Booktalk


 * 757: Young Adult Materials **

Below you will find a script for a booktalk that I created, which was geared towards young adult readers. The requirements for this assignment was to create an engaging and informative booktalk using three of our required readings for the class. I chose the theme of graphic novels written by women, in hopes of steering more female readers to the format. I also chose books that transitioned from a hybrid title, to a graphic novel title, and then to a manga series in hopes that readers would have a variety to choose from if they were just getting into the format

(80 KB)   **Great Graphic Novels for Gals by Gals, With A Little Help from One Guy**

 Hey there, girls, it's time to let you in on a little secret. Graphic Novels...have you heard? They're not just for guys! Those books you see some guys carrying around, the ones with all the superheroes and fighting? Those types of graphic novels are only a small part of what is available at your local library. If you were interested in those things (which is cool if you do!), you probably wouldn't be wondering what a girl like you would want to do with graphic novels. So, if that is what you are thinking, never fear, this here is a talk about three graphic novels. Well if you want to get technical about it, there are only two graphic novels and one manga series. But all three of the books are written by women and center on some very cool gals. If there was ever a time for the girl to shine in graphic novels, it's now!

 If you are a little uneasy about trying out graphic novels, a good one to start out with is //The Year of the Beasts,// which is written by Cecil Castellucci and illustrated by Nate Powell (there's that helpful guy that was mentioned!). The book is divided into twenty-one chapters; half being in graphic novel format and the other half prose, so you don't have to worry about being bogged down with all the images at first. Every year, Tessa and her younger sister, Lulu, look forward to the traveling carnival that comes to town, but this year is sure to be even better because they're old enough to go without their parents tagging along. With all of this new found freedom the wild-haired Tessa just knows that there are exciting things to come, even if she has to drag her dollhouse loving little sister around. Because when Tessa is the first in town to see the trucks roll in, which is said to bring good luck, she is sure that the carnival will bring her and her friend Celina the summer loves that they've been waiting for. Tessa has been falling for the high school jock, Charlie, all year long and she just knows that the carnival and the long summer nights will bring them closer together, but what she doesn't expect is to have her kid sister and a loner named Jasper put her dream romance in jeopardy. “Guess I'm lucky... .” When Tessa murmurs these words at the beginning of the summer, she has no idea what is in store for her, for her friends, or for her family. The summer that was supposed to be their first taste of freedom was to be a summer that would haunt them forever. “Someone once told me that dragonflies were the souls of the newly departed... .” //The Year of the Beasts// by Cecil Castellucci and illustrated by Nate Powell is a powerful story that weaves the use of prose and the graphic novel format to tell the story of young love, the bond of sisters, the boys that come between, and the summer that will change everything.

 Now that you've been introduced to a title that has both elements of a graphic novel and prose, you can work your way into a fully fledged graphic novel. This is totally easy, right? And this isn't just any graphic novel, but one that is going to knock you dead, just like one of the characters in the book. //Anya's Ghost,// written and illustrated by Vera Brosgol, may seem a little spooky, but who knew that a ghost could act just like any other teenager? The main character, Anya, couldn't have guessed that either. Anya, or Annushka if you are her Mother, doesn't do much socializing at the private American school that she attends because she feels like it is hard to fit in because she's Russian. There is only one other Russian kid at her school, Dima, but he is //**so**// low on the popularity scale that she can't even be seen with him. Even her one close friend, Siobhan, is an odd girl out because all she does is cut class to smoke and she only wears a boy's uniform. And asking her mother for advice? Forget it! Anya's mom still cooks her greasy Russian food and tells her that it's all right to eat because that is how people know someone is rich in their homeland. “I don't think American boys really go for girls that look like rich men,” she tells her mother. And boys? She can't even talk to them, especially the school's heartthrob and star basketball player, Sean. In a way, it was good that Anya fell down that well (she does this, **really**, isn't that embarrassing?) because it is there that she finds someone who seems to know just what it's like to be a normal American teenager, well, except for the fact that she has been dead for about 90 years. But Anya's new ghost friend, Emily, proves to be a valuable friend...in the beginning. With Emily's help, Anya is doing much better in school and getting noticed by guys, even the awesome Sean. But when Anya is invited to a huge party and even gets to ride to the party with Sean and his always zit-free girlfriend, Elizabeth, she sees a side to him that ends her crush. You'd think that a good friend, dead or alive, would be supportive of Anya's change of heart, but that isn't the case with Emily. After this, Emily starts to change and not just in her attitude, but physically as well. So much in fact, that Anya decides to do a little digging into Emily's past life and discovers that her friend has secrets that should have been buried with her. “...I'm not living your life for you. You had your chance and you screwed it up.” Vera Brosgol's //Anya's Ghost// is like nothing you've read before, whether it be novel or graphic novel. Haunting and smart with a dash of gloom, this graphic novel will have you watching your back and glancing down wells to find your newest “frenemy.”

 Ok, so now that you've gone from half and half to a full on graphic novel, it's time to try out something a little different – manga. Because they, too, are visually oriented you can find them in the graphic novel section of your local library. Manga is simply Japanese for comics, but you can read other titles in the same format from other countries too. In Korea they are called Manhwa and Manhua in Chinese. Mangas are initially published in magazines but multiple comics are usually compiled together in a volume by the time they reach the U.S. To keep up with the theme of awesome graphic novels by women, the manga highlighted here is //Fruits Basket// Volume 1 by Natsuki Takaya. //Fruits Baske////t,// or as it is sometimes called, //Furuba//, is a shojo manga series. Shojo is a term used to describe manga that is geared toward young female readers, usually written by a woman, and usually a romantic comedy. The main character in this series is a girl named Tohru Honda who, like Tessa and Anya, doesn't always fit in. But what Tohru doesn't have in common with these other girls is that she doesn't have much of a family to rely on. Tohru's dad was never in the picture and her mom, whom she was very close to, died. Not wanting to be a burden on her very old grandfather, the sweet and unassuming Tohru goes to live in a tent. But what Tohru doesn't know is that she has been staying on land owned by the Sohmas. The Sohmas are a mysterious family who usually stay to themselves. Tohru is only aware of Yuki Sohma because he is in her class, but he has always been seen as unapproachable because of his good looks and quiet charms. He's so good looking, in fact, that there is even a Prince Yuki fan club consisting of some very dedicated fans. When a landslide takes out the only home that Tohru has, Yuki and Shigure Sohma offer to let her stay with them. But what Tohru doesn't know is that the Sohmas are taking a great risk by letting her stay with them, for their family holds an ancient curse. As Tohru learns more about Prince Yuki, the brotherly Shigure, and hot-headed Kyo, the more secrets she uncovers. But the more that is revealed, the closer she feels to each one of them. Little does she know that someone has a plan for her – one that they hope will lift the curse before the entire family is destroyed. “There is one thing...please...if my memories are erased...will you still be my friend?” While //Fruits Basket// by Natsuki Takaya contains elements of magical curses and fantasy, when you strip it down, what it really comes down to is family. The Sohmas realize that their house really isn't a home without Tohru in it and Tohru realizes that she has a second chance to have a family. And she won't give it up without a fight.

 Just so you know, just because this talk only highlighted graphic novels written by women that centered on girl characters, it doesn't mean that you should limit yourself to just reading graphic novels of the same kind. Take some time to visit your local library or the library at your school and browse the graphic novel section. Don't feel shy about picking one up because you like the way that it looks; graphic novels are supposed to be visually pleasing to their readers. In the case of graphic novels, it **is** good to judge a book by its cover!