Graphic Novels for Librarians

Sorry about my extended absence

kitkat — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:23:06 +0000

I’ve been reading tons, but I’ve found that I want to write a really well thought out review, and that often takes time that I don’t have. Then I found out about Good Reads. I can keep track of and rate all the books that I read, and I don’t have to post a real review unless I have the time. Therefor, I’m only going to post reviews of books that REALLY get my blood pumping over here or book reviews made by kids and teens.

You can catch me at good reads here.

Graphic Novel Presentation

kitkat — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 03:07:49 +0000

I gave a GN presentation to a local school system in January and I thought I should share it with you! Enjoy! It is in Powerpoint, so if you have trouble viewing it, let me know. Manga Presentation

Ack! How many months has it been?

kitkat — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:35:35 +0000

Summer is a terrible time to try and do anything… even to write short paragraphs about about great comic books. This is especially true for a youth services librarian with a two year old. Not that I should try and make excuses for myself. That’s unacceptable.

This does not mean that I haven’t been reading. I haven’t read tons, but I’ve been keeping up. Here are some of the books that I’ve read:

Girl Stories by Lauren R. Weinstein
Full Moon by Arina Tanemura
Alice 19th by Yuu Watase
Castle Waiting by Linda Medley
Black Hole by Charles Burns
to dance by Siena Cherson Siegel
My Dead Girlfriend by Eric Wright
Someday’s Dreamers by Norie Yamada
Sorkora Refugees by Segamu and Melissa DeJesus
Agnes Quill: an Anthology of Mystery

I’ve also just purchased some new anime:

Beck
Cardcaptor Sakura
DN Angel
Dragon Drive
Eureka Seven
Full Moon o Sagashite
My Neighbor Totoro
Scrapped Princess

Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya

kitkat — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:12:24 +0000

Reviewed by Michele

Fruits Basket is another one of favorite mangas. It’s definetely the cutest one. I’m not sure how many guys are into it, but I’d be surprised if there was any girl who didn’t like it.

Tohru Honda is a sweet, friendly high school girl. Her father died when she was very young, and her mother died a year before the series takes place. Tohru is supposed to be living with her grandfather, but his house is having renovations done on it so he asked her to live somewhere else for a while. She doesn’t have many friends, and she didn’t want to trouble the ones she has, so she lives out in a tent in the woods (I know, she’s crazy right?)

One day on her way to school, Tohru discovers a house with little zodiac ornaments outside. While she is looking at them a man named Shigure Sohma sees her and then her classmate Yuki Sohma, who also lives there, walks with her to school and on their way home. Tohru unknowingly is living on the Sohma property, and eventually the Sohmas find her living in her tent. They insist that it’s too dangerous for her to be living there, and insist she stay with them until she can go back her Grandfather’s (they need a maid anyways…). In just the first day of living there, they’re paid an unexpected visit by Yuki’s rival, Kyo Sohma. He insists on fighting Yuki, but Tohru grabs him in attempt to stop him. Then the unexpected happens…Kyo turns into a cat. Tohru learns that the Sohma family is under a curse, each of them turns into an animal of the Chinese zodiac when hugged by the opposite sex or when they’re weak. This is a secret that hardly anyone outside of the family knows, and throughout the series Tohru tries to be accepted by the family. IN almost every book you meet a new member of the zodiac.

This series is very popular, and was made into an anime as well. I highly recommend it, the story is very original. I just can’t put it down!

Vampire Game by Judal

kitkat — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 18:51:33 +0000

Vampire Game
by Judal
Tokyopop
Volume 1: 1591823692
Volume 2: 1591823706
Volume 3: 1591823714
Volume 4: 1591825563
Volume 5: 1591825571
Volume 6: 159182558x
Volume 7: 1591825598
Volume 8: 1591825601
Volume 9: 159182561x
Volume 10: 1595324402
Volume 11: 1595324410
Volume 12: 1595324429
Volume 13: 1595324437
Volume 14: 1595324445
Volume 15: 1598162128

Reviewed by Michele
**librarian edit – This is the uber cool new page we recently hired! Look forward to more reviews from her!

Vampire Game has got to be my favorite manga series. It has romance (many love triangles…), fighting, magic, humor and suspense.

First you find out that 100 years ago, there was a Vampire King named Duzell. Since he is already immortal and in control of all of the vampires, he decides he wants to rule the humans, too. So he battles against the King of Pheliosta, Phelios. The only thing is, since Duzell is immortal, there is no way Phelios can kill him except with a spell that kills them both. Before Duzell dies he places a curse that 100 years later both Phelios and him will be reincarnated, and he will get his revenge.

