Tag: Graphic Novels

ALA 2022 Conference Resource Center

We’re so excited to see our librarian friends on June 23-28 in Washington D.C.!

What’s inside our ALA Resource Center:
  • Make the most of your ALA experience + meet your favorite authors & illustrators!
    Check our ALA schedule for a full list of in-person author programs and book signings.
  • We’ve collected our digital resources for you in this handy resource center!
    Download our digital catalogs, request digital preview copies, and fill out our checklist survey for your chance to win a collection of free books for your library!
  • Not attending ALA?
    You can still download digital resources, request preview copies, and more!
Visit the ALA Resource Center here →

Discussion Guide & Mackin Webinar: Olympians by George O’Connor

Scroll to discover each graphic novel!

Join George O’Connor, creator of the Olympians graphic novels, for a special preview event with Mackin where he talks with Mark Siegel, Creative Director of FirstSecond Books, about his journey of creating the Olympians series. Book 12, Olympians: Dionysos, is the final book in the Olympians series and is available for purchase March 8, 2022. If you’re looking to complete your collection, the final boxed set of Books 7-12 will also be available!

In the final volume of the New York Times–bestselling Olympians graphic novel series, author/artist George O’Connor focuses on Dionysos, the god of wine and madness.

The Olympians saga draws to a close with the tale of Dionysos, the last Olympian, and maybe, just maybe, the first of a new type of God. His story is told by the first Olympian herself, Hestia, Goddess of the hearth and home. From her seat in the center of Mt. Olympus, Hestia relates the rise of Dionysos, from his birth to a mortal mother, to his discovery of wine, his battles with madness and his conquering of death itself, culminating, finally, in his ascent to Olympus and Godhood.

Download the Olympians series Discussion Guide here!

Mackin Event: Using Comics in the Classroom Case Study: The Olympians

In case you missed it–watch a special event with bestselling, award-winning Olympians creator George O’Connor and First Second Creative Director Mark Siegel as they discuss the value of using graphic novels in libraries and classrooms. Using the Olympians series as a case study, the panelists discuss how graphic novels can supplement curriculums. Greek mythology has never been so action-packed and entertaining! Moderated by Mackin educational consultant Tuan Nguyen.

Click the image below to watch a recording of this Olympians event!

Read more praise for the OLYMPIANS series here →

Storytime & Drawing Lesson: Bad Kitty Gets a Phone by Nick Bruel

The phenomenally successful Bad Kitty series is purr-fect for fans of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man and Ben Clanton’s Narwhal and Jelly series, reluctant readers, comic book fans, and cranky cats. Watch a storytime and drawing lesson with creator Nick Bruel and download free resources below!

Bad Kitty Gets a Phone (Graphic Novel) by Nick Bruel
Ages
On Sale Now!

Bad Kitty will not be good until her owners cave and get her a cell phone in this next, full color chapter book in Nick Bruel’s New York Times bestselling series.

Kitty has everything any cat could want–a warm bed, plenty of fresh litter, a machine that dispenses food whenever she wants! But Kitty isn’t satisfied. She has her eye on something that will make her the happiest, most grateful cat in town.

Something all the other cats have but that her owners refuse to get her!

Something she desperately needs!

Kitty wants…a cell phone. And she can have one if she does all her chores with zero complaints.

But can she handle the responsibility? What do you think?

Find more Bad Kitty books here including picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels!

Download free Bad Kitty resources here →

Discussion Guide: Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy

Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy by Melissa de la Cruz
Ages 10-14
On Sale Now!

Discover a new middle-grade fantasy saga from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Descendants series, Melissa de la Cruz, where real life and fairy tales collide!

Nothing ever happens in Filomena Jefferson-Cho’s sleepy little suburban town of North Pasadena. The sun shines every day, the grass is always a perfect green, and while her progressive school swears there’s no such thing as bullying, she still feels bummed out. But one day, when Filomena is walking home on her own, something strange happens.

Filomena is being followed by Jack Stalker, one of the heroes in the Thirteenth Fairy, a series of books she loves about a brave girl and her ragtag group of friends who save their world from an evil enchantress. She must be dreaming, or still reading a book. But Jack is insistent—he’s real, the stories are real, and Filomena must come with him at once!

Soon, Filomena is thrust into the world of evil fairies and beautiful princesses, sorcerers and slayers, where an evil queen drives her ruthless armies to destroy what is left of the Fairy tribes. To save herself and the kingdom of Westphalia, Filomena must find the truth behind the fairytales and set the world back to rights before the cycle of sleep and destruction begins once more.

Download the NEVER AFTER discussion guide here!

Learn more about NEVER AFTER here →

Discussion Guide: Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani

Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani
Ages 10-14
On Sale Now!

Grab some coins for the jukebox, and get ready for a colorful, time-traveling, musical tale about family and courage.

A mysterious jukebox, old vinyl records, and cryptic notes on music history, are Shaheen’s only clues to her father’s abrupt disappearance. She looks to her cousin, Tannaz, who seems just as perplexed, before they both turn to the jukebox which starts…glowing?

Suddenly, the girls are pulled from their era and transported to another time! Keyed to the music on the record, the jukebox sends them through decade after decade of music history, from political marches, to landmark concerts. But can they find Shaheen’s dad before the music stops? This time-bending magical mystery tour invites readers to take the ride of their lives for a coming-of-age adventure.

Download the JUKEBOX discussion guide here!

Learn more about JUKEBOX here →

MacKids Spotlight: John Patrick Green

Meet the creator of the graphic novel series InvestiGators, John Patrick Green! This laugh-out-loud sleuth series introduces two gumshoe gators Mango and Brash, the super spy duo who crack cases and catch criminals in the jaws of justice! John shares more about his inspiration for this series, his most memorable teachers and librarians, his favorite childhood books, and more here.

Read a Q&A with John Patrick Green here →

Watch Shannon Hale’s Best School Year Ever Kick-Off Speech!

It’s time to head back to school and Shannon Hale, co-creator of the Friends graphic novel series with illustrator LeUyen Pham, has a special message for students as they begin the new school year!

Shannon shares memories of her own experiences in middle school and addresses the anxieties students may be feeling as they go back to school, some of them for the first time in-person since the spring of 2020. Whether they’re excited or nervous to return to school, Shannon assures them that their feelings are valid. As you begin the new year, let’s remember to be kind to each other and make new friends! We’re wishing educators and students everywhere a wonderful school year!

Share this graphic novel series about finding real friendship
and learning to love yourself exactly as you are.
The third book in the series, Friends Forever, is coming August 31, 2021!