Between my history classes, independent reading with my House, and my Comics Club, I witness my students’ love of comics on almost a daily basis. Here are some of the current hot titles and series with my sixth graders.
George O’Connor’s Olympians series.
Perhaps it was the timing of our current history project on Ancient Greece, but I could not keep George O’Connor’s 12 volume graphic mythology series on my shelf. To keep up demand, I borrowed a second set from the local library. My students devoured these classic myths and could discuss all the Olympians, their powers, and what they represented for the Greeks. It was fantastic and added tremendously to our history classes. This series is a must-have for the classroom library.
Black Mage by Daniel Barnes and D.J. Kirkland
Black Mage has inspired some fantastic conversations around US History and racism. It shouldn’t, but I am always amazed by how little my students know about our history. Because I teach in an underperforming school district, most of my students’ prior schools eliminated science and social studies in favor of focusing on standardized test prep. Black Mage includes numerous historical figures, and the main character, Tom Token, battles the KKK. The manga-style artwork and Harry Potter styled school appealed to my students. This was the book that sparked the most discussion and the most significant reader interest. A testament to its appeal was that my most reluctant reader, for the first time this year, read the entire independent reading time and asked to borrow it overnight. My students and I hope that Barnes and Kirkland revisit this universe and that there is a sequel.
The Iliad and The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds
I own the entire Gareth Hind’s library and have been a fan of his beautiful work for years. I bought a book club set of five copies of The Iliad to have available during the Ancient Greece unit. I wasn’t sure if I would have any sixth graders take me up on the offer to read the book after I book talked the title, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the length of the book and the complexity of the story was not too intimidating. This speaks volumes to Gareth Hind’s talent and is a prime example of the power of the medium in the classroom. It was the perfect title for my students who were curious about Homer’s epic poems and had the reading stamina to dig into these adaptations. Gareth’s spectacular illustrations and masterful interpretation engaged my readers, and several students read the book more than once. His backmatter, maps, and character list were immensely helpful. Many students then requested The Odyssey, which required another trip to the public library for additional copies. Perhaps the best and most unexpected benefit was that reading about the Trojan War inspired several students to research the Peloponnesian War for their zine project.
NOTE: If you are a Title One school, be sure to check out the First Book marketplace. They carry several Gareth Hinds books, as well as other graphic novels, for a fraction of the cost. Candlewick Press offers downloadable teacher guides, author notes, and a sample chapter. Gareth Hinds’s blog, Hindsight, is also a treasure trove for information on his process.
DC Series:
My comics club kids cannot get enough of these new DC middle-grade titles:
- Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo
- Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh
- Diana: Princess of the Amazon by Shannon Dale, Dean Hale, and Victoria Ying
- Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot and Cara McGee
- Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu, Stuart Moore, and Chris Wildgoose
- Green Lantern: Legacy by Minh Le and Andie Tong
- Shadow of the Batgirl by Sarah Kuhn and Nicole Goux
DC is creating titles that are engaging stories with relatable, interesting characters. You don’t need to be a DC fan to enjoy these books, which makes them perfect for the classroom library. I would love to see DC continue to identify diverse characters and creators. Representation matters and humanizes the characters even more for my readers. For example, Minh Le’s Green Lantern: Legacy is a beautiful story of immigration and the power community. I could easily incorporate this title into an immigration book club or as a supplemental book when teaching about immigration. I sincerely hope that readers will see a Teen Titan: Shock book in the very near future. My black students would love to see themselves in this series.
DC is also doing a great job identifying prose writers to cross over into comics. When I was at Lion Forge Comics, I developed a list of creators whom I wanted to see the company work with to create new content and capture new comic readers. It is rewarding to see the strategy working in my classroom.
Part Two coming soon…