As I was straightening the graphic novels in the teen section of my branch library last night, I reflected on how the mess of books strewn everywhere is all Cartoon Network’s fault. Technically it had been made by one eight-year-old boy with spectacularly unobservant parents, but I know the real reason he was over there—Naruto. That ninja has caused more problems in my teen comic section than any superhero ever did. How so? Simple. Because Cartoon Network aired Naruto during their now-defunct Toonami line up, parents think that a comic written for teens is appropriate for their five-year-old. And if one teen comic is appropriate, then the others in the teen section must be okay, also. After all, they’re just comics, right?

Now I am just as much a Naruto fan as the next fangirl, and it amuses me to no end to listen to the teens in my lib...Read More

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It's a small week this week, sadly devoid of any manga.  DC continues its push to get younger kids into their universe, with new Super Friends and Tiny Titans issues.  Gemstone keeps the tradition of Disney comics alive, with one title, Walt Disney's Comics & Stories reaching Detective Comics and Action Comics issue number heights!  Even in comics, it doesn't have to always be just about superheroes.

ARCANA STUDIO
Night School GN, $14.99  ^^AA Pick^^

ARCHIE COMICS
Archie Digest #249, $2.49
Betty & Veronica Spectacular #86, $2.25
Sonic The Hedgehog Select TP Vol 2, $11.95

BONGO COMICS
Simpsons Comics #148, $2.99
Simpsons Comics Treasu...Read More

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Wolves get a lot of bad PR in fairy tales: they menace grandmothers and little pigs, snack on sheep, and stalk cute kiddies who get lost in the woods. The five stories in There’s a Wolf at the Door may not do much to change our perception of wolves as the “bad guy” in “The Three Little Pigs” or “Little Red Riding Hood,” but at least we know who that wolf is—it’s the same wolf in every story, in case you were wondering—and what sort of fellow he is—a dandy, judging by his fondness for top hats and waistcoats.

There’s a Wolf at the Door
By Zoe Alley, Illustrations by R. W. Alley
Roaring Brook Press, 40 pp.
$19.95
Ages 4 to 8

The husband-and-wife team of Zoe and R. W. Alley bring a whimsical to...Read More

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It's long been my hope that good, seasoned comics creators would take on the classics in literature in comic book form and Marvel Comics is doing just that with their Marvel Illustrated line. And while the line has already seen entries retelling stories like Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey, as well as more modern works like Treasure Island, it was the recent announcement of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that perked this Kansan's ears right up.

Born and raised in the Sunflower State, the great land of Oz has long been a stigma I have been forced to live down. True, even to this day, if someone, upon hearing of my heritage, asks if I miss Toto or makes even the slightest mention of a tornado, I will fly off the handle. However, it must also be said that because of this heritage, misunderstood though it is, ...Read More

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By: Masashi Kishimoto; Adapted by Tracey West
Publisher: Viz Media/Vizkids
Age Rating: 7-10
Genre: action, fantasy
Price: $4.99

Naruto is an immensely popular title both here and in Japan.  Every time a new volume of the manga comes out, it hits the USA Today's Top 150 Booklist, and is often the only manga to do so.  However, this title is written for teens, so Viz has taken it upon itself to make this title available to younger readers with a new line of chapter books only available in the US.

The first volume, Naruto: The Boy Ninja, takes the first chapter of the manga and adapts it not just into novelization, but also in terms of it's audience.  Naruto is an orphan growing up by himself in the ninja village of the Hidden Leaf.  He is a troublemaker and class clown,...Read More

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Librarians, start your budgets: This morning's big news is that Viz is once again going to publish Naruto on an accelerated schedule, with 11 volumes due out between February and April 2009. The anime is going to be pushed even harder, with a subtitled version streaming for paid subscribers on Crunchyroll about an hour after airing in Japan; the same episodes will go up for free on several sites a week later. Viz released 12 volumes of Naruto in three months in the fall and winter of 2007, and the results were great—for Viz: Sales of individual volumes of Naruto stayed high, but the more marginal series from other publishers suffered.

