Potential+Classroom+Titles

The titles below have potential in the classroom for various reasons, but they have not all been previewed for this use. Not all of them will be appropriate for all students in all schools. Please preview them and read reviews before considering it for use in your classroom. Check the "In the Classroom" page for individual lesson plans.

[|American Born Chinese] by Gene Yang - "Is it so bad to grow up Asian in America? One might be forgiven for asking upon encountering //American Born Chinese//, a graphic novel that, with its dark exploration of Asian-American adolescence, won last year’s Michael L. Printz Award for young adult literature and was also a finalist in its genre for a National Book Award." [New York Times Review] [|The Arrival] by Shaun Tan - "“The Arrival” tells not an immigrant’s story, but the immigrant’s story." [New York Times Review] [|Blankets]by Craig Thompson - "Craig Thompson accomplished something in his book (which he calls an “illustrated novel”) that is rare in American culture and art. His story is told with intellectual honestly and integrity that is more than refreshing—it’s breathtaking." [Comic News] [|Ghost World] by Daniel Clowes - "...a revelation about adolescence that is both subtle and coolly beautiful. Critics have pointed out Clowes's cynicism and vicious social commentary, but if you concentrate on those aspects, you'll miss the exquisite whole that Clowes has captured. Each chapter ends with melancholia that builds towards the amazing, detached, ghostlike ending." [Product Description] [|Stitches] by David Small (Sept. 2009) - "Like other “important” graphic works it seems destined to sit beside—think no less than //Maus//—this is a frequently disturbing, pitch-black funny, ultimately cathartic story whose full impact can only be delivered in the comics medium, which keeps it palatable as it reinforces its appalling aspects." [Booklist Review]