I hate when they tone down history. I get it's a book that is intended to teach kids about history and won't go into super graphic detail or anything but everything is so toned down and cheesy humor is added so they don't scare kids or whatever in a freaking war book. It's war FFS, it's supposed to be intense. I also feel bad for the people who did the war research because it's said in the book that there was a research team that for this read several books about Nathan Hale so they could make sure it's as historically accurate as possible, so seeing it so toned down in a book that's meant to teach youth about war There's a fair bit of pointless filler and bonus stuff towards the end that just felt like it was kind of there.
I just went over this in my Watchmen review a few days ago so I'm not gonna go on about it too much here but authors: If I want to read a comic, I'm reading a comic, if I want to read prose, I'm reading prose and I'm sure I can't be the only one who thinks that way. I have been hoping to find a humorous war comic again ever since reading Adventures in The Rifle Brigade earlier this year highly recommend that one by the way, just NOT for kids and thought with the comedy approach this I may have been lucky and finally found another good war comedy I will admit I did giggle a few times but it was mostly just cringe-worthy awful-ness that would've MAYBE got a chuckle out of 8 year old me.
Before any of this books many fans try to pull the "well like you said, it is geared towards kids" excuse, I have read a few kiddie comics that actually made me laugh quite a bit so This is one of the worst of the worst. It ranks right up there with Kaptara and Scarlet.
Do not recommend at all! Sep 03, Nicola Mansfield rated it it was amazing. This was so much more than I had expected it to be. It simply was brilliant and an excellent read all round. The two series are admirably similar in their focus and format bringing more information to the table on exciting events from the past through a totally Reason for Reading: The two series are admirably similar in their focus and format bringing more information to the table on exciting events from the past through a totally enticing graphical format.
Hale sets up his series by telling the story of the historical Nathan Hale as he is about to be hung, the man, his executioner and a British Guard are on the block when something happens which allows Hale to tell the story of his past which includes the story of the American Revolution up to this point. Told with extreme detail, I was quite amazed at how much I was actually interested in and understood the military strategy, battle details and reasonings behind various maneuvers. This part of war I'm not usually very interested in but Hale author has made it exciting and funny.
Along with this detail, there is also the personal stories of the people involved in the war as they related to Hale the spy. I especially appreciated how Hale the author brought history alive with his humour; he sometimes goes beyond the scope of the book and makes comments about our world to the reader, he pokes great fun at these historical characters, making fun of strange names and strange circumstances. The executioner is my favourite character as he is the one he is not quite so "book-smart" and asks the questions and makes the comments the reader probably would.
Then the book is still not over. Next up comes a quick biographical info on all the major players in the book, leading up to what actually happened to them in the end. Then the author does a funny little segment where he thanks those who helped make the book including the researchers, who just happen to be babies! This is quite hilarious as the babies explain how one researches for such a project as a book like this. And if you didn't think that was enough the book finally ends with a mini-comic about Crispus Attucks.
It tells of his life through death but concentrates on the Boston Massacre discussed already in the main story. A veritable goldmine of information. A joy to read, not only because it is exciting but also because it is hilariously funny. Highly recommended and I can't wait to get my hands on the 2nd book, Big Bad Ironclad. Sep 29, Brett rated it it was amazing Shelves: I owned books that sympathetic but bemused adults would give my parents for me - most of them aimed at adults.
The only thing that even remotely came close to the experience here was a set of two cassette tapes, a dramatic narrative telling of the events of the War with sound effects, etc.
I am not employing hyperbole when I say that I actually wore those tapes out. I look forward to the next Hazardous Tale! Feb 09, Karen rated it really liked it Shelves: The frame tale includes three characters: Hale the sympathetic narrator , a hangman a buffoon loaning comic relief and a British soldier arrogant and angry. Hale has the added foresight of knowing the outcome of the Revolutionary War, having been consumed by a giant history book in the first few pages.
There, the historical figure Nathan Hale recounts events of the American Revolution that involved him directly or indirectly. The book is presented in cartoon panels graphic novel? This could help younger people find history more accessible, but the details get pretty intense, so I don't think younger readers can follow every aspect completely.
Depending on the child's reading level and interest in history, I can see those age 11 and up following along for the more part. Sep 02, Margaret rated it really liked it Shelves: Just being honest here I read this book because I got way deep in a webcomic about the revolution and Nathan Hale died in it and I may have shed a tear or six and so I stole my little brother's comics and And as far as kids books go for entertaining other demographics "a children's book that can only be enjoyed by children isn't a very good children's book at all" cough cough jack lewis this one was very creative.
I'm still hung up on the part wh Just being honest here I'm still hung up on the part where the giant history book ate Nate Hale but it wasn't sufficient enough to keep me from reading the next one coming up soon, set ur dvrs Anyways.
