While recently working in an elementary school, a very excited media specialist rushed up to me. “I hear you’re teaching a class about graphic novels,” she said. “That’s great, because these days my kids can’t get enough of them. Let me show you some of the titles they’re inhaling.” A moment later, she returned with an impressive armload of books. Not to split hairs, but I couldn’t help noticing that none of them were graphic novels: they were all graphic nonfiction. Clearly, there’s still a lot of confusion about what exactly constitutes a “graphic novel.” But more importantly, the incident reminded me of the medium’s vast potential to engage young readers. That explains why so many publishers have been quick to leap on the graphic nonfiction bandwagon. In recent years, they’ve created stand-alone titles that fill pretty much every curricular niche you can imagine—and often with wildly uneven results. The worst of the bunch offer art that’s rough on the eyes and just-the-facts-ma’am writing that may make you wince. But lately, things have changed, and that’s good news for fans of graphic nonfiction. Encouraged by the critical success of Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón’s The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation (Hill and Wang, 2006), many publishers are now creating more polished and thoughtful titles. They’re also no longer recruiting journeyman artists and writers. Instead, they’ve gone after undisputed talents and industry vets, such as Larry Hama, Lea Hernandez, and Marie Severin, to craft their latest offerings. As I searched for the best graphic nonfiction for kids in grades five through eight, I looked for stories that were well researched and factually verifiable: that’s why you won’t find any legends, myths, memoirs, or historical fiction on the following list. I also placed a premium on strong writing and smart visual storytelling. If I had my way, these recommendations would be available in every school library that serves young readers.

Biography

Ronald Reagan: A Graphic Biography. Hefler, Andrew. Hill and Wang. 2007. $16.95. ISBN 978-0-8090-9507-0. Helfer is clearly puzzled by our 40th president’s enduring—and rising—popularity, but he didn’t pen a polemic. With ample help from artists Steve Buccellato and Joe Staton, the author presents many of 20th-century America’s most significant milestones through the lens of one man’s life, offering readers a front-row view of the Great Depression, the Golden Age of Hollywood, the advent of television, the U.S. labor movement, World War II, and, of course, the Cold War and its conclusion. Although this biography’s reading level isn’t high, its sophistication level sure is. Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography. Brown, Chester. Drawn & Quarterly. 2004. $17.95. ISBN 978-1-89493-789-4. Riel was a 19th-century Canadian revolutionary who led two resistance movements against his government and was ultimately executed as a traitor. Brown’s take on one of Canada’s most perplexing and controversial heroes combines high artistry with painstaking research (he’s included 20-plus pages of endnotes!). Although this story is unavoidably violent at times, it’s told with remarkable restraint. Oprah Winfrey: The Life of a Media Superstar. Jeffrey, Gary. Rosen. 2006. $29.25. ISBN 978-1-4042-0862-9. What sets apart Jeffrey’s unexpected treasure from its many competitors are its refreshing dashes of humor and its nonhagiographical approach. Did you know, for instance, that TV executives once advised Oprah to have cosmetic surgery so she could look “more Puerto Rican”? Although Terry Riley’s line art is occasionally rough, his images’ expressiveness goes a long way to personalize this familiar rise-to-stardom tale. Harriet Tubman: The Life of an African-American Abolitionist. Shone, Rob and Anita Ganeri. Rosen. 2005. $29.25. ISBN 978-1-4042-0245-0. Here’s another easy-to-overlook gem. I’m not always crazy about the way Shone draws people, but Tubman’s story is so compellingly told, both visually and textually, that it deserves to be included on any “best of” list. It’s a true example of what distinguishes graphic nonfiction from merely “illustrated” nonfiction. John F. Kennedy: American Visionary. Olson, Nathan. Capstone. 2007. $26.60. ISBN 978-0-7368-6852-5. Our 35th president faced some tough issues and events in the early ’60s, and Olson does a good job of explaining them. But what really sets this book apart from the competition is Brian Bascle’s art. His vibrant colors and true-to-life depictions of key figures, such as Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, make this a visual tour de force. First in Space. Vining, James. Oni Press. 2007. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-932664-64-5. At first glance, this selection may seem like an odd fit for the biography section, but how else would you categorize this bittersweet account of the life of Ham, the first chimp to be shot into space? In telling the strong and important tale, writer-artist Vining does a superb job of mixing the history of NASA’s early space programs with clear-eyed explanations of primatology and space exploration. While his art is often quite cute, this story delivers a powerful, “grown-up” message about how we sometimes treat animals poorly after they’re no longer useful to us.

