Book Talk

Book Talk – Graphic Novels

In recent years, graphic novels have seen a significant rise in popularity. This is certainly evident in the borrowing habits of students at Fort Street High. Previously dismissed as mere entertainment for children, graphic novels have enjoyed a rise in reputation, now acknowledged as a tool for promoting reading for pleasure, and recognised as a literary artform that may address serious and mature concerns. Indeed, in 1992, the graphic novel ‘Maus’ by Art Spiegelman became the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize.

The term ‘graphic novel’ was first used in the 1960s by Richard Kyle. As noted in ‘The Publishing Post’, there has been continued confusion between comic books and graphic novels and ‘there remains some contention about where exactly the boundary between these two media lies’. While graphic novels and comic books have distinct traits, they are different forms. Graphic novels tell complete stories through illustrations while comic books are often excerpted from a larger narrative. And a huge subgroup of the graphic novel is manga, a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels, typically aimed at adults as well as children. In Japan today more paper is used for printing manga than for producing toilet paper. The world however has embraced the graphic novel beyond Japan, so much so that it is the fastest growing book format globally for children and adults.

At Fort Street High, we encourage the students to read widely, to appreciate the reading smorgasbord of which graphic novels have become a firm part of.

Some top graphic novels in our library collection include-

# ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ by Francois Riviere (based on Agatha Christie)

# ‘The Road’ by Manu Larcenet (based on Cormac McCarthy)

# ‘Beowulf’, a retelling by Gareth Hinds

# ‘Coraline’ by P Craig Russell (based on Neil Gaiman’s novel)

# ‘Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451’, a retelling by Tim Hamilton

# ‘Heartstopper’ by Alice Oseman

# ‘Wings of Fire’, a graphic series by Sutherland and Holmes

# ‘Stormbreaker’ by Anthony Horowitz, Antony Johnston, Kanako & Yuzuru

# William Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’, adapted by David Messer

# ‘The Complete Maus’ by Art Spiegelman

Book Week 2025 25th – 29th August

This year we will be celebrating 80 years of Book Week, an event that has fostered a love of reading amongst children since 1945 and we hope will continue to do so for many years to come. At Fort Street we will be celebrating each day of week 6 with different literary games for students to participate in at recess and lunch. Guessing games, a library treasure hunt, puzzles, and more! We will have prizes for the winners, recently donated books and other bookish merchandise. Make sure you come down to the library to have a go at our games and borrow a book or two!

The Library Team