Teachers and parents of teens, I have a treat for you! I
recently joined NetGalley and fell down the incredible rabbit hole of free
books. Free books just to read and review! I got a little overly excited, which
I have since learned is common for a NetGalley newbie. But, I wanted to read
them all! Give me all the books!
Imagine my silly delight when I stumbled across a Manga
Classics version of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s class, The Scarlet Letter. As a huge fan of this novel (as a reader and a
former teacher), I could not pass this opportunity up. Now, now. I know there
are always the purists, but I think the purists need to chill out. Kids need to
see the classics in a form they can appreciate. And, for many students, this
form is manga.
Am I saying this manga edition is a replacement for The Scarlet Letter? Absolutely not. The
problem with manga editions or graphic novel editions of any classic works are
that the beauty of the language is simply not there. The reason Hawthorne and
Dickens and Austen stand the test of time is because of the words they used to
tell their stories. A manga is not made to incorporate lengthy sentences or
sophisticated vocabulary.
However, the benefit of adding this manga edition of the
classic work to your library is that it is a great supplemental tool for
teaching the plot, characters and symbolism. Even with most of the words
stripped away, the plot is still clear. The characters are illustrated well.
And symbolism is expressed with art. I could see using this material for an
additional resource while I was teaching high school easily.
Will students be able to write an essay or pass a test by
reading this edition? No. Will they possibly enjoy the story more by reading it
alongside the assigned text. Yes. Give it a try!
* I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for
an honest review.
* You may order this book from amazon here. This is an
affiliate link. Thank you for supporting my blog!
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