Dragon Ball: 1 of 42

* Bibliographic information
Toriyama, A. Dragon Ball: 1 of 42. Bird Studio, 1984. ISBN: 9781569314951


* Plot Summary
Bulma is looking for Dragon Balls so she can summon Shenlong, a magical wish granting dragon The balls lead her to Goku because one of the balls belonged to Goku’s grandfather. Goku agrees to go with Bulmu to collect more Dragon Balls. They have a journey of adventure; collecting Dragon Balls and friends along the way.


* Critical Evaluation
A funny tale of silly hijinx that is sure to make teens laugh out loud as they read. The black and white artwork is common for the Manga style and is not extremely exciting. The artist does change the shape of the speech/thought bubbles to convey emotion or tone. An interesting story for those who follow the series. For someone picking up this issue to read by itself, they will be unhappy with the missing ending. The story continues in the next volume so readers will find no closure here.


* Reader’s Annotation
Bulma and Goku are going on a journey; picking up Dragon Balls along the way to summon a wish granting dragon.


* Information about the author
Toriyama is a widely known and highly acclaimed Japanese artist who is famous for his creation of Dragon Ball. Recently he has been working on creating Dragon Ball Online which will be a sequel to the Manga.


* Genre
Manga; Shonen


* Curriculum Ties, if any
N/A


* Booktalking Ideas
1) What does Goku’s naïve outlook say about modern society?
2) Discuss the relationship between Bulma and Goku.
3) Talk about Goku’s methods of conflict resolution.


* Reading Level/Interest Age
Grade 7 and Up / 13 and Up


* Challenge Issues and Defense
Challenge Issues: Nudity.

Defense Ideas:
1) Ask the patron about the book and issue in question and find out how much they know about the book.
2) Help the patron become more familiar with the book and its content.
3) Show the patron positive reviews from people who have read the book , http://www.amazon.com/Dragonball-1-Akira-Toriyama/dp/1569314950/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260328870&sr=1-1.
4) If available, introduce the patron to people who have read it in the library or tell the patron what you thought of the book if you have read it.
5) Show the patron the collection development policy for that particular library. For example, the one for the San Diego County library, http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.41_material-selection.pdf
6) If they still want to file a grievance about the book begin the necessary paperwork by giving them the forms they need to fill out. In the San Diego County system, the grievance will then go to The Challenged Materials Team. If the committee cannot resolve the issue, it then goes to the County Library Director for a final decision. http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.34_intellectual_freedom.pdf


* Why did you include this book in your titles you selected?
I wanted to have Manga in my selection because I learned about it from my group genre project and wanted to use what I learned. I selected a Dragon Ball volume because it is such a popular series. Teens love Manga and they also like Dragon Ball.