For the purpose of this assignment, I chose to evaluate the graphic novels section of the [Redacted] library. There are a wide range of graphic novels but there are opportunities to make the offerings more robust and diverse. As a result of evaluating the graphic novel collection, I learned that the paper books get worn far faster than some of the more circulated hard back books. Of course, this makes sense, but seeing how worn and tattered some of the paper books were really stood out. It’s hard to take them out of circulation and replace them before they are unreadable due to budget constraints and supply chain issues that are currently affecting vendors.
In order to make the graphic novel collection more diverse, adding more LGBTQ+ titles, more titles with disabled or differently abled characters, and more books that address issues children face (divorce, adoption, death in families). There are a number of picture books for our youngest readers that cover such topics but it seems like the middle grades ages (8-12) do not have the same access to resources on these topics. These are topics, I personally, would add to this collection to make it more robust.
Some books that might be worth adding are Just Pretend by Tori Sharp and Stepping Stones: (A Graphic Novel) by Lucy Knisley; these books are both graphic novels that cover divorce. Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke, Epileptic by David B. are books about disabilities that would be worth adding (this collection has El Deafo, which is another great book about a disabled child). Overall, adding books like these will add to the collection and offer children a fully well-rounded graphic novel collection to access.
| Title | Author | Date of Publication | Content Evaluation | Condition Evaluation | Decision |
| Minecraft | Sfe’ R. Monster | October 2020 | Vivid Images; Small Paragraphs (mostly dialogue); Not intimidating; ages 8-12. | Great condition; looks brand new. (Hardback) | Keep |
| The Lost Hero | Adapted by Robert Venditti | October 2014 | Large print and colorful onomatopoeia words; picture sizes vary. Ages 10-12. | Slightly worn; corners are worn and there’s some slight tearing at the bottom of the spine. (Paperback) | Keep |
| Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol | 2018 | Some pages have blurry pictures; a lot of text throughout in each pane but mostly only 1-2 sentences in each. Ages 8-12. | Very worn. Spine is taped with heavy tape but is still coming apart; corners are frayed. (Hardback) | Replace with a new copy (U) |
| Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties | Dav Pilkey | 2017 | Simple text; bright pictures; no more than 2-4 sentences on each page. Ages 7-10. | Worn spine and torn cover. (Hardback) | Replace with new copy (U) |
| Time Shifters | Chris Grine | 2017 | More pictures than text on each page. Most panes only have 1-2 words in them. Ages 10-12. | Slightly worn. A little fraying on cover edges. (Paperback) | Keep |
| Saints | Gene Luen Yang | 2013 | Most of the pages in the book are full of dialogue but some have the same word over and over to emphasize a point; some words are in an Asian language as well (likely Chinese). Ages 12+. | Good overall condition; looks like the book has only been checked out four times (per the stamp in the back). (Paperback) | Keep |
| Space Boy Volume 5 | Stephanie McCranie’s | 2019 | Bright, vivid pictures; handwritten font. A few sentences on each page in total between 4-8 panes. Ages 10-12. | Very good condition; no wear and tear on the book at all. (Paperback) | Keep |
| Amulet: Book Eight, Supernova | Kazu Kibuishi | 2018 | Pictures are dark; font is dramatic; bold is used to emphasize. A lot of noise; not a lot of discussion or words; this story is mostly told through pictures. Ages 10+ | Slightly worn; fraying at the corners. (Paperback) | Keep |
| Secret Coders | Gene Luen Yang & Mike Holmes | 2015 | Pages are very busy (this book is very different from Saints); they are green with white pictures drawn. This book gave me a headache. | Slighthly worn; fraying at the corners and along the spine. (Paperback) | Keep |
| Sunny Rolls The Dice | Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm | 2019 | Pictures are muted; there is a lot of dialogue. Ages 9+. | Worn; increased fraying at the ends and along the spine. (Paperback) | Keep but budget to replace in another year. |
| This Was Our Pact | Ryan Andrews | 2019 | It is like a subtle rainbow; pages/sections are all pink in pictures and then purple and then blue, etc. Not a ton of text; the book mostly relies on pictures to tell the story. Ages 11+ | Slightly worn; fraying along the top of the book and at the bottom corners. (Paperback) | Keep |
| The Crossover: Graphic Novel | Kwame Alexander | 2014 (text); 2019 (illustrations) | This book is an adaptation of a chapter book and is far heavier on text than on graphics. Pictures. The font is playful though and large, which makes it less intimidating. Ages 11+. | Good condition; very little fraying along the corners. (Paperback with increased binding) | Keep |
| The Dragon Path | Ethan Young | 2021 | Very bright images; heavy on text but a light font. Ages 10+. | Brand new condition; no wear and tear. (Paperback) | Keep |
| A Silent Voice 2 | Yoshitoki Oima | 2015 (English translation) | All black-white-gray scale images; mostly short bursts of text. | Good condition; slight wear/fraying at one corner. | Keep |
| Big Nate: A good Old-Fashioned Wedgie | Lincoln Peirce | 2017 | A good bit of text; pictures support text but this reads more like a regular book than some of the graphic novels, which are very picture heavy. Ages 8+. | Worn; torn spine; frayed edges. | Replace; local elementary school library (in-district) also has a copy of this book and can send through inter-office mail (U) |
| Chi’s Sweet Home Volume 5 | Konami Kanata | 2011 (translated) | Very muted; natural colors and images of nature. Not many words; relies on pictures to tell the story. Ages 10+. | Good condition; some yellowing on cover but the book is largely in-tact. | Keep |
| The Breakaways: Bad at Soccer. Okay at Friends. | Cathy G. Johnson | 2019 | A balance of text and pictures. Some series colors/ text. | Good condition; no fraying on spine; only slight fraying on the corners. | Keep |
| Smile | Raina Telgemeier | 2010 | Pictures aren’t overly bright but images are colorful and plentiful; a good balance of words and pictures to tell the story. Ages 8+. | Book has cover on it; cover it tattered but book appears in fine condition. (Hardback) | Keep |
| Drama | Raina Telgemeier | 2012 | Pictures are mostly bright and light; text is a nice compliment. Fairly heavy text. Ages 10+. | Book has ripped spine and frayed edges; not in good shape but still bound. (Paperback) | Weed (several copies exist in library) (U) |
| Guts | Raina Telgemeier | 2019 | A nice balance of pictures and text to tell the story. Pictures change based on the setting. Ages 10+. | Okay condition; slight fraying | Keep |
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