Beowulf (Graphic Novel)

 

Hinds, Gareth.  2007. Beowulf. Somerville: Candlewick Press.  ISBN

9780763630232

(Photo obtained from Books in Print)

Plot Summary

Beowulf by Gareth Hinds is a retelling of the epic poem Beowulf, reinvented and wrapped up in a graphic novel package. 

Analysis

I have never been a fan of epic poems in general.  With that being said, I have always been able to respect the morale that the Beowulf projects as something that can be used to teach great things to our children.  Hinds has taken my general distaste for the genre and revamped it. 

Hinds manages to conserve the passionate characters, setting and style of the epic poem but provide a contemporary back story.  Illustrations further the heroic theme of the classic while a restricted color palette maintains the dark and powerful voice as pages are turned.  Hinds vanquishes control over the battle scenes with images sprawling for several pages without text or dialogue because it just isn’t needed.   

Graphic novels are great for reluctant readers and are extremely popular with boys which strengthen the heroic adaptation’s successes and make Beowulf an important addition to classroom shelves. 

   Review Excerpts

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY – “For fantasy fans both young and old, this makes an ideal introduction to a story without which the entire fantasy genre would look very different; many scenes may be too intense for very young readers.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “Each specific event is complemented by illustrations that effectively convey the atmosphere-historical details are paired with sketchy, ethereal drawings, the violent battle scenes are darkly tinted with red, and the end of Beowulf's life is indicated by gray, colorless imagery. Hinds's version will make this epic story available to a whole new group of readers.”

Enrichment Activities

http://anastasiasalukeportfolio.weebly.com/uploads/4/5/1/6/4516288/grade_9_graphic_novel_unit.pdf

Books like Beowulf

The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds

King Lear by Gareth Hinds

Beowulf: Monster Slayer by  Paul D. Storrie

The Iliad (Marvel Illustrated) by Roy Thomas

The Graveyard Book

 

Gaiman, Neil. Ill. by Dave McKean. 2008. The Graveyard Book. New York: HarperCollins.  ISBN

9780061709128

(Photo obtained from Books in Print)

Plot Summary

Nobody Owens (affectionately referred to Bod) wandered into a graveyard as a toddler after his entire family was murdered.  Adopted by the paranormal entities that inhabit the graveyard, The Graveyard Book is Bod’s story of the adventures, trials and tribulations of being raised by the undead. 

Analysis

The Graveyard Book is a high Fantasy, ghost story in which you can’t help with identify with Bod.   Gaiman has created a character that you feel for.  The sense of injustice that plagues Bod after losing his family is paramount – you want the murderer known, identified and you want Bod safe.  You can empathize with Bod’s curiosity of the outside world.  This is something that will intrigue children and keep them engaged while McKean’s illustrations add dimension to the story to bridge the gap between the paranormal and that which the imagination cannot always construct. 

As an adult reader, some of the storyline did not contribute to plot development which made the story drag at times but the imagery and adventure masks that deceleration for younger readers.  The overall “coming of age” theme is reminiscent of contemporary fiction yet stitches together within a fantastical murder-mystery.  The Graveyard Book is a suggested read for reluctant male readers.

Review Excerpts

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “Bod's love for his graveyard family and vice versa provide the emotional center, amid suspense, spot-on humor, and delightful scene-setting. The child Bod's behavior is occasionally too precocious to be believed, and a series of puns on the name Jack render the villain a bit less frightening than he should be, though only momentarily.”

BOOKLIST – “There is plenty of darkness, but the novel's ultimate message is strong and life affirming. Although marketed to the younger YA set, this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages.”

Awards, Mentions and/or Honors

2009 Winner – Newberry Medal

2009 Winner – Hugo Awards

2009 Winner – Indies’ Choice Book Award

2009 Winner – Locus Awards

2010 Winner – Bluegrass Award

2011 Winner – Garden State Teen Book Award

2008 Nomination – Los Angeles Times Book Prizes

2009 Nomination – Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

2009 Winner – Audie Award

2009 Nomination – World Fantasy Awards

2009 Winner – Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award

2009 Nomination – Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards

2009 – ALA Notable Books for Children

2009 Nomination – Great Stone Face Children’s Book Award

2011 Nomination – Evergreen Young Adult Book Award

2010 Nomination – Kate Greenaway Medal

2010 Winner – Carnegie Medal

2011 Nomination – Reader’s Choice Award

2010 Nomination -      Volunteer State Book Award

2011 Nomination – Grand Canyon Reader Award

2012 Nomination – Nene Award

2013 Nomination – Golden Archer Award (Wisconsin)

Enrichment Activities

https://sites.google.com/site/theghoulgate/activities-based-on-the-graveyard-book

http://www.bookbrowse.com/reading_guides/detail/index.cfm/book_number/2184/the-graveyard-book