Anime News Network ...Read More

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I interviewed Barry Deutsch, creator of Hereville, for this week's Publishers Weekly Comics Week.

If you're not a regular visitor to the main SLJ site, you should drop in and check out this month's articles on nonfiction graphic novels for teens and middle schoolers.

Christopher Butcher posts on an unfortunate oversight. Recently, Mariko Tamaki, nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award, which is a pretty big deal in Canada, for her graphic novel Skim. The problem is...Read More

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The beginning of November marks the end of a couple of titles.  We say goodbye to N-Guard and Avengers Fairy Tales.  This was Marvel's third take on fairy tales in their universe, and I hope they find ways to continue.  The stories reached beyond the European tales and into other cultures, making the stories both new and familiar at the same time.  Around the blogosphere, there is anticipation for Salt Water Taffy volume 2 from Oni Press.  There's also a new Nancy Drew, a title I have to always point out just because they are so well done and would go perfectly in any library. 

AAM MARKOSIA
N-Guard #4 (of 4), $3.50

ANTARCTIC PRESS
Land Of Oz Manga #4 (of 8), $2.99

APE ENTERTAINMENT
Teddy Scares GN Vol 4, $...Read More

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Mix a little friendship, magic & mystique, and a dash of adventure to create a fun series for tweens.

Avalon web of magic
By Rachel Roberts
Seven Seas Entertainment

V. 1 Circles in the stream
211 p. ISBN 978-1933164-66-3 $5.95

V. 2 All that glitters
184 p. ISBN 978-1-933164-67-0 $5.95

V. 3 Cry of the wolf
216 p. ISBN 978-1-933164-70-0 $5.95

In volume 1 we meet Emily who’s moved to a new town and is feeling lonely and far away from her father.  When an unusual cat comes to her mother’s veterinary clinic with even more unusual injuries, Emily feels pulled to care for him. The cat leads Emily to the Ravenswood Wildlife preserve where she meets Adrianne.  Together, the girls notice that the forest animals be...Read More

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Jimmy Gownley rules. Why? At the beginning of October, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing announced that it had acquired his graphic novel series AMELIA RULES!, a favorite among both critics and fans. Called “a PEANUTS for the 21st century” by Comic Buyers Guide, AMELIA RULES! had been self-published by Gownley’s Renaissance Press since 2001.

Shortly after that I met Jimmy at a San Diego Comic-Con and our first conversation kind of went like this:
Scott: Hey, people should be doing more comics like yours! Kids will love this!
Jimmy: I agree!

And from there Jimmy went on to start ...Read More

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It's the start of new month, and the holiday shopping season.  While retailers may not start counting their sales until Black Friday, publishers are getting their wares out now.  Viz has a bevy of titles that kids will love, including Pokemon and Naruto.  The chapter books will definitely appeal to young readers who love Naruto.  Comic fans will want to note a new Power Pack arc with Wolverine, the second issue of Doctor Who stories by Grant Morrison.  So start taking your notes for Christmas now, if you haven't already.

ARCHIE COMICS
Jughead And Friends Digest #30, $2.49
Pals N Gals Double Digest #126, $3.69
Veronica #191, $2.25

CINEBOOK
Blake & Mortimer Gn Vol 4 Francis Blake Affair, $15.95

...Read More

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Here's what you need to know about Don Wood's graphic novel, Into the Volcano: it's really, really good.  The action is really good, the adventure is really good, the characters are really good, and the ending is really good.  There is even a lot of comic book swearing (of the @#$% variety), and for many of the readers this book is aimed at, that alone makes this book worth reading.

Into the Volcano
By Don Wood
Ages 8-12
Scholastic, $18.99

When brothers Duffy and Sumo are offered the chance to stay with their mother's family in the tropical island kingdom of Kocalaha, Sumo isn't quite sure it's a good idea.  Sumo isn't a big fan of hiking, climbing, swimming in the ocean, spiders, family he has never met before, or sleepin...Read More

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