Science Alive

Clan Apis. Hosler, Jay. Active Synapse. 2000. $20. ISBN 978-0-96772-550-5. Sure, the bees in biologist-cartoonist Hosler’s award-winning work are anthropomorphized, but that doesn’t mean this is a “funny animal” book. Hosler has created an incredibly informative, well-organized story about the life of honeybees that just happens to be told from an insect’s perspective. If you’re searching for a fabulous book that explores the natural sciences, this one deserves a whole lot of buzz. The Max Axiom Series. Capstone. $19.95 each. Affable Max Axiom, super scientist, investigates everything from the “shocking” world of electricity to the “attractive” story of magnetism. The series, written and illustrated by various contributors, is surprisingly well done. I say “surprisingly” because at first glance it may appear didactic or even boring. But don’t let first impressions fool you. Max is the embodiment of authorial credibility, and the graphic format is used cleverly, if subtly, to make scientific concepts and observations perfectly clear. Also, each volume covers more ground than you’d expect from the precise titles. For example, although The Explosive World of Volcanoes with Max Axiom, Super Scientist (2008) highlights lava-related phenomena, it also touches upon history, forensics, and archaeology. Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards. Ottaviani, Jim. G. T. Labs. 2005. $22.95. ISBN 978-0-9660106-64. In the late 19th century, two prominent American paleontologists, Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, engaged in one of the world’s most bitter—and unscrupulous—scientific feuds, each trying to outdo the other in a race to discover dinosaur bones in the American West. At times Ottaviani’s dialogue is so witty, it borders on full-blown historical fiction. But his exhaustive and impressive appendix (“Fact or Fiction?”) explains exactly how he tweaked certain facts. Kids who are above-average readers or budding scientists or historians will also appreciate the same author’s Fallout (G. T. Labs, 2001), the story of physicists J. Robert Oppenheimer and Leo Szilard’s quest to create the first atomic bomb.

Eyewitness to History

Houdini: The Handcuff King. Lutes, Jason. Hyperion. 2007. $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7868-3902-5. Don’t be hoodwinked by the title: this isn’t a biography. It’s a hugely entertaining and suspenseful account of a single event. On May 1, 1908, with his hands and ankles tightly bound, Houdini leaped into Boston’s bone-chilling Charles River. Lutes and artist Nick Bertozzi portray the legendary escape artist and his times in an appealing, easily accessible way. And impressive annotations on topics such as early-20th-century hats (which, by the way, everyone wore) and suggestions for further reading or research are also provided. The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation. Jacobson, Sid and Ernie Colón. Hill and Wang. 2006. $16.95. ISBN 978-0-8090-5739-9. After 9/11: America’s War on Terror. Jacobson, Sid and Ernie Colón. Hill and Wang. 2008. $16.95. ISBN 978-0-8090-2370-7. Ask graphic nonfiction aficionados to select their favorite title, and many will point to Jacobson and Colón’s first collaboration, a reader-friendly distillation of the enormous, 604-page The 9/11 Commission Report. But in many ways, the duo’s recent follow-up, which covers the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts and our nation’s politics over a six-year period, is an even more ambitious undertaking. Since both books feature dense content and mature subject matter, they’re recommended for precocious seventh- and eighth-grade readers. The Schoolchildren’s Blizzard. Figley, Marty Rhodes. Carolrhoda. 2004. $6.95. ISBN 978-1-57505-619-7. Fast moving yet thoughtful, this exciting story revisits the tragic 1888 storm that devastated the Great Plains region. Featuring top-notch science and history writing, plus helpful time lines and maps, you’ll have a tough time persuading kids to put it down. The 1918 Flu Pandemic. Krohn, Katherine. Capstone. 2007. $26.60. ISBN 978-1-4296-0158-0. Even though Krohn’s account lacks a central character, the story of how millions of people worldwide died from a mysterious virus is as compelling as the best fiction. Thanks to the images of artists Bob Hall, Keith Williams, and Charles Barnett III, readers will be effortlessly transported through the years—and across the globe—in this fast-paced tale.

