Lunch Lady and the Picture Day Peril

Lunch Lady and the Picture Day Peril, a book from the Lunch Lady series, is a graphic novel written by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Krosoczka tells a story of when picture day at Thompson Brook goes horribly wrong as famous photographer Stefani DePino arrives at the school with an evil plot to infect all the students with acne! DePino scams the students out of their money so she can rule the fashion world in Paris, but not before justice is served by the heroic Lunch Lady. I really enjoyed reading this book because it was relatable, funny, and the characters were comically fighting for a great cause. I like the idea of using graphic novels such as this one as a way to bridge the gap for reluctant readers between not wanting to read full novels and reading more complex literature. I can see this being used when learning about text styles and narrative structures, or it could be used as inspiration to re-write a piece of literature in comic form. Non-traditional texts can spark student interest because of the high level of illustrations and the more relaxed and sparse writing style, and can open the door to new opportunities for reading.

Krosoczka, J. J. (2012). Lunch lady and the picture day peril. New York: Random House.