Me & My Mailbox: Part 2, Manga Style
Posted by alli on 09-22-2008
As promised, I'm going to share what I've received in the past month following up last weeks post with a heap of manga. I think it's ironic that at my school we are hearing some concerns about some of the graphic novels on our shelves. Specifically the questions are around age-appropriateness and balanced reading. The fact is that some boys just want to read graphic novels and what teachers refer to as "fun stuff." As a result they're not getting enough text to read, in their opinion– not enough old fashioned, straight forward reading. This is the essential issue isn't it? It just doesn't look or feel like serious reading. What to do?
As for the age-appropriateness, I would love some suggestions for really good younger age graphic novel series/comics. I'm talking 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. They can't get enough, and I want to be able to provide alternatives that will satisfy the kids' interests and something we don't need to defend as often.
Meanwhile, here are some highlights from some of the cool stuff I've been sent for the older set, all courtesy of TokyoPop:
Goth (both Graphic and Novel) by Otsuichi (Super violent and dark. Four stories about serial murder, and the teens obsessed with them.)
The Tarot Cafe by Sang-Sun Park and Chandra Rooney (Brynn McMillan is searching for missing boyfriend, but the truth and reality she finds pose a difficult choice.)
Ghostbusters by Yamashita, et al. (Who ya gonna call? The guys are back to solve paranormal mysteries…looks cute.)
Kyo Kara Maoh by Tomo Takabayashi and Temari Matsumoto (Ever wake up and find yourself king of another species and at war with humans, Yuri, does.)
Aspirin by Eun Jeong Kim (Funny and adventurous, Fool Ondar and warrior Haemosoo are hired to hunt demons by their king.)
Martin and John by Hee Jung Park (Three different stories about a man named Martin and three different stories about a man named John. Huh?)
The Mysterians by Jay Antani and Matt Hentschel (Vox narrates this: gather-up-your-super-powered-team-mates-and-save-the-earth-from-evil-aliens adventure.)
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness by Kou SasaKura (A young boy becomes the center of the battle between two generals in Count Dracula's demon army. Based on the video game.)