So, 100 years later, Duzell is reincarnated into a cat. He happens upon the new leader of Pheloista, Princess Ishtar (because she likes to sneak out a lot…). She “adopts” him, so to speak, and Duzell begins on his journey to finding Phelios’s reincarnation.

As the story progresses, Duzell can test people’s blood and both tell if they are Phelios’s reincarnation or not and transform into them (so he’s not in kitty form the whole time). So after testing the Princess, he takes her form and after a bit of chaos, she figures out who he is. To Duzell’s surprise, she is actually determined to help him get his revenge. Then they begin to try to reach each of Ishtar’s relatives throughout the series.

Vampire Game is a really fun manga, but if you like serious stuff this one really isn’t for you. I definetely recommend it, especially if you like vampires.

Graphic Novels for Younger Teens

kitkat — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:44:30 +0000

Thanks to the librarians from PUBYAC for providing this list.

PUBYAC is an Internet discussion list concerned with the practical aspects of Children and Young Adult Services in Public Libraries, focusing on programming ideas, outreach and literacy programs for children and caregivers, censorship and policy issues, collection development, administrative considerations, puppetry, job openings, professional development and other pertinent services and issues.

The name PUBYAC amalgamates the most important aspects of the discussion: PUBlic libraries, Young Adults, and Children.

Title Author

Age of Reptiles Delgado, Ricardo
Amelia Rules! The Whole World’s Crazy Gownley, Jimmy
Angelic Layer Clamp
Aria Amano, Kozue
Astro Boy Tezuka Osamu
Astro City: Life in the Big City Busiek, Kurt
Avatar Various
Baby & Me Ragawa, Mirimo
Babymouse Holm, Jennifer
Babysitter’s Club Martin, Ann M.
Beet the Vandel Buster Inada, Koji
Beyblade Aoki, Takao
Bone Smith, Jeff
Brain Powered Various
Cardcaptor Sakura Clamp
Chobits Clamp
City of Light, City of Dark Avi
Clan Apis Hosler, Jay
CowBoy BeBop Nanten, Yutaka
D.N. Angel Sugisaki, Yukiru
Days Like This Torres, J. and Chantler, Scott
Di Gi Charat Koge-Donbo
Dragon Ball Toriyama, Akira
Dragon Ball Z Various
Dropsie Avenue: The Neighborhood Eisner, Will
Electric Girl Brennan, Michael
Et Cetera Nakazaki, Tow
Fashion Kitty Harper, Cherise Mericle
Fruits Basket Takaya, Natsuki
Fullmetal Alchemist Arakawa, Hiromu
GoGirl! Robbins, Trina
Hardy Boys Lobdell, Scott
Herobear and the Kid Kunkel, Mike
Hikaru No Go Obata, Takeshi
Instant Teen Fukushima, Haruka
Inuyasha Takahashi, Rumiko
Invincible: Family Matters Kirkman, Robert
Jing, King of Bandits Kumakura, Yuichi
Kingdom Hearts Amano, Shiro
Kamichama Karin Koge-Donbo
Kodocha Sana’s Stage Obana, Miho
Leave it to Chance: Trick or Threat & Other Stories Robinson and Smith
Lenore Dirge, Ramon
Little Lit Spiegelman, Art
Magic Knight Rayearth Clamp
Magic Knight Rayearth II Clamp
Magic Pickle Morse, Scott
Marmalade Boy Yoshizumi, Wataru
Megamen NT warrior Takamisaki, Ryo
Meridian Kesel
MeruPuri: Marchen Prince Hino, Matsuri
Nancy Drew Petrucha and Murase
Naruto Kishimoto, Masashi
Neon Genesis Evangelion Sadamoto, Yoshiyuki
Ouran High School Host Club Hatori, Bisco
Owly Runton, Andy
Peach Girl Ueda, Miwa
Pita-Ten Koge-Donbo
Prince of Tennis Konomi, Takeshi.
Saint Tail Tachikawa, Megumi.
Sardine in Outer Space Guibert, Emmanuel
Scary Godmother Thompson, Jill
Shaman King Takei, Hiroyuki
Shock Rockets Busiek, Kurt
Sidekicks Danko, Dan
Spyboy David, Peter
Superman for All Seasons Loeb, Jeph
Tellos: Kindred Spirits Dezago, Todd
Tellos: Reluctant Heroes Dezago, Todd
The Books of Magic Gaiman, Neil
The Clouds Above Crane, Jordan
The Land of Sokmunster Kunkel and Heuser
The Last Knight Eisner, Will
The Princess and the Frog Eisner, Will
The Wolves in the Walls Gaiman, Neil
Tin Tin Herge
To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel Siegel
Ultimate Spider-Man Various
Ultra Maniac Yoshizumi, Wataru
Whistle Higuchi, Daisuke
Wish Clamp
WJHC: On the Air! Fisher, Jane Smith
X-Men: Evolution Grayson, Devin
Yotsuba! Azumo, Kiyohiko
Yu-Gi-Oh! Takahashi, Kazuki
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist Takahashi, Kazuki
Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium World Takahashi, Kazuki
Zodiac, P.I. Natsumi, Ando

