Hello friends, and welcome to "Great Comics for Kids," a new series of articles I am writing with my daughters. My name is John, from the YouTube channel John’s Comics with Kids. I am a teacher and dad who loves comics, and I want to help ensure that you and your kids find just as much joy in these books as we do. To that end, we are writing a weekly column highlighting great books for kids. Each week we will mention a book, tell you the key details about it, and give you my daughters’ perspective on it.
We are starting off with book one of a phenomenal series that is hugely popular with elementary through middle school-age children. This is Wings of Fire from author Tui T. Sutherland. There is both a chapter book AND a graphic novel for this book, and both are wonderful. Book one is titled The Dragonet Prophecy and it centers on a world mainly populated by a wide variety of dragons. There are secrets and infighting among the various clans, which lead to all sorts of power struggles. Clay, a Mud-Wing dragon, is one of five who are part of a prophecy. His journey in this first book sets the stage for all five of these young dragons ("dragonets") and the challenges ahead of them.
Sutherland is a talented writer who creates a powerful vision for this world and the creatures that inhabit it. My students and daughters have all been taken in by her work. The novel series AND graphic novel series are wonderful ways for children who enjoy fantasy stories to fall in love with a new and exciting world.
This is a series of books published by Scholastic Books, available at most book stores and Local Comic Shops that stock graphic novels. The challenge level for the series is likely to be grades 3 and up. If your child loves fantasy or animal stories, this should be right up their alley.
Now let’s hear from my fourth grader Charlie who has become something of a Dragon encyclopedia in our house:
“I would recommend Wings of Fire because its a kid-friendly book about dragons, which are creative and original creatures. The book series is about five dragons who go on an adventure and learn about themselves and their tribes. Kids should read it because it’s a great story and the characters are funny. I guarantee they will make you laugh. There are a few exciting and dramatic fighting scenes where characters get hurt, but no bad words so I would recommend it to kids who love adventure, mystery and happy endings.”
- Charlie, age ten
Next we have Kate, my middle school-aged daughter with her thoughts:
“Wings of Fire is epic! It is a lot of fun to read and it has engrossed me completely in this massive universe! There are a LOT of characters and it is really awesome! I totally recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy novels! It is definitely five stars for me and I think if you are looking for a good series for ages 8-15 then this is it!!!!!!!!!! It is very interesting and has a ton of cool twists! There are graphic novels of them with great artwork. My favorite character is Starflight the Nightwing! I like him because he is kind, lovable, funny and smart. ”
-Kate, age twelve
If you want to get some of these books or graphic novels for your kids (or for yourself!), here's the eBay search link!
Also, you can watch us discuss our current comic book reads on our YouTube channel. Here is the link to one of our weekly Saturday Morning Comics shows discussing Wings of Fire among other topics. ENJOY!
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