Solo Leveling by Dubu (Original Story by Chugong)

Solo Leveling is a title your students may have been asking you for! It is wildly popular as a webtoon (or online comic) and is also an example of manhwa (Korean comics by Korean creators).

Solo Leveling is incredibly suspenseful and follows Jinwoo Sung, a low-level hunter who is putting his life in danger in his work to help his sick mother. He finds himself being an unlikely hero in a dangerous situation and then...things really start to get strange for him, in terms of new powers and adventures.

So, here's the thing. Solo Leveling is violent. It's bloody. It actually has an Older Teen publisher rating...and, yet, it's a title that I think is okay for 8th grade and up. [I'm basing this on the first volume only! I'll reassess after I finish the series.] The violence is done in a way that doesn't seem gratuitous (to me).

This manhwa is FULL COLOR and read left to right. Perfect for gamers and fans of Sword Art Online, RWBY, and Fairy Tail.

If your students aren't clamoring for this title yet in your middle school, you could hold off. {It's a DEFINITE PURCHASE for high school libraries, though.} In the interests of transparency, I do collect this title, so if you're willing to read it yourself and assess for your own collection/ population, you're in for an exciting read and possible addition to your collection.

For more on webtoons and Manhwa, read this super post by Ashley Hawkins-->
https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/manhwa-webtoons-the-graphic-craze-thats-already-happening/.