Dramacon by Svetlana Chmakova

kitkat — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 20:58:47 +0000

Dramacon
by Svetlana Chmakova
Tokyopop
Volume 1: 1598161296
Volume 2: 159816130x

This is a great series written by Svetlana Chmakova who will be at the Teen Book Festival in Fairport NY on March 31.

Quick Description: Dramacon is a romantic dramedy about a romance that blooms over the course of several years at an anime convention.

Christie is a budding writer who is attending an anime convention for the first time in her life. She and her artist boyfriend, Derek, get a table in the artist alley to promote a self-published ashcan comic that she wrote and he drew.

Derek is a little too taken with the attention all the female cosplayers are paying him, which upsets Christie and forces her to deal with the player side of Derek that she had ignored up until now. Things quickly become more complicated, especially after she bumps into Matt, a handsome — but shy — cosplayer.

I have some comics that I really like, but I LOVED this one. I read them and then I read them three more times, all in the same sitting. Now I understand why some teens really dig manga. Fruits Basket, Kare Kano and From Far Away are some of my favorites, but this one blows them all away. And guess what? You’re not going to believe this, but she’s not even Japanese! Svetlana was born and raised in Russia, and came to Canada at 16. Its neat that she actually brings this up through one of characters who is a non-Japanese writer.

In the comic some people complain that if the artist isn’t Japanese, it can’t be real manga. But she insists that manga isn’t based on a person’s ancestory, but on the style of the art as well as the style of the writing. Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to change people’s minds.

However, that’s not really all that the comic is about. What its REALLY about is Christie. Christie writes stories for manga artists…. well one artist really. Her boyfriend. Her boyfriend who is a little mean. Well really he’s a lot mean. They go to the Comicon to show off their comic book and while there Christie learns a little more about herself and her boyfriend. While there, she meets Matt, who teachs her even more about herself.

Manga for kids!

kitkat — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 03:05:11 +0000

Angelic layer by Clamp
Tokyopop
Vol. 1 ISBN: 193151447x
Vol. 3 ISBN: 1591820049
Vol. 4 ISBN: 1591820863
Vol. 5 ISBN: 1591821525

Arana by Fiona Avery
Marvel Comics
Vol. 1 Heart of the Spider ISBN: 0785115064
Vol. 2 In the Beginning ISBN: 0785117199
Vol. 3 Night of the Hunter ISBN: 0785118535

Cardcaptor Sakura: Master of the Clow by Clamp
Tokyopop
Vol. 1 ISBN: 1892213753
Vol. 2 ISBN: 1892213761
Vol. 3 ISBN: 189221377x
Vol. 4 ISBN: 1892213788

Kamichama Karin by Koge Donbo.
Tokyopop
Vol. 1 ISBN: 1595328475
Vol. 2 ISBN: 1595328483
Vol. 3 ISBN: 1595328491
Vol. 4 ISBN: 1595328505

Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne by Arina Tanemura
CMX
Vol. 1 ISBN: 1401205550 (Reviewed by: Publishers Weekly)
Vol. 2 ISBN: 1401205569
Vol. 3 ISBN: 1401205577

Peach fuzz by Lindsay Cibos
Tokyopop
Vol. 1 ISBN: 1595325999
Vol. 2 ISBN: 1595326006

Yotsuba&! By Kiyohiko Azuma
ADV (Reviewed by: Publishers Weekly (Starred) and School Library Journal)
Vol. 1 1413903177
Vol. 2 1413903185
Vol. 3 1413903290

Like these? Now read the book!

kitkat — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 03:04:07 +0000

Based on Novels

Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M Martin
GRAPHIX
Vol. 1 Kristy’s great idea ISBN: 0439739330
Vol. 2 Truth About Stacey ISBN: 0439739365

Hardy Boys by Scott Lobdell
Papercutz (package edition vol. 1-4) ISBN: 1597070408
Vol. 1 Ocean of Osyria
Vol. 2 Identity Theft
Vol. 3 Mad House
Vol. 4 Malled

