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26 Hudson Valley Parent n November 2015 examines racial stereotypes through author Gene Luen Yang's stories about immigrant children entering new schools and cultures. The graphic novel medium evolved from the 1930s "golden age" of action and adventure comic books. By the 1970s, "classic il- lustrated" novels emerged, as the works of authors like Victor Hugo and Sir Walter Scott were turned into lengthy comic book adaptations published as hardbound books. Will Eisner's 1978 A Contract With God is generally considered the first true graphic novel, with Eisner writing and illustrating a series of interrelated stories set in New York City tenement housing. Watch- men, released in 1986, was also considered groundbreaking for its sophisticated use of classic literary techniques as foreshadowing and symbolism. The medium's watershed moment came in 1992, when Art Spiegelman's Maus won the Pulitzer Prize. A gripping examination of the Holocaust viewed through the dialogue between a father and son; Maus depicted Germans as cats and Jews as mice. The novel connected with younger readers in a way that the text-heavy history books of the time didn't. The new canon Graphic novels can be humorous, entertaining, serious, or all of the above. The variety of themes makes them appealing to young readers. "For the kids in middle grades, they're very relatable and fun," says Jay Aspinall, manager of Inquiring Minds bookstore. "Kids connect to graphic novels on more than one level. They create readers out of reluctant readers."Alexa Martins' mother, Diane Lilli, agreed. Warm, Child Friendly Atmosphere Children with Special Needs Welcome! Specializing in Children from Infancy to Teens Emergencies Treated with Courtesy & Kindness Nitrous oxide (laughing gas), oral sedation and general anesthesia available Thank you to all of the HVParent readers who selected Dr. Geri-Lynn Waldman as a 2014 Favorite Doc! Voted FIRST PLACE for Top Orthodontists - Three Years Running! DRAWING IT OUT (Continued from Page 25)