Make your little brothers read these. May 18, Dan rated it it was amazing Shelves: I got to hear Nathan Hale speak at ULA this year - he doodled drawings while he spoke and it was absolutely hilarious. He has a great thing going with his Hazardous Tales graphic novels. They are funny and they teach history at the same time. I wish I would have had access to these when I was younger.
I will definitely recommend them to my kids when they are a little older. This one is great because it is about Captain Nathan Hale from the Revolutionary War - you know the one who said "I regret I got to hear Nathan Hale speak at ULA this year - he doodled drawings while he spoke and it was absolutely hilarious. This one is great because it is about Captain Nathan Hale from the Revolutionary War - you know the one who said "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country. Jul 30, Reading is my Escape rated it liked it Shelves: The illustrations are sepia toned with some red thrown in, as in the uniforms of the British army.
This book is well written, with lots of facts, and humor too. Kids will enjoy learning about history and laughing at the same time. May 05, Kelly rated it really liked it. He was not a very good one though. At the beginning he tells the hangman and the General that were going to hang him he got caught , his last words.
Then, out of nowhere, a giant book appears and shows the general and the hangman his stories through the war and how he got caught as a spy. He gets hanged in the end however. Aug 17, Tara rated it really liked it Shelves: This was a really fun approach to telling history! Every middle school history teacher should have it in their classroom. Even my husband--who is not a voracious reader--loved it. He finished before me! I look forward to reading more in the series.
Aug 27, Chantele Sedgwick added it. What a fun way to introduce United States History to young readers! I loved it and will definitely be checking out the rest AND handing these to my kids. If your kids or you like graphic novels, check these out. Fun and educational as well. Jul 26, Betsy rated it really liked it. If you should find that you share your name with a Revolutionary War Hero you have various ways of making use of that fact. You could join Revolutionary War re-enactors on a regular basis and field unceasing questions about whether or not that is your real name.
You could start writing historical fan fiction or fun alternative histories. Or you could follow in the footsteps of one Nathan Hale and write the number one funniest and best-written history-based graphic novel series on bookshelves tod If you should find that you share your name with a Revolutionary War Hero you have various ways of making use of that fact. Or you could follow in the footsteps of one Nathan Hale and write the number one funniest and best-written history-based graphic novel series on bookshelves today.
The choice is yours. Honestly, I think you'd be better off going with that third choice, but bear in mind that not everyone is as good at Hale at doing what he does. With the debut of "Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales" we encounter a melding of fact and fiction that will please history averse children and only mildly annoy adults who cannot figure out where to put the darn thing on their shelves. The first two books in the series have been released simultaneously and I find I cannot talk about one without the other.
Besides, if I hadn't even seen Big Bad Ironclad! I'd still be talking up the wonders of book 1 in glowing hyperbolic terms. So to sum the two books up. In One Dead Spy our hero Nathan Hale stands at the gallows alongside a hangman and a British Provost Marshall mere moments before he is to be hanged by the neck until dead. Suddenly he is eaten! Eaten by a big book of American history no less.
After being spit out he now knows the entirety of American history and is willing to tell everything he knows. The first story that needs to be told, however, is the tale of Nathan Hale himself. And if along the way he happens to tell the stories of folks like Ethan Allen, Henry Knox, and other big and colorful characters all the better. Like a Colonial Scheherazade, Hale is spared by the childish and endearing hangman and the blowhard Provost Marshall, just so long as he keeps weaving together new tales.
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy
Big Bad Ironclad is actually even stronger than its predecessor. By this point Hale has expanded a bit and isn't restricting himself to mere Revolutionary War stories. We've skipped forward to the Civil War, which makes for kooky stories galore. I'm sure I'd heard the story of the Merrimack and the Monitor but never in such glowing terms.
Hale rightly seeks out and brings to light the story of William Barker Cushing, a prankster who used his pranking skills to help win the war for the Union, as well as a cussing Swede and other interesting folks involved in the Civil War's naval battles. Also, by book 2 Hale is giving himself a little more literary leeway.
A character with the last name of Fox is presented as a walking talking fuzzy animal, acknowledged as too crazy to be accurate, but giving the book a bit of that old kid-friendly zing. These two are, alas, cursed books. Historical graphic novels tend to be. I blame the fact that for years some of the worst, ugliest, most didactic comics out there were those created to "teach" the kids history.
Historical comics are often the dregs of the comic book publishing industry. So the fact that there are now comics that are not only beautifully drawn but smart, funny, and often containing better historical facts and information than whole chunks of school textbooks out there is going to throw a couple teachers and librarians for a loop. And like those books librarians will have a darned time figuring out where to put them on their shelves. Are they nonfiction or fiction?
