Fans of history, Hamilton, and/or Hale’s previous entries will be clamoring for this latest volume.
The eighth entry in Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales tackles the early life of the Marquis de Lafayette, hero of the American Revolution.
How it is that Hale (the character) has managed to stay his inevitable execution to tell stories of events yet to happen won’t be clear to new readers, but it’s unlikely they’ll care; Hale (the author) yet again weaves a delightful and engaging narrative sprinkled with silly and scatalogical humor. Recurring characters the Hangman and the Provost return to enthusiastically provide commentary and comedic relief as spy Hale recounts the first half of Lafayette’s exceptional life through the end of his participation in the American Revolution. Fans of Hamilton (to which the title is a reference) will recognize familiar characters: George Washington, of course, but also Alexander Hamilton, le comte de Rochambeau, and Philip Schuyler. The narration never skirts or belittles the grim aspects of Revolutionary-era America (the horrific conditions endured by the militia; white men fighting “for freedom” while they enslave other humans). The majority of the cast is white, with members of the Iroquois Confederacy (who speak in stilted English) and a few people of color (enslaved men and women; a black soldier; a portrait of Alexander Dumas) shown briefly.
Fans of history, Hamilton, and/or Hale’s previous entries will be clamoring for this latest volume. (Graphic historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3148-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
With young readers diagnosed with anxiety in ever increasing numbers, this book offers a necessary mirror to many.
Young Raina is 9 when she throws up for the first time that she remembers, due to a stomach bug. Even a year later, when she is in fifth grade, she fears getting sick.
Raina begins having regular stomachaches that keep her home from school. She worries about sharing food with her friends and eating certain kinds of foods, afraid of getting sick or food poisoning. Raina’s mother enrolls her in therapy. At first Raina isn’t sure about seeing a therapist, but over time she develops healthy coping mechanisms to deal with her stress and anxiety. Her therapist helps her learn to ground herself and relax, and in turn she teaches her classmates for a school project. Amping up the green, wavy lines to evoke Raina’s nausea, Telgemeier brilliantly produces extremely accurate visual representations of stress and anxiety. Thought bubbles surround Raina in some panels, crowding her with anxious “what if”s, while in others her negative self-talk appears to be literally crushing her. Even as she copes with anxiety disorder and what is eventually diagnosed as mild irritable bowel syndrome, she experiences the typical stresses of school life, going from cheer to panic in the blink of an eye. Raina is white, and her classmates are diverse; one best friend is Korean American.
With young readers diagnosed with anxiety in ever increasing numbers, this book offers a necessary mirror to many. (Graphic memoir. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-545-85251-7
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing.
In this graphic memoir by sports journalist Shah, a ninth grader pursues his passion in the face of familial expectations pushing him toward a medical career, while also navigating the perils of high school social life.
It’s 1995, and Indian American Amar is desperate to meet the Chicago Bulls—Michael Jordan, in particular—when they stop by his Orlando, Florida, school. A lucky break leads him to his first sports interview, with Phil Jackson, and his tenacity takes him further, leading to multiple conversations with Shaquille O’Neal. But Amar’s luck in journalism doesn’t spill over to his relationship with his crush, blond Kasey Page (“like a mixture of Cameron Diaz, Tinkerbell, and heaven”), or his efforts to remain close with best friends Rohit and Cherian, who start spending more time with other classmates. The work relies on captions as much as plot developments to propel the story. It also follows a broad cast of characters—close and former friends, antagonists, supportive adults, and famous athletes—who appear in multiple storylines. The story accurately depicts the complexities of life as a young teen, though overlapping life challenges pull it in multiple directions, leaving some threads underexplored and hastily wrapped up. Doucet illustrates the characters using loose, disjointed outlines that give the artwork a sense of movement, and the colorful backgrounds use patterns and action lines to indicate a wide array of emotions.
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing. (author’s note, photographs) (Graphic memoir. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781546110514
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
