Graphic novel adaptations of classic texts are always hit or miss. Some are amazing, like the work of Gareth Hinds and Dark Horse’s haunting Moby Dick book, but many are not so great, capitalizing on a craze to make a quick buck from schools who are eager to invest in this “new” medium.

I am glad to tell you that, in addition to the abovementioned works, there is a publisher that has planted their flag firmly in the canonical literature adaptation field. They are called UDON and their books are the Manga Classics line. Currently, they include Jane Eyre, Great Expectations, The Scarlet Letter, The Jungle Book, and many other titles with more being published all the time. 

Full disclosure, I have worked with these folks for quite some time and have helped them to develop instructional guides for teachers that are available for each book. This has nothing to do with why I love these texts as much as I do. If they were poorly conceived, drafted, and produced, I wouldn’t recommend them, let alone put my name on anything associated with them. 

​I can say with full confidence as a teacher and a lover of graphic novels that these books are great. I have a hard time keeping them on my classroom shelf because students are always borrowing them. They are beautifully drawn and faithful to the original text with all the themes, characters, and plot points that make these novels classics in the first place. They make teaching Jane Austin easy – and I would know. I teach Jane Eyre every year!

Among my classes is a section of AP English Literature and I plan to offer these books to my students as part of a self-selected unit where students can choose to read the graphic adaptations of approved texts on their own and respond to them. I will let you all know how that works out, but I am confident that they will love these books and increase their personal knowledge library through their use and give them more titles to draw upon when considering the AP essay questions!

​When instructing these texts, it’s important to point out that they are Manga in every sense of the word. For the uninitiated, Manga are Japanese comic books and, because of the language structure, they have to be read backwards even when translated to English. It’s not as complicated as it sounds but if you are feeling a little concerned, not to worry.  Each book has a tutorial explanation of how the reader should navigate the text. Before long, you will be zipping through the pages, admiring the artwork and engaging with the story.

My suggestion is to isolate specific themes and explore with your students how they are represented visually in the text. I often use these books or excerpts from them in conjunction with the original chapter texts as a form of scaffolding some of the more complex themes and motifs. It really does work!

​So give them a look! You can visit their website at  https://mangaclassics.com/ and see what they have to offer!

So, I am headed back to school next week and I have never been more excited to return to the classroom. With all of the new work I am doing and the fall conferences I have lined up, it’s going to be a busy but rewarding school year. I also can’t wait to get to work on the new classroom lending library that my students and I have assembled. 

Look here for progress reports and please remember to follow me on Twitter @tryingteacher right now!

Do it! Now!

@trying teacher 

I really love stories that take classic tales and modernize them or adapt them in unique and interesting ways. For example, one of my favorite takes on Macbeth is a film called Scotland, PA where the backdrop is a hamburger stand in the 70s that gets taken over by Joe McBeth and his wife after they murder the owner, a guy named Duncan. It’s better than I am making it sound here, trust me.

This type of creativity and tribute to classic characters and texts is something I enjoy. This is certainly true of The Wendy Project, a new book published by Papercutz’ Super Genius imprint. Written by Melissa Jane Osborne and illustrated by Veronica Fish, the book follows the tragic events of Wendy Davies who crashes her car and seemingly kills her youngest brother Michael. The thing is, she and her other brother John swear that they saw him fly away with a mysterious figure, leaving them behind.

​The story mixes fantasy with brutal reality as Wendy tries to convince those around her that her brother isn’t actually dead but in some other place – Neverland. This stark and emotionally candid account is peppered with iconic imagery and actual quotes from J.M. Barrie’s classic play and novel, Peter Pan, which challenges readers to discern for themselves what is real and what is psychological in Wendy's journey.

Osborne expertly uses the iconography and mythology of Peter Pan as an opportunity to confront adolescent loss and grief. Wendy’s journey is magical and psychological. She wants to find Neverland, and she does, but the journey isn’t just about getting there literally but she needs to arrive emotionally and that is where this book really shines. The events push Wendy to accept the tragedy in her life and allow herself to not just grieve, but also relinquish her guilt for what has happened.
 
I tell you, it’s pretty amazing.
 
Veronica Fish’s art is also something to crow about (see what I did there?) because it is every bit as wonderful and engaging as the story. Her deliberate and frugal use of color indicates the presence of magic, and hope. It’s brilliant, as are her panel structures, choices of perspective, and character designs. The artistic diversity here draws us further into Wendy’s psyche and allows us to believe, as she does, that Neverland is a real place in the universe of the novel.

​As a teacher, this could be used in a lot of ways. First, the hero’s journey is an obvious connection. Certainly pairing this with Peter Pan is also a no-brainer. In addition, I would put this in a graphic novel unit with I Kill Giants as the collision of the real and the supernatural in both books make for great romantic versus rationalistic literary criticism debates.

For my part, though, I think this would be a powerful text to teach in the wake of a local or national tragedy as its theme of loss and acceptance through the eyes of a broken teenage girl is well told and would give any classroom a lot to talk and write about.

This book belongs on every middle and high school teacher's bookshelf. I can see myself putting this into the hands of any student who is struggling to find him or herself in the wake of a tragic personal event. We all know that life goes on, but sometimes it just has to stop for a while and kids (and the grown-ups around them) need to know that's okay.

The Wendy Project is available now. ISBN9781629917696. Get it.
 
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This is an article I wrote for Pop Culture Classroom's blog about my experiences teaching comics with a focus on how they are largely believed to assist reluctant learners. While I agree that this can be the case, it doesn't have to be the starting point.

I used comics and graphic novels with all my learners, not just the ones who resist reading.

Check out the article and tell me what you think!

COMICS AND RELUCTANT LEARNERS: DISPELLING THE MYTHS
Pop Culture Classroom