Comic books arrive in school as learning tool

Comics, once scorned by educators, are sharing school library shelves with the classics of literature these days as librarians look for ways to hook teens, particularly boys, on books and reading.

Libraries in middle and high schools are betting that colorful, action-packed books featuring superheroes and other larger-than-life characters can give struggling or disinterested readers a bridge to more-advanced literature.

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At Boynton Beach Community High School in Palm Beach County, media specialist Will Heckman has built up a collection of 1,400 graphic novels in the library the past two years. Kids can't seem to get enough.

"If I get a new load of graphic novels, I can't even get them out and they're all, like, attacking them," Heckman said.