Against the hangman's silliness and the Marshall's pomposity Hale has the perfect dual comic foil. Add to that his storytelling style. I was reminded instantly of Steve Sheinkin's hilarious King George: What Was His Problem?: Like Hale, Sheinkin sought to find those aspects of the Revolutionary War that would speak to child readers. And if they just happen to be exciting and amusing, so be it. Pair the two together for the best unit on the late s any 4th through 6th grader ever saw. The sheer amount of research that went into this book is impressive.
Currently public schools in most American states are wrangling with a new form of teaching called Common Core. With its increased emphasis on reading more nonfiction texts one cannot help but notice that this book would make for a rather ideal companion to many a school unit. And I mentioned they were funny, right?
Not chuckle softly into your tea funny either. I'm talking snort milk out your nose funny. There is a section in Big Bad Ironclad in particular that is so well done, so hilarious, and so ridiculous that I keep going back to it just for fun. It's a simple explanation of why two soldiers sent to repair the Merrimack and bring her north from Virginia instead ended up participating in burning it and its shipyard to a cinder. Hale draws the sequence like a gigantic board game. When the two meet the Commodore he ignores their orders to take the ship insisting that it's safest at the shipyard.
They mention that Virginia might secede. The next sequence reads, "Virginia will not join the South! Virginia has joined the South! Both books in the series employ the cost-saving one-color technique many graphic novels utilize today Babymouse , Fangbone , etc. The quality of the publication, however, is far higher than most graphic novels for kids out there.
Thick pages and a strong binding guarantee that no matter how many reads the books receive they'll stand up to a pounding. Hopefully they'll be discovered too. If you sell them to the kids who loved Hale's work on books like Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack as well as history lovers and comic book lovers in general, Hale could find himself with a significant following.
This series may be a slow burner, but trust me when I say that it's worth discovering for folks of every age. May 12, Noe Avila rated it it was ok. The genre of the book is historical fiction. My honest opinion is I didn't like the book that much. But I didn't hate it also.
First lets start with the setting. The setting of the story was the thirteen colonies in America. In the beginning they want to execute Nathan Hale for spying. But the hangman and solider wondered why he was spying. So Nathan told them how it all started and about the revolutionary war and what was going to happen. Then he said his last words "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country". His lasts were so good he got swallowed by a history book. The hangman asked if he could tell him about the story's he saw.
Then Nathan told them the journeys he took like the battle of Bunker hill and the Boston massacre. He told them he became a spy to serve his country but before that he was a teacher. In the middle of the book he tells them that he is the worst spy. But Nathan keeps telling them about historical events and people like George Washington and General Howe. At the last few pages he tells them why he is the worst and its because they caught him when he started his mission.
But luckily they don't hang him because they want to hear more stories. The conflict is person vs.
Using Graphic Novels in Education: Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales | Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
That's how the revolutionary war started. One of the themes in this book is don't have too much confidence because the spy Nathan Hale just wanted to serve his country and thought he could without any training. So he went and failed on the first mission. Second a major event that changed the character was when he got swallowed by the history book.
Because if it wasn't for the history book he wouldn't know who won the war. He wouldn't know all the major stuff that happened during the war. In the book not the history one the actual book if Nathan Hale wasn't swallowed he wouldn't have stories to tell. In the Actual book he was going to be hanged but the hangman and solider wanted to know what happened so they didn't hang him. It also changed him because he gains respect for his country and gains knowledge about history.
Because in the text he says I only wished I have served my country better. And his famous last words are "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country". Third my opinion of the book. To be honest I did not like the book. To me it was the same as the other one. If I were a author I would change the story and make it a lot more different from the other one.
All they did was make fun of the revolutionary war with terrible jokes. It had almost the same story about them going to hang Nathan but he tells a story to put off the hanging. The other was the same thing as this one they put little facts and cover them up with jokes. An example is the intro they had it was very similar to the other book.
Lastly I give this book a rating of two stars.
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy
Because I found it very similar to the other book. I was disappointed because I thought it could have been better and have a cool story. I would recommend this book to people who like the revolutionary war with a twist. Don't think that because one book was amazing the other will be great too.
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Jul 19, Kristin Fletcher-spear rated it really liked it Shelves: So I'm no history buff. I vaguely knew that Hale had famous last words "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country" , but I didn't know anything else. In all honesty I picked up the graphic novel for a few reasons: This actually might have been the 1 reason I picked it up. Anyway, for those of you who don't know Nathan Hal So I'm no history buff. Anyway, for those of you who don't know Nathan Hale the historical person--not the author was a revolutionary figure who was hanged or is that hung?
Hale recounts his adventures and many other people's adventures during the beginning parts of the revolutionary war to the hangman and the British commander overseeing Hale's hanging. Hale, the author, adds humor and some fictionalization throughout the telling of the historical Hale's life. The black and white artwork is the standard rectangular panels of sequential art which I think works best with the tween readers.
