In this ongoing class learners will be reading graphic novels that are centered around diverse characters living through unique life experiences. These books will also include people of various races, ethnicities, disabilities, cultures, genders, sexualities, and much more. My hope is that this class will be a learner led space where learners get to share their thoughts and opinions which will shape how our class discussions are carried out. 

Learners are expected to come to class with the reading already finished. They can expect to read between 70-300 pages of a graphic novel each week before class. Each week when learners come to class we will be discussing the entire graphic novel they read prior to coming to class.

In order to have a fuller scope of each individual book I urge parents to do a search of them. All of the books are suitable for students within the 8-12 year old age range (according to their book ratings!) and depending on the child's maturity. We will be touching on and discussing topics relating to the LGBTQ+ community like gender identity, homophobia, coming out, and having a crush on someone of the same gender. Many of the books also deal with topics such as fitting in at school, friendship, family, racism, discrimination, and bullying. Learners should be able to handle themselves in an appropriate age related manners. I will handle these topics with the upmost care and in a way and level that is appropriate for the age range of the class. 

Here is a list of the graphic novels we will be reading (This will be updated as time goes on):

Week of February 6th: The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell
Welcome to a neighborhood of kids who transform ordinary boxes into colorful costumes, and their ordinary block into cardboard kingdom. This is the summer when sixteen kids encounter knights and rogues, robots and monsters—and their own inner demons—on one last quest before school starts again.
In the Cardboard Kingdom, you can be anything you want to be—imagine that!

Week of February 13th: The Cardboard Kingdom: Roar of the Beast by Chad Sell
 A mystery is afoot in the Cardboard Kingdom.
Vijay, the Beast, renounces his title after being bullied by neighborhood teenagers. No one—not his big sister Shikha or his friends—can seem to draw him back out of his shell.
That very night is when it starts. At first, no one believes Nate, who breaks his leg trying to pursue what he saw from his bedroom window. But then there's another, and another. An unknown monster has been spotted roaming the Kingdom after dark. It's ghastly, it's quick, and it might even have giant tentacles. Or claws. Or wings. Okay, there might be some varied testimonies on what exactly this monster looks like.
Forget Halloween—the newly minted Monster Mashers will go to any lengths to protect the Kingdom and uncover this mystery. But how did the monster get here? What does it want? And mostly importantly, who is behind its creation?

Week of February 20th: No Class


Week of February 27th: The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill
The beloved and charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons. After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own.


Week of March 6th: The Tea Dragon Festival by Kay O'Neill
 Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village, but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago. With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep... but Rinn’s real challenge is to help Aedhan come to terms with feeling that he cannot get back the time he has lost.

Week of March 13th: The Tea Dragon Tapestry by by Kay O'Neill
Over a year since being entrusted with Ginseng's care, Greta still can't chase away the cloud of mourning that hangs over the timid Tea Dragon. As she struggles to create something spectacular enough to impress a master blacksmith in search of an apprentice, she questions the true meaning of crafting, and the true meaning of caring for someone in grief. Meanwhile, Minette receives a surprise package from the monastery where she was once training to be a prophetess. Thrown into confusion about her path in life, the shy and reserved Minette finds that the more she opens her heart to others, the more clearly she can see what was always inside.


Week of March 20th: The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag
In thirteen-year-old Aster's family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn't shifted . . . and he's still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be.When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help -- as a witch. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical and non-conforming Charlie, to convince Aster to try practicing his skills. And it will require even more courage to save his family . . . and be truly himself.

Week of March 27th: The Hidden Witch by Molly Ostertag
Aster and his family are adjusting to his unconventional talent for witchery; unlike the other boys in his family, he isn't a shapeshifter. He's taking classes with his grandmother and helping to keep an eye on his great-uncle whose corrupted magic wreaked havoc on the family. Meanwhile, Aster's friend from the non-magical part of town, Charlie, is having problems of her own -- a curse has tried to attach itself to her. She runs to Aster and escapes it, but now the friends must find the source of the curse before more people -- normal and magical alike -- get hurt.

Week of April 3rd: The Midwinter Witch by Molly Ostertag
Magic has a dark side . . .Aster always looks forward to the Midwinter Festival, a reunion of the entire Vanissen family that includes competitions in witchery and shapeshifting. This year, he's especially excited to compete in the annual Jolrun tournament-as a witch. He's determined to show everyone that he's proud of who he is and what he's learned, but he knows it won't be easy to defy tradition.Ariel has darker things on her mind than the Festival-like the mysterious witch who's been visiting her dreams, claiming to know the truth about Ariel's past. She appreciates everything the Vanissens have done for her. But Ariel still craves a place where she truly belongs.The Festival is a whirlwind of excitement and activity, but for Aster and Ariel, nothing goes according to plan. When a powerful and sinister force invades the reunion, threatening to destroy everything the young witches have fought for, can they find the courage to fight it together? Or will dark magic tear them apart?

I want this class to be a safe place for learners to learn from myself and their peers. All I ask is that my learners be respectful to me and their classmates as well as participate in the class with open ears and hearts and a willingness to learn from everyone!