Twins

A graphic novel is a book-length work of narrative fiction that includes frequent, sequential illustrations to accompany the text. Graphic novels are not simply illustrated books, because the illustrations tend to provide information that is not given through the words alone. Thus, the illustrations in graphic novels enhance the meaning of the text, rather than just reiterating information that has already been stated. In a graphic novel, neither the words nor the illustrations tell the full story. Instead, the words and pictures work together to produce the novel’s complete meaning, and it is important to consider the words and the pictures in tandem to fully comprehend the finer nuances of the story. Some graphic novels are written and illustrated by a single person, whereas others (including Twins) are written by one person and illustrated by another. Whereas comic books are typically periodicals that tell multiple short stories within one “book,” a graphic novel typically tells one coherent story, hence its designation as a “novel.”

Most graphic novels are arranged into panels, similar to the style commonly adopted by comic books. Most pages are divided up into several smaller blocks that often vary in size depending on the importance of the panel or the narrative moment. Sometimes, a single page or double-page spread will not be divided into panels, but will stand alone, with a large illustration and some accompanying text. Usually, this is a way to wordlessly emphasize the importance of that particular narrative moment. Some pages may consist of several panels that are all the same size, whereas other pages may include a mixture of different-sized panels. The panels are meant to be read left to right, and from the top of the page to the bottom of the page, just like the text in a regular book. Thus, the reader should read the top row of panels from left to right before moving on to the second row of panels.

Text in graphic novels is typically formatted differently than in a regular novel. As with comic books, the dialogue in graphic novels is usually shown through speech bubbles that come from a particular character, so quotation marks and dialogue tags are usually unnecessary. Some graphic novels include thought bubbles in addition to speech bubbles, so that the internal thoughts of key characters become visible. In Twins, the only character whose internal thoughts are shown is the protagonist, Maureen. Some graphic novels also include narration that is separate from thought and speech bubbles; sometimes, this narration is contributed by a detached third-person narrator, but in other cases, this narration is contributed by a character. In Twins, the narration is contributed by the protagonist, Maureen, and is placed in rectangular blocks of text that are set off from the illustrations. This approach makes it clear that the information in the rectangular blocks is not being spoken aloud. Although images and insertions of text work together to create meaning in graphic novels, some panels (or pages) may not contain any words at all, and these often emotionally powerful moments in which the characters are either alone or feel the need to be silent.

Although comic books and illustrated books are often associated with children, graphic novels can be written for any age group, and there are graphic novels for adults as well as children and young adults. Because Twins is a middle grade graphic novel, it is primarily designed to appeal to readers from age eight to age 12. Graphic novels can intersect with any other literary genre, including realistic fiction, fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, and more. Other notable middle grade graphic novels include Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (2003), American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (2007), Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale (2008), Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke (2011), Marble Season by Gilbert Hernandez (2013), Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson (2015), Nimona by N. D. Stevenson (2015), Baba Yaga’s Assistant by Marika Mccoola (2015), Brave by Svetlana Chmakova (2017), and Compass South by Hope Larson (2017).