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For a non-history fan AKA me , this was quite enjoyable. I liked recognizing the different historical figures that I vaguely remember about from school. My favorite was Henry Knox who loved his guns! Another was just briefly mentioned Benjamin Tallmadge who was Washington's intelligence officer later on in the war.
For an interesting read on the spying in the Revolutionary War check out George Washington, Spymaster: While there are items fictionalized and will require end note reading, Hale remains true to the basics of what was happening during that time. I found it humorous that when Hale quotes Ethan Allen who cursed a tiny bit he starred it and footnoted that the man really said it. In my head, I knew that if he didn't someone would complain about the language in a review since the book is for tweens.
All in all, this is a well done graphic novel that will require handselling to readers because still there is the idea that graphic novels are just superheroes and manga. Hale provides quality story and artwork that will be appreciated if given the chance. I know that I've already bought this title and the next one being simultaneously released for my library's collection.
Thanks to Abrams for the preview copy on NetGalley. Jan 25, Leela Quiroz added it. Well in this book you can see that happen but he get spitted back out, but someone incredible happened while he was in there. This book is a graphic novel, it has pictures and tells a great story about the wars that took place and went down in history. I personally liked this book, even if it's a graphic novel it still shows what happened in world war 1, and the Boston tea party, and how the British had the "greatest" soldiers.
It was fun to read and how they made little puns that made me laugh. First of all in the beginning the spy named Nathan Hale who is going to be hanged today, he was cot spying on a different country. The hanging guy, they talked because the solider that told him that he is being hanged forgot the papers they were, reviewing Nathans famous last words which were "I wish i had more lives to give to my country.
The soldier came back, when Nathan came out of the book, they both stood there looking at each other. Nathan said that his life flashed before his eyes, and say the past. The hanging guy wanted to know how he started as a spy and how he got cot. He said that it all started at the University, where him and his best friend went to school, they worked really hard they leaned a lot, they went to a pub bar and say that the mole on his neck was bad luck, so they tested him by making him throw rocks but it hit a window.
As he made the long gurney to the town. When he got there he met new people, and met a guy that knows a lot about guns, but never shot one. After they won a battle between the British, they got sent to a better army, who was ruled by George Washington. They went to the towns guns stash the town they defeated Apr 12, Kimberly rated it liked it Shelves: More specifically, I love hearing the personal stories, the personal accounts, seeing photographs, reading their correspondence.
Suddenly he is eaten! Eaten by a big book of American history no less. After being spit out he now knows the entirety of American history and is willing to tell everything he knows. The first story that needs to be told, however, is the tale of Nathan Hale himself. And if along the way he happens to tell the stories of folks like Ethan Allen, Henry Knox, and other big and colorful characters all the better. Like a Colonial Scheherazade, Hale is spared by the childish and endearing hangman and the blowhard Provost Marshall, just so long as he keeps weaving together new tales.
Big Bad Ironclad is actually even stronger than its predecessor. Also, by book 2 Hale is giving himself a little more literary leeway. A character with the last name of Fox is presented as a walking talking fuzzy animal, acknowledged as too crazy to be accurate, but giving the book a bit of that old kid-friendly zing. These two are, alas, cursed books. Historical graphic novels tend to be. Historical comics are often the dregs of the comic book publishing industry. So the fact that there are now comics that are not only beautifully drawn but smart, funny, and often containing better historical facts and information than whole chunks of school textbooks out there is going to throw a couple teachers and librarians for a loop.
And like those books librarians will have a darned time figuring out where to put them on their shelves. Are they nonfiction or fiction? Add to that his storytelling style. What Was His Problem?: Like Hale, Sheinkin sought to find those aspects of the Revolutionary War that would speak to child readers. And if they just happen to be exciting and amusing, so be it. Pair the two together for the best unit on the late s any 4th through 6th grader ever saw. The sheer amount of research that went into this book is impressive.
Currently public schools in most American states are wrangling with a new form of teaching called Common Core. With its increased emphasis on reading more nonfiction texts one cannot help but notice that this book would make for a rather ideal companion to many a school unit. And I mentioned they were funny, right? Not chuckle softly into your tea funny either. There is a section in Big Bad Ironclad in particular that is so well done, so hilarious, and so ridiculous that I keep going back to it just for fun.
Hale draws the sequence like a gigantic board game. They mention that Virginia might secede. Virginia has joined the South! Both books in the series employ the cost-saving one-color technique many graphic novels utilize today Babymouse , Fangbone , etc. The quality of the publication, however, is far higher than most graphic novels for kids out there. Fingers crossed that he includes more historical women in his future books as well. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person.
Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name.