'Great Graphic Wednesday' is a weekly blog posting. Check here every Wednesday for reviews of recommended graphic novels, by members of the Tinlids Graphic Novel Book Club.

The Loser List - Written and Illustrated by Holly N Kowitt

Details: Black and white comic reads left to right. Hardcover ISBN 9780545240048

Grade 5-8

Summary: When Danny Shine (rhymes with "whine") finds out he's on the infamous Loser List in the girls' bathroom, his mission to erase it lands him in detention. That fateful afternoon, the school's bullies (who live in detention) discover that Danny can draw. Suddenly he's not a target anymore-he's a "bad boy"! Supplying tattoos and graffiti for the bullies is great, until Danny is unwittingly drawn into a crime. His new friends took a comic from Danny's favorite store, and now Danny has to steal it back, return it, and break off with the bullies-before he goes from dork to delinquent. Fans of Jeff Kinney, Jim Benton, and things that are absurd and also very, very funny will love this new, fully illustrated tale of middle-school torture.

Review: Right from the first “Me at-a-glance” page, you know enough about Danny to understand that he’s going to have a few social problems in school. He likes to draw stuff (like rusty cans and smelly socks, with his favourite pen (the T360), he’s still looking for a sport he’s good at, and his biggest fear is Chantal Davis. The illustrations are hilarious, and I love the “at-a-glance” introductions for the main characters. This is an obvious must-have choice for all libraries.

  To order The Loser List www.tinlids.ca

I’ve done hundreds of booktalks for groups of students, teachers and librarians during my bookselling career and I don’t think there has ever been a booktalk that hasn’t included at least one Groundwood title. What I love about this publisher’s books is that they aren’t “market-led”. They don’t publish books written to a formula. I think Patsy Aldana (publisher of Groundwood) makes some very brave and important choices in the books she chooses to publish. Groundwood books represent voices we would not otherwise hear. Isn’t it wonderful that a child living in a trailer in northern Saskatchewan can see themselves in a book (read Laura Croza’s picture book “I Know Here”). This is just one perfect example of the way our children learn about themselves and others.

So, it’s no surprise that on December 30, 2010 Patsy Aldana, publisher of Groundwood books, was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada. She has been such a strong promoter of literacy in Canada as well as internationally (she was also President of The International Board on Books for Young People IBBY).

I’d like to thank Patsy Aldana for providing us with so many amazing choices, and for reminding us about how much there is still to do in ensuring that every child becomes a reader.

Read the Globe and Mail article.

Novelist Chimamanda Adichie said "I did not know that people like me could exist in literature".  What happens when you only know one story about another person or country? 

I watched this video a few days ago, and since then, I've started to notice so many examples of what she is saying.  It's true that there is never a single story about anyone or any place.  When I really pay attention, I can see this every day - in the books I'm reading, in the news, in movies, in art and really just in every connection I make in the world around me.  It's especially obvious to me as I am surrounded every day by great children's literature, and people who care about the stories our children are exposed to.  What an important and inspiring video!

Lane Smith’s new picture book “It’s a Book” is perfect for discussing the impact on print in the digital age. The three main characters are a monkey, a jackass and a mouse. Monkey is reading a book, but Jackass just doesn't get it. He won't stop asking questions like "How do you scroll down?" "Where's your mouse?" "Can it text? Tweet? Wi-Fi?" Monkey’s response is always the same "It’s a book.” Finally, he lets Jackass look at it, but then he can't get it back! And when Jackass tries to reassure Monkey by saying he'll charge it up when he's done, Mouse speaks up - "It's a book, Jackass".

The above book trailer leaves out that last word, “Jackass.” I wish they had left it in, since that’s really the way the book ends. I love this book but I know not all customers will feel comfortable with that last word. As a bookseller, I try to give my customers as much info as possible to help them with their selection. So there you have it. Some of you might think the ending is rude or inappropriate, and feel the need to get out your markers. Others will leave the word in and perhaps have a discussion about it. It’s a book that’s fun to read and junior/intermediate students will enjoy the tongue-in-cheek humour.

Thoughts anyone?

Last week we attended the OLA Superconference, where I did a session with my brother Jim Martella on Thursday. This year we focused on funny books, and I’ve really enjoyed reading some new titles in this genre. What makes Jim laugh isn’t always what makes me laugh – is it a gender thing? I don’t know, but when we both crack up over a book we end up fighting over who wants to talk about it! Oh, why must I compromise?? For the list of books presented, click here.

Thanks to all who stopped by our booth; we're really looking forward to the 2011 conference!

Check out this great editorial from the January 30, 2010 Toronto Star; written by Patsy Aldana and Rick Wilks, co-chairs of the TD National Reading Summit. It argues the importance of educators seeking out creative ways to make reading fun and fresh for school-age children and teens.

This article brought me right back to my early days of bookselling, when I was lucky enough to work at The Children’s Book Store in Toronto. Judy and Hy Sarick (the owners), Celia Lottridge (author, storyteller, teacher) and Marion Seary (librarian) were the people who taught me about the importance of not being “market-led.” They believed in literacy and quality and our customers could trust that they would get the very best selection for their school or library.

Those were the days when librarians actually came into the store to shop and would spend hours and hours scouring the shelves. Now it’s so difficult for them to get release time! I remember passionate discussions – squeals of joy when we put a new Maurice Sendak, William Steig or Dennis Lee book in their hands! And there were so many great debates about “whole language vs phonics.”

There have been many changes in the book industry since I became a bookseller. I can’t say they have all been bad, but one thing I know for sure is that kids will not become adult readers if they don’t find pleasure in it. Books need to be fun to read. That’s all there is to it. Sometimes teachers want to know how they can use it for curriculum, traits of writing, character ed; while this is important, I say if it’s fun to read, sometimes that’s enough too. And lastly, what we really need are librarians to help us find the fun! What do you think?