- Main characters should be younger, either children or animals, or be similar to animated characters such as those in Disney or Warner Bros. Cartoons.

- Story intensity and violence should be at the level of a G-rated movie. Think “Finding Nemo” and “Bambi” - it must not be too scary.

- The writing should be aimed at the primary audience (some humor may be somewhat more sophisticated).

- The art must be clear, whether in black-and-white or in color, and the format (panel placement) should be easy to follow. Owly by Andy Runton is an excellent example, as is The Land of Sokmunster by Mike Kunkel and Randy Heiser.

- Main characters can be older, such as preteens and teenagers.

- Some superhero titles, such as Teen Titans Go, are okay for this age level; violence is at a minimal level.

- At this age level, stories such as the Star Wars comics are fine; there’s some violence, but no blood and gore, and it must be necessary to the plot.

- Intensity of the story should be at the level of the Star Wars comics or the Gundam Seed manga, which are fairly similar to the intensity of the Harry Potter books. The scare factor should be no more intense than that in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”

- Many preteens and younger teens have no problems following the Japanese manga format, reading left to right.

- Most superhero comics will be for this age level: Spider-Man, X-Men, Superman, Batman, Arana, Robin, Nightwing, etc.

- Some horror titles will be okay, along the lines of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with lower levels of violence and no excess bloodshed. Think of PG-13 movies such as “Daredevil” and TV-14 series such as “Alias.”

- Emotional intensity of storylines can be stronger, such as in Runaways, Usagi Yojimbo, Mars, or Persepolis.

- Some violence can be allowed, as long as it is necessary to the plot and does not have very graphic depictions with bloodshed. Usagi Yojimbo is a good example, also Ultimate Spider-Man and Runaways.

- Romance is fine, but without graphic depictions of sex. Manga titles such as Fruits Basket, Mars, Kare Kano, and Peach Girl are examples of titles.

- Public libraries may be able to add books with minor/partial nudity such as that found in Ranma ½ and some other manga titles, and with somewhat more intense drama such as that found in the Sandman titles by Neil Gaiman.

These are just some general guidelines; each school and community has its own standards, and librarians selecting graphic novels need to read as many reviews as they can find. Brodart’s selectors do their best to select titles for the various age groups using these guidelines, but they are selecting for an “average” elementary, middle, and high school. They try to make the school selections as kid-safe as possible, somewhat edgier books will be in the public library lists. School and public libraries should check through all the lists to find suitable titles for their collections, based on their local standards. These guidelines should be used in addition to the more general guidelines for selecting graphic novels.

Please click here for additional collection development policy information and guidelines.