100 Scope Notes Year in Review: The Best of the Best of the Best (Part 4)

Part 4: Graphic Novels

I’ve said it before: I love lists. I think that it’s an inherent trait librarians posses. I love lists so much (especially those of the “year-end”, “best-of” persuasion) that I decided to make a book-related master list to sum up 2007. Call it “Kidlit’s Greatest Hits”, call it “Now This is What I Call Children’s Literature” if you must; I call it one man’s humble attempt to recognize which books received the most critical notice in ’07.

In case you’re new, we’ve already taken a look back at fiction and non-fiction picture books, along with middle grade titles.

Today, the focus is on the graphic novel. A small list? Indeed. It appears that the critics were fairly unified in their choices, as there were a small number of titles highlighted by a wide variety of publications. Either that or graphic novels are still not getting their due. But that is a discussion for another day!

While I was disappointed to see that Best New Book “Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow” didn’t make the cut, those that did are a deserving bunch. It’s the 100 Scope Notes Best of the Best of the Best. Today, Aught 7’s Most Loved Graphic Novels.

“Robot Dreams” By Sara Varon. (100 Scope Notes Review)

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” By Jeff Kinney.

My Guess? The taker of the top spot will not come as a shock to most. Overwhelmingly admired by critics, The Best of the Best of the Best Graphic Novel of the Year is:

“The Arrival” By Shaun Tan.

I’m thinking that we’ll be seeing plenty more of “The Arrival” before the 2007 dust settles…

Stay tuned in the coming days for more 100 Scope Notes Best of the Best of the Best.

Best of 2007 Lists Consulted:

Washington Post
Hudson Booksellers
LA Times
Horn Book
Kansas City Star
School Library Journal
Amazon
Publisher’s Weekly
Parent’s Choice
New York Times
Miami Herald
Kirkus Reviews
TIME

(Did I miss a list? Do you disagree with my results? Let me know in the comments!)

Filed under: Articles, Best of