One Day at Horrorland

Jill Thompson brings her quirky humor and madcap illustrations to this story about a family lost in an amusement park. Funny, there's no crowds, no lines -- and nobody around to tell them the next ride might be their last!

A Shocker on Shock Street

Jamie Tolagson captures the thrills, chills, and deadly spills of a brother and sister doing their dream job: testing the rides in a movie-studio theme park, where the special effects are REALLY special!

Deep Trouble

The splashy, spooky fun of Amy Kim Ganter's art is perfect for this story about two kids who find themselves in deep trouble while snorkeling. There's something dark, scaly, and very fishy swimming along with them!

Learning Curve
"Graphic novel" is a term used by librarians, educators, and booksellers to indicate a publishing format--books written and illustrated in the style of a comic book, consisting of "sequential art"--a series of illustrations which, when viewed in order, tell a story. Although today's graphic novels are a recent phenomenon, this basic way of storytelling has been used in various forms for centuries--early cave drawings, hieroglyphics, and medieval tapestries like the famous Bayeux Tapestry can be thought of as stories told in pictures. The term graphic novel is now generally used to describe any book in a comic format that resembles a novel in length and narrative development.

School librarians and educators have reported outstanding success getting kids to read with graphic novels, citing particularly their popularity with reluctant readers, especially boys--a group traditionally difficult to reach. At the same time, graphic novels with rich, complex plots and narrative structures can also be satisfying to advanced readers.

Want to learn more about graphic novels? Check out our discussion guide here .