Teachers often find themselves lamenting the loss of emergent readers to video games, television, and, most recently, the TTYL (talk/type to you later) culture of text messaging and Internet social networking. Trying to impart the joy of a good read to middle school students feels like pushing religion onto the perfectly content worshipers of American Idol. As if responding to a distress call, a new type of book has come onto the scene: the graphic novel. In addition to promoting recreational reading, this revitalized genre has also turned out to be a heavyweight in the teaching of advanced themes in literature and visual literacy. The author describes the successful experience of the library at Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Francisco when it introduced a Graphic Book Group elective. Tips for selection of graphic novels are included.