How can modern, urban children (with barely an inclination to read even modern
literature) relate to American classics? The question was a difficult one to
answer, especially with such a range of reading levels at Light Street Library.
Some of the students who frequented the teen reading zone were high school seniors
with a high level of literacy, while others were in middle school and lacked
adequate reading abilities. The teen read section is filled with graphic novels,
contemporary young adult fiction, and classics. The classics are in the corner
along the wall and are barely touched. The graphic novels are on the opposite
wall and are checked out regularly.
After hearing kids talk about graphic novels (the popularity of which is on the rise, especially after movies like Watchmen, despite the downward trend in other types of books during the younger years), we decided that the key to creating interest in these youth would be to incorporate graphic novels in their reading of the classics. We chose to work with Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because we used this novel in class and we felt that the youth would enjoy the story--though we also knew we could not just hand the teens copies of Huck Finn and expect them to be interested. We found a graphic novel version of the novel, printed out a section of it, and made copies for all of the teens that were coming to our reading program.
The pictures and text in combination were the perfect blend to relate to all reading levels. The youth were interested in the design and the pictures while also taking note of the strange dialect Twain uses, and the storyline. The pictures helped the students with poor reading schools to still be able to comprehend what was happening in the story. We brought reading classic literature to a level at which the teens at Light Street Branch could relate to and inspired them to read the classic novel.
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A Light Street Branch youth showing the graphic novel of Huck Finn at the Loyola students’ program. He later checks out the book version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. |
Meet the
Light Street Liars and River Rafters
The graphic novel version of Huckleberry
Finn
Photos from the book discussion
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