Why Graphic Novels Over Traditional Novels for Lit Circles?

they don't take as long to read
they appeal to boys and girls equally
they are great for reluctant readers, who love the shorter form and the novelty
they are great for ESL and SERR readers, who need the graphics to help them decode the text
they are great for gifted readers, who like to learn in dual modalities
they can help students make the transition to more complex texts
you're exposing students to a different text form/genre
you get to teach students new terms and conventions of that text form (e.g. "gutters!")

And let's face it...who doesn't love a good comic?

Need More Reasons? Here's some research and additional background for you:

For our purposes, we classify graphic novels into four sub-genres:

Classic Stories in Graphic Form

A number of classic stories have been reissued in graphic novel form. These include everything from Shakespeare's plays to The Hobbit.

Graphic Novel Adaptations of Contemporary Titles

Today's publishing houses know the popularity of the Graphic Novel genre, and they all want in on the game. These are a great way to get students interested in the longer, traditional form of the novels -- by hooking them with the graphic version first! Many of the ones listed here are better for junior and intermediate students, but that's not to say there aren't graphic versions of early or middle grade novels. There are. We just haven't used many of them.

Original Graphic Masterpieces

These are books which have been made specifically as graphic novels, not adapted from some other genre. Some are fabulous parodies, or twists on classic stories, but are original as far as the plots go. Many of these have humourous elements, which make them great for many grade levels, though they tend to be solid junior reads. A number of them are the starts of series as well.

Manga

Personally, we have tried to stay away from manga, simply because kids who can read the true Japanese manga form (right to left) quickly and easily are already hooked. Still, some kids are eager to try manga, and now that some are being reissued Western style, you can have your cake and eat it too!