Nancy Drew by Stefan Petrucha
Papercutz (package edition vol. 1-4) ISBN: 1597070386
Vol. 1 Demon of River Heights
vol. 2 Writ in stone
Vol. 3 Haunted dollhouse
Vol. 4 Girl who wasn’t there

Time warp trio by Zachary Rau (Jon Scieszka)
Harper Trophy
Vol. 1 Nightmare on Joe’s street ISBN: 0061116394 (Reviews by: SLJ & Booklist)
Vol. 2, The seven blunders of the World ISBN: 0061116378
Vol. 3 Plaid to the bone ISBN: 0061116424

Now you can read and watch TV at the same time!

kitkat — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 03:03:14 +0000

Straight from TV and Pop Culture

Aladdin Cinemanga
Tokyopop
ISBN: 1595320660

Avatar : the last airbender
Tokyopop
Vol. 1 ISBN: 1595328912
Vol. 2 ISBN: 1595328920
Vol. 3 ISBN: 159816757x
Vol. 4 ISBN: 1598169289
Vol. 5 ISBN: 1598169297

Bambi Cinemanga
Tokyopop
ISBN: 1595327150

Baron: the cat returns by Aoi Hiiragi
Viz Media
ISBN: 1591169569

Cinderella Cinemanga
Tokyopop
ISBN: 1595327258

Cinderella III Cinemanga
Tokyopop
ISBN: 1598169122

Disney Adventures Comic Zone
Disney Press
Vol. 1 Disney’s Lilo and Stitch ISBN: 0786847190
Vol. 2 Gorilla, Gorilla ISBN: 0786847204
Vol. 3 Disney’s Tall Tails ISBN: 0786837667
Vol. 4 Kid Gravity ISBN: 0786837659

Disney cartoon tales by Scott Peterson
Disney Press
Vol. 1 classic tales ISBN: 0786835176
Vol. 2 Out of this world tales ISBN: 0786836091
Vol. 3 Splashtacular tales ISBN: 07868360105
Vol. 4 Princess royally enchanted tales ISBN: 0786837152

Duel masters
Tokyopop
Vol. 1 ISBN: 1595320636
Vol. 2 ISBN: 1595320644
Vol. 3 ISBN: 1595320652
Vol. 4 ISBN: 159532674x

Finding Nemo Cinemanga
Tokyopop
ISBN: 1591827582

Kim Possible
Tokyopop
Vol. 1 ISBN 1591821452
Vol. 2 ISBN 1591821460
Vol. 3 ISBN 1591822432
Vol. 4 ISBN 1591822440

Kiki’s delivery service by Eiko Kadono
VIZ
Vol. 1 ISBN: 1591167248
Vol. 2 ISBN: 1591167493
Vol. 3 ISBN: 1591167841
Vol. 4 ISBN: 1421505959

Kingdom hearts by Shiro Amano
Tokyopop
ISBN: 1598168088 (set)

Lizzie McGuire Cine-manga
Tokyopop
Vol. 1 – Pool Party and Picture Day ISBN 1591821479
Vol. 2 – Rumors & I’ve Got Rhythmic ISBN 1591821487
Vol. 3 – When Moms Attack & Misadventures in Babysitting ISBN 1591822459
Vol. 4 – I Do, I Don’t & Come Fly with Me ISBN 1591822467

My little pony
Tokyopop
Vol. 1 Friends are never far away ISBN: 1598160001
Vol. 2 A Very Minty Christmas ISBN: 159816001x
Vol. 3 Dancing in the Clouds ISBN: 1598162810
Vol. 4 The runaway rainbow 1598162829

Pokemon by Toshihiro Ono
VIZ Media
Vol. 1 the electric tale of Pikachu ISBN: 061322194X
Vol. 2 Pikachu Shocks Back ISBN: 0613226925
Vol. 3 Electric Pikachu Boogaloo ISBN: 061327802X

Spongebob Squarepants
Tokyopop
Vol. 1 Krusty Krab Adventures ISBN: 1591823986
Vol. 2 Friends Forever ISBN: 1591823994
Vol. 3 Tales from Bikini Bottom ISBN: 159182575x
Vol. 4 Crime and Punishment ISBN: 1591825768

Zorro by Don McGregor
Papercutz
Vol. 1 Scars ISBN: 1597070173 (Reviewed by: Publishers Weekly and SLJ)
Vol. 2 Drownings ISBN: 159707019X
Vol. 3 Vultures ISBN: 1597070211