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/graveyard-book

http://www.helium.com/items/2247339-make-the-book-come-alive

Books like The Graveyard Book

M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

InterWorld by Neil Gaiman

Matched by Ally Condie

Speak

 

Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. Speak. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.  ISBN

978-0-374-37152-4

(Photo obtained from Books in Print)

Plot Summary

At the start of her freshman year in high school, Melinda Sordino’s social status has met rock bottom after calling the police to an end-of-summer party.  Melinda spends the entire year speechless, hiding from herself and everyone and everything she’d ever known in an attempt to survive what really happened that night.

Analysis

“Sometimes I think high school is one long hazing activity: if you are tough enough to survive this, they’ll let you become an adult.  I hope it’s worth it.”  Speak challenges what society thinks they know about controversial topics.  Speak possesses concepts of sexual assault, bullying, suicide and social distress page after page with an extremely inspiring protagonist.  Surprisingly, Melinda is multifaceted; she does not fall victim to the flat and unnatural depictions that are produced when adults try to write about a contemporary high school setting with no frame of reference.

And while the topic is nothing short of serious, Anderson incorporates humor into the storyline to ensure that the less-than-stellar topic is easier to swallow and more age-appropriate.  Dialogue between characters is not common but Melinda’s inner dialogue is plausible, natural and gives the overall storyline dimension.  Readers find themselves rooting for Melinda and wanting to be there for her, to support her.  Deemed a social pariah, Melinda is pretty much on her own; the emotional castrations between the characters that don’t know Melinda’s secret (but are preview to the emotional presentation) are also well-developed.  Melinda’s parents, although somewhat frustrating at times, solidify the stagnant situation Melinda has found herself in.

Anderson uses subtle and thought-provoking imagery with reoccurring parallelisms (a tree as a symbol for life, words as a symbol of bravery) to weave together the lessons in this poignant tale.  “The air swirls with sawdust.  Sap oozes from the open sores on the trunk.  He is killing the tree.”  “Dad: (…) “By cutting off the damage, you can make it possible for the tree to grow again.” “I want to insert the glass all the way through his throat, I want to hear him scream.  (…) His lips are paralyzed.  He cannot speak.  That’s good enough.” “The tears dissolve the last block of ice in my throat.  I feel the frozen stillness melt down through the inside of me, dripping shards of ice that vanish in a puddle of sunlight on the stained floor.  Words float up.”

Possessing the true merits of an appropriate learning tools or teenagers, the lessons with Speak are unrivaled and should be added to curriculum and reading lists across the nation.  Melinda will prevail, she will not be defined by the detours life has presented.  Like or dislike, everyone can take a little something from Speak.

Review Excerpts

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY – “"Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers' empathy."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story.”

Awards, Mentions and/or Honors

1999 Winner - Golden Kite Awards 2000 Winner - ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Awards 2000 Winner - Carolyn W. Field Award (Pennsylvania Library Association) 2002 Winner - Garden State Teen Book Award 2002 Winner - Sequoyah Book Award 2002 Winner 0 Volunteer State Book Award 2002 Winner  - Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award 2002 Winner - Evergreen Young Adult Book Award 1999 Nomination - National Book Awards 1999 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year 2000 Nomination - Edgar Awards (Edgar Allan Poe Awards) 2000 Nomination - Michael L. Printz Award 1999 Nomination - Los Angeles Times Book Prizes 2001 Nomination - Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award 2001 Winner - Bluegrass Award 2001 Nomination - Maine Student Book Award 2002 Nomination - SCASL Book Award (South Carolina) 2002 Nomination - Iowa Teen Award 2003 Nomination - California Young Reader Medal 2002 Nomination - Virginia Reader's Choice Awards 2003 – Nomination Black-Eyed Susan Book Award 2004 Nomination - Grand Canyon Reader Award 2004 Nomination - Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award

Lists

Booklist Editors’ Choice (1999)

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2000)

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book (2000)

Fanfare, The Horn Book’s Honor List (Various)

Los Angeles Times Award finalist (2000)

Publishers Weekly Bestseller (2000)

Booklist Top 10 First Novels (1999)

Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year (1999)

Enrichment Activities

Lesson Plans: http://www.viterbo.edu/perspgs/faculty/GSmith/LessonPlanforSpeak.htm and http://austinenglish3.wikispaces.com/Speak and http://www.webenglishteacher.com/lhanderson.html

Books like Speak

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield