Graphic Novels' Awards Debut

The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE by Gene Yang

The perfect choice: universal YA story of the desire to be accepted, to be one of the many instead of one of the few (or worse, one of the "others") told in a format (graphic novel) that is still a bit of an outsider wanting to be accepted.

If you are new to graphic novels, this is a great place to start. But don't sit down expecting to read this the way you read straight text. And don't kid yourself thinking it will be easy. First of all, reading graphics works different brain muscles than reading text, so you might find that you need to read more slowly. And you might also need to read more slowly because this is a richly complicated story -- actually it is three stories that start as separate strands which come together in a very satisfying ending.

Read an excerpt here. (Thank you Children's Illustration for the link.)




The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor Book

TO DANCE by Siena Siegel

Here's the proof that "graphic novel" is not a genre, it's a publishing format. In fact, it would probably be best to drop the word novel, and insert the genre name one would use if the story were not told in sequential art. This book, then, would be known as a work of graphic memoir.

Again, a great story with the universal message that some of the passions of our youth might be lost to the practicalities of adulthood...but not necessarily lost forever.