Over the years, Carey has welcomed a number of graphic novel creators to our school, usually as part of the Carey Celebrates Literature Festival. Bernard Caleo, Jessica Walton, Tom Taylor and Mandy Ord have run workshops with students tapping into students' passion for art and storytelling.
During Term 4, Year 7 English students have been focussing on the theme of transforming tales, and how a story can be transformed in the process of changing it from one format to another. Similarly, one section of our graphic novel collection is devoted to graphic adaptations of stories which were either first a novel, a play, a television show or a movie.
We have recently added genre stickers to our graphic novels to help students choose graphic novels to read and created bookmarks with suggested graphic novels to try along genre lines. My focus was historical fiction graphic novels, such as the graphic-novel reimagining of Anne Frank’s diary. They Called Us Enemy
by George Takei retells the experience of an American Japanese family in America after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Dogs of War by Sheila Keenan and Nathan Fox included three stories about dogs caught up in war zones, one in WWI, another WWII and the third, Vietnam. Fortunately, none of the dogs in these stories die!
One of librarians who works with Middle School students, Anne Lambert, is enjoying discovering graphic novels and recommends two Australian creations. In The Dreaded Mr Snipe by Joel McKerrow, we join the Urban Legend Hunters to find out if Mr Snipe is really a monster or just a scary campfire story in a fun-filled and sometimes spooky adventure. In Utero by Chris Gooch is a thrilling graphic novel about aliens and friendship that fans of Stranger Things will love.
Aimee Murphy, the head of the Evans Library, has been invited to present a workshop on Manga in school libraries at the upcoming Victorian School Library Conference. Manga, or Japanese graphic novels, are very popular with some students. Many students have watched anime online and seek out the graphic novel, which provides a slightly different version of the story. Popular manga includes Pokémon, Dragonball Z, Witch Hat Atelier, Naruto and One Piece, to name just a few.
Further, the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman was taught at Year 12 for many years and continues to be a popular choice for readers.
It is very important that graphic novels be recognised as reading and that children are encouraged to read stories in this medium. It is real reading and the stories really are fantastic.
Marg Moran
Head of Carey Libraries
