{"id":24665,"date":"2014-07-31T22:57:05","date_gmt":"2014-08-01T02:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=24665"},"modified":"2014-07-31T22:57:12","modified_gmt":"2014-08-01T02:57:12","slug":"review-of-one-dead-spy-by-nathan-hale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=24665","title":{"rendered":"Review of One Dead Spy, by Nathan Hale"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"one_dead_spy_large\"<\/a>Nathan Hale\u2019s Hazardous Tales<\/p>\n

One Dead Spy<\/em><\/p>\n

by Nathan Hale<\/p>\n

Abrams, 2012. 127 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Once again, I\u2019m struck by what a brilliant idea it is to show kids history in graphic novel form.<\/p>\n

The frame of this series is pure fantasy. Our hero is Nathan Hale, the Revolutionary War spy. Somehow, I\u2019m simply not surprised that he\u2019s the hero chosen by the author Nathan Hale, who was born in 1976.<\/p>\n

Before the historical Nathan Hale\u2019s scheduled hanging, there\u2019s a silly sequence about how he comes up with his famous line, \u201cI regret that I have but one life to give for my country.\u201d When he does, a giant book with the title, The Big Huge Book of American History<\/em> appears and swallows him whole. But then he comes back, having seen hundreds of years into the future of this country.<\/p>\n

The executioner asks, \u201cHow could you see the future in a history book? It doesn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nathan Hale answers, \u201cA giant book just swallowed me whole. Does that make sense?\u201d<\/p>\n

But then, to prove he\u2019s seen the future, Nathan Hale begins telling stories to the executioner and the British officer overseeing the hanging. They decide he can tell more stories before he hangs, which is the premise of the series.<\/p>\n

And the stories Nathan Hale tells are true, with plenty of invented dialog and put into comic book form.<\/p>\n

This first book tells about Nathan Hale\u2019s life and his service in the Revolutionary War. Once I started reading, I couldn\u2019t stop. (And it\u2019s not long, either.)<\/p>\n

Did you know that Nathan Hale wasn\u2019t actually a very good spy? He got caught on his first mission. But he was involved in some noteworthy exploits before he became a spy. I especially found interesting the way the cannons from Fort Ticonderoga got moved to liberate Boston Harbor, and the way General Washington had a fort built and moved into place in one night.<\/p>\n

I love the warning on the back cover:<\/p>\n

HAZARD LEVEL: Yellow\/ Lethal<\/p>\n

Riots, massacre, starvation, fever, theft, spycraft, mercenaries, sea warfare, land warfare, lightning, exploding cows, and death by hanging.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Do you know any school-age kids who can resist such a warning?<\/p>\n

hazardoustales.com<\/a>
\namuletbooks.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/one_dead_spy.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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