Nathan Hales - Hazardous Tales

Kids, Students, and Life-Long Readers,

I have found my new favorite series for learning about history - Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales.  My new task is to collect every copy for my personal library - here I come Amazon.

As I am sure you all know, Nathan Hale was an American spy during the Revolutionary War.  He is known for giving his life for our country and spoke the famous words, "I only regret that I have one life to give for my country."  The premise of each book is Hale is about to be executed by a British soldier and the hangman, but first, they want to hear a story.  This is where Nathan will tell them about a section of history.  I have read the Underground Railroad and World War 1.  Both have been outstanding!

The first reason I love this series is that fact that it is a graphic novel. Loving and understanding history starts with making it visual.  Kids will be drawn to the cartoon, and the comic book feels.  It won't seem like they are reading a history book.  The layout continues to change throughout the book, so it doesn't feel static or lack-luster.  The second reason is the attention to interesting details.  This will not give you a brief overview of the historical context.  Hazardous Tales will answer those questions that you were wondering, and provide the juicy or gross details that we all love.  The final reason is the humor aspect.  The back and forth between are three characters provide a bit of humor to break up the influx of historical context.  I often find myself laughing out loud as I am reading - which may seem odd to be laughing when I am reading about World War 1.

I encourage all readers to give one of these a try - you will not be disappointed, and you can learn a bit of history.

AUTHOR: ???

GENRE:  Nonfiction - Graphic Novel

GRADE LEVEL: 5-8

Story Thieves

Students, kids, and life-long readers,

If you could enter any story or book that you have read, and change a part of that story what would you do?  Inform a character of a poor choice they are about to make, or let them know who not to trust, or maybe even stop a favorite character from dying.

The main character Owen has a chance to do just that as he catches his classmate Bethany climbing out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory book. Bethany tries to elude Owen, but he is hooked on the possibility to enter books, and to stop the death of a beloved character - think Dumbledore in Harry Potter.  Owen intentions are hidden from Bethany who has her own agenda  - trying to find her lost father that suddenly disappeared one day.  Transporting in and out of books is not an easy task and there is danger that lurks throughout - for Owen and Bethany - and the for safety of the series and the world.

I very much enjoyed this book with small connections to other series and I couldn't stop thinking about what series/book I would jump into if I have the opportunity.  Right now, there are two more books to this series and I am eager to read them to see what is next for Owen and Bethany.

AUTHOR: James Riley

GENRE: Fantasy

GRADE LEVEL: 5-8

The Bicycle Spy

Kids, students, and life-long readers,

We have another edition to the continually growing genre of historical fiction that takes place during World War 2.  The setting for this selection is in Nazi-controlled France where our main character, Marcel, has a love of biking with the dream to some day in the Tour de France.  But there are two events that will alter his semi-normal life.  One is the discovery that the bread he is delivering for his parents each day holds more than just flour and water, but secrets and information for the better of France.  The second is a friendship that grows with the new girl in town, Delphine, who seems to be a bit different from what Marcel expected.  There are many tense and suspenseful moments where one wrong move, the slightest move, the incorrect turn, or a misguided statement can lead to ruin and hardship not only for Marcel but for his friends and family as well.

Author: Yona Zeldis McDonough

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade Level: 5th-8th Grade

Lincoln's Spymaster

Kids, students, and life-long readers,

Allan Pinkerton - Does the name ring a bell?  Unless you are a historian or just a lover of American history you probably don't recognize this name.  Started the secret service, stopped an assassination plot against Lincoln on his way to his inauguration, led a network of espionage to aid the Union during the Civil War, are a small sample of his accomplishments.  This non-fiction book tells the tale of one of America's most fascinating men during the 19th and 20th century.  The first part of this selection will highlight his espionage work during the Civil War and the start of his private investigation firm that eventually became a national program. The second half focuses his work as an outlaw hunter.  The use of trains was exploding during this era, along with the rise of outlaws that tried to rob these trains. Pinkerton Detective Agency hunted down some of the most notorious criminals including the Reno gang and Jesse James.

I had a hard time putting this book down once I started.  There wasn't much down time or dullness in the life of Allan Pinkerton.  If you've been looking for a non-fiction book to try out, I would highly recommend this book.