High-Interest Topics

Corpses and Skeletons: The Science of Forensic Anthropology. Shone, Rob. Rosen. 2008. $29.25. ISBN 978-1-4042-1440-8. Many books have tried to take advantage of the “CSI effect,” but few have succeeded as well as this one. Dramatically compelling without resorting to sensationalism, Shone’s latest title covers three investigations spanning more than a century, including the 1889 Gouffe case, which reads like a Sherlock Holmes adventure. Although Nick Spender’s art is reminiscent of the 1970s, it somehow fits the somber nature of the material. Fighter Pilots. West, David. Rosen. 2008. $29.25. ISBN 978-1-4042-1455-2. Like the other titles in Rosen’s “Graphic Careers” series, this is really a history book (complete with tales of World War I and the Vietnam War) masquerading as a book about a high-interest topic. Also, like the series as a whole, West’s look at our winged warriors features a conventional introduction, glossary, and index. But kids will most appreciate James Field’s crisp, colorful images that make the aerial dogfights really come alive. A Treasury of Victorian Murder: The Murder of Abraham Lincoln. Geary, Rick. NBM. 2005. $15.95. ISBN 978-1-56163-425-5. Is it a study of the Civil War? A portrait of the president’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth? Or a forensics case? Actually, Geary’s powerful story is all three rolled into one. All of his “Treasury of Victorian Murder” titles are excellent, and the author-illustrator’s black-and-white drawings are more arresting than most artists’ full-color panels. Like great nonfiction in any format, Geary’s examination of the murder of one of our nation’s most beloved leaders is incredibly compelling, detailed, and well researched. Another one of his titles, A Treasury of XXth Century Murder: The Lindbergh Child (NBM, 2008), an account of the 1932 abduction of celebrated aviator Charles Lindbergh’s young son, is also highly recommended. Inventions and Discoveries Series. Capstone. $19.95 each. Capstone’s “I & D” series offers a satisfying look at the lives of famous innovators, such as Samuel Morse and George Eastman. But most 11-year-olds will beeline to the titles about more contemporary figures, like Michael O’Hearn’s Jake Burton Carpenter and the Snowboard; Donald B. Lemke’s Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and the Personal Computer; and Jameson Anderson’s The Z-Boys and Skateboarding (all 2007). Poised somewhere between biography, social history, and a “lite” workout in basic economics, these stories are perfect for the next generation of multitaskers.

In Their Own Words

Thoreau at Walden. Porcellino, John. Hyperion. 2008. $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-0038-6. Drawing from many of Henry David Thoreau’s writings—and foremost from his account of living near Walden Pond—Porcellino has pulled off a minor miracle: he’s managed to make the feisty New Englander’s profound ideas child-friendly. In fact, Thoreau’s contention that “[t]he philosopher’s style of living is only outwardly simple, but inwardly complex” fits Porcellino’s achievement to a tee. The artist’s spare, often touching drawings gently reveal the undiluted pleasures of Thoreau’s thoughtful 19th-century text. Journey into Mohawk Country. O’Connor, George. First Second. 2006. $17.95. ISBN 978-1-59643-106-5. In 1634, a 23-year-old Dutch trader set off through Mohawk Indian territory in search of beaver pelts. His journey (through what is present-day New York State) was recorded in a diary, which is the basis of this terrific title. O’Connor has done a great job of fleshing out the primary source with both humor and scrupulous visual research. And although he occasionally gives the characters in his drawings fictitious emotions and relationships, the book’s text never strays from the actual journal entries, making O’Connor’s cute visual indulgences easy to spot.