'junior graphic novels'

It is absolutely and completely fine that your child wants to check out Dog Man: Fetch 22 for the nine millionth time. Lots of kids re-read and for lots of different reasons.

We re-read in order to learn

The human brain is not wired for reading. It’s wired for spoken language. When we learn how to read, we are connecting the spoken sounds of language to written letters. When kids first start to read, much of their effort and attention is focused on decoding – connecting letters to sounds and then mushing those sounds all together to form a word! Beginning readers can accurately decode a text, read the words on the page, but they might not be connecting those words with what the sentence actually says. Re-reading can help your child become a more fluent reader – someone who can decode words and comprehend them at the same time.

In Donalyn Miller’s book The Book Whisperer, she says “My most treasured books have been read many times by me and each time I discover something different. Books are multilayered; one reading is not enough.” We base our understanding of books on our background knowledge – when we have a broader vocabulary, more life experience, certain books—even certain words – will mean something different to us.

We re-read for comfort and enjoyment

The Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report found that 41% of kids struggle with finding books they like as they get older. They know what to expect with Dog Man. They know the jokes (and probably think they’re funny), the characters are familiar, the plot is just right. Re-reading Dog Man is like eating your favorite meal. You know what you’re getting and you know you like it. 

If your child is re-reading Brawl of the Wild for the fourth or fifth time, they’re still reading! They’ll glean something new from each re-read, be it new vocabulary, fluency, or just confidence in their reading ability.

Beyond Their Favorite Meal

Just as we know we can’t eat our favorite meal every single day and get all the nutrition that we need, re-reading Dog Man will only take us so far on our reading journey. When your child is ready to branch out, here are some options that should appeal to Dog Man fans.

Catwad: It’s Me

by Jim Benton

Catwad is about two cats, one blue grump named Catwad, and one dim-witted orange tabby named Blurmp. Catwad has the same goofy humor and lively illustrations as Dog Man. // Junior Graphic Novel

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza

by Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris

Oh no! Rats are eating the moon! The only one who can save all of humanity is……a bioengineered cat who will be jettisoned into space accompanied by a toenail clipping robot and the imperious Moon Queen. Animal science experiments who save the day? JUST LIKE DOG MAN! // Junior Graphic Novel

Lunch Lady

by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

What do your lunch ladies do when they’re not doling out your daily helping of mystery meat? This one serves up JUSTICE! An unlikely hero kicking all kinds of bad guy butt should have a special place in the hearts of Dog Man fans. // Junior Graphic Novel

Honorable Mentions:

• Max Meow: Cat Crusader by John Gallagher
  Junior Graphic Novel
• The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
  Junior Graphic Novel
• Mac B, Kid Spy: Mac Undercover by Mac Barnett
  Junior Fiction
• Two Dogs in a Trench Coat: Go to School by Julie Falatko
  Junior Fiction
• Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon
  Junior Fiction

From books to film to tv shows, the annual San Diego Comic Con always has exciting news for fans of science fiction, fantasy, and comic books--and this year was no exception! So while you wait for the next Marvel blockbuster or want to dive deeper into the ever expanding world of Star Wars, the library has you covered.

Book-to-Screen adaptations were also announced! Here are the books on our shelves that will be coming to a screen near you:

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

by Amy M. Reeder & Brandon Montclare
Disney+ | TV-Y7 | Winter 2022

After 13-year-old super-genius Lunella accidentally brings ten-ton T-Rex (Devil Dinosaur) into present-day New York City via a time vortex, the BFF duo works together to protect the city's Lower East Side from danger. // Junior Graphic Novel, Superheroes, Action // Also in e-book

The Silmarillion

by J.R.R. Tolkien
Amazon | TV-14 | September 2, 2022

Amazon's "Ring of Power" series, set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings', will follow characters both familiar and new as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. // Epic Fantasy, Adventure

The Gray Man

by Mark Greaney
Netflix | PG-13 | Now streaming

When a shadowy CIA agent uncovers damning agency secrets, he’s hunted across the globe by a sociopathic rogue operative who's put a bounty on his head. Starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, this film adapts the first book of Greaney's The Gray Man series. // Fiction, Thriller

The Sandman

by Neil Gaiman
Netflix | TV-MA | Now streaming

After years of imprisonment, Morpheus—the King of Dreams—embarks on a journey across worlds to find what was stolen from him and restore his power. // Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Supernatural, Horror

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Theatrical | Not Yet Rated | March 2023 

Based on the popular role-playing game, this movie set in the campaign setting of the Forgotten Realms follows a charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic. Want to explore the Forgotten Realms before the movie drops? Read Starlight Enclave by R.A. Salvatore. // Fantasy, Adventure

New to the game? Check out our D&D guides and manuals to get started.

Vampire Academy

by Richelle Mead
Peacock | TV-MA | September 15, 2022

In a world of privilege and glamour, two young women's friendship transcends their strikingly different classes as they prepare to complete their education and enter vampire society -- one as a powerful royal, the other a half-vampire guardian. // Fantasy, Drama

Interview with a Vampire

by Anne Rice
AMC | TV-MA | September 18, 2022

In the year 2022, the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac lives in Dubai and seeks to tell the story of his life or afterlife to renowned journalist Daniel Molloy. Focusing more on the gothic romance aspects of the story than the horror, this adaptation of the book shifts the book's timeline from 1791 to the New Orleans Storyville red light district right at the turn of the 20th century. // Fantasy, Horror, Drama

Returning Shows:

A slew of returning shows based on books were also announced! Including:

• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman
  Also in e-audio
  A tale of the bungling of Armageddon featuring an angel, a demon, an 11-year-old Antichrist, and a doom-saying witch. // Supernatural, Fantasy
  (Amazon | TV-MA | Season 2: Winter 2022)
• Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
  In a world where magic exists, but only some can access it, the evil Dark One pursues the reincarnation of The Dragon destined to stop him. // Epic Fantasy, Adventure
  (Amazon | TV-14 | Season 2: 2023; renewed for season 3)
• Locke & Key by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez
  Following their father's murder, three siblings move into a house filled with reality-bending keys. // Graphic Novel, Horror
  (Netflix | TV-14 | Season 3: Now streaming)
• Walking Dead by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez
  This popular zombie apocalypse series returns with a spin-off and a new mini-series in 2023. // Graphic Novel, Drama, Horror
  (AMC | TV-MA | 2023)
• Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin
  Prequel to Game of Thrones, “House of the Dragon” focuses on the first to reign from House Targaren. // Epic Fantasy, Drama
  (HBO | TV-MA | Now streaming)