LEAD STORIES Graphic Storytelling and the New Literacies: an Interview with NCTE Educator Peter Gutiérrez There’s no question that today’s students are living in—and interacting with—a media- and technology-rich environment. But do the ways they communicate outside of school connect at all with what they’re learning in the classroom? We talked with comics and media literacy educator and NCTE spokesperson Peter Gutiérrez about how graphic novels fit into the discussion on new media and new literacies. Super Saturday Features Consumer Launch of Emotes Emotes is a new brand of manga-inspired toys and books for early readers, designed to help children understand and communicate their feelings through pictures and stories. Watch Out for Watchmen Alan Moore and David Gibbons’ classic graphic novel Watchmen has been attracting a lot of new attention, thanks to news of the upcoming movie adaptation. It has also been in high demand, with publisher DC Comics printing an additional 900,000 copies of the graphic novel to meet demand following the release of the trailer. TOON Books Announces Winners of Lesson Plan Contest As part of the ongoing efforst of the Maryland Comics in the Classroom Initiative, over 130 1st and 2nd grade teachers in Maryland were invited to submit lesson plans for TOON Books Benny and Penny in Just Pretend, Silly Lilly and Otto’s Orange Day. Inspire Voters with Election-Themed Biographies IDW’s Presidential Material and Top Shelf’s Veeps provide voters with comprehensive information, food for thought and plenty of illustrations! Robot Dreams GN Selected by Oprah’s Book Club Oprah’s Book Club, a highly regarded source for excellent reading recommendations, recently welcomed First Second’s Robot Dreams GN to its “Kids Reading List." Subscribe to the ICv2 Guide The ICv2 Guide takes you "inside pop culture" for what's hot, what's new and what's good in graphic novels, anime, manga and games! NEW RELEASES New Releases: July Each month, BookShelf presents a list of newly released graphic novels. Here are descriptions of titles that shipped in August, broken down by age rating. Upcoming Releases: November Each month, BookShelf presents a list of upcoming graphic novels from the current issue of PREVIEWS, the Comic Shop's Catalog. Here are descriptions of upcoming titles, due for release starting in November, broken down by age rating. BESTSELLERS Top 50 Graphic Novels for July 2008 For educators or librarians interested to know which graphic novels are bestsellers at your local comic shop, DC Comics/Vertigo's Watchmen TP is the best-selling graphic novel in Diamond's Top 50 Graphic Novels & Trade Paperbacks for July. Top 25 Manga for July 2008 In order for educators and librarians to be informed about what people are buying from local comic shops, Diamond BookShelf presents the Top 25 Manga for July, led by Viz's Naruto TP Vol 30 (shown) FEATURED REVIEWS Herbie Archives, Volume 1 by Ogden Whitney(PW) EVENTS New York Anime Festival: “All Ages, All Awesome” The New York Anime Festival is an annual anime convention that features anime screenings, special guests, manga, cosplay, video games, live-action Japanese cinema, fashion, food, and more! PaLA Library Conference to Include Graphic Novel Focus The Pennsylvania Library Association’s annual conference usually features a selected reading program called One Book, One Conference. This year’s conference puts an unusual twist on the tradition, with the selected reading consisting of a selection of graphic novels. Miami Book Fair to Include Comix Galaxy Miami Book Fair International partners with Diamond Book Distributors to present graphic novel publishers, educational programs for librarians and teachers, programming for children and panels with creators and authors. NCTE’s 98th Annual Convention to Feature Graphic Novel Programming The National Council of Teachers of English’s Convention is held annually for K-12 teachers, college faculty, administrators, and other educational professionals. This year’s convention, entitled “Because Shift Happens: Teaching in the 21st Century,” includes many programs focusing on teaching with graphic novels! FEEDBACK The Bookshelf Wants to Hear from You Send your feedback, ideas and suggestions to the Diamond Bookshelf! And if you find the Bookshelf worth your while, be sure to tell your colleagues!