School Library Journal Graphic Novel Reviews

The School Library Journal recently highlighted graphic novels for schools and libraries.

Michelle Gorman lists 25 graphic novels for younger kids. She has most of what I consider the "best" works for elementary readers on her list, though a couple of the books she chose are a bit on the boring side for me.

In the review section, they rated Jeff Smith's Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil as appropriate for Grades 7 and up and I'm wondering whether that isn't a typo. I believe this was intended to be an "all ages" book, but I'd have to rate it at Grades 4 or 5 and up because of the scenes where Billy is being attacked by an adult. Grade 7 and up seems a bit high, though.

I noticed that their 2008 Book Picks includes Great Graphic Novels for Teens, but no category for graphic novels for younger kids. Hopefully that will be included next year.

Wilson's Graphic Novel Core Collection looks like a wonderful electronic database for librarians, but because the preview only includes a few titles, I can't be sure of how appropriate their grade level ratings are and what is actually in their Core Collection. The article reads like a press release, so I'd be interested in hearing from any actual librarians that have used the database.