Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Donner Dinner Party

by Nathan Hale

Overview

  The Donner Party expedition is one of the most notorious stories in all of American history. It’s also a fascinating snapshot of the westward expansion of the United States, and the families and individuals who sacrificed so much to build new lives in a largely unknown landscape. From the preparation for the journey to each disastrous leg of the trip, this book shows the specific bad decisions that led to the party’s predicament in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The graphic novel focuses on the struggles of the Reed family to tell the true story of the catastrophic journey.
This popular topic is a perfect addition to the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales brand, and a great showcase for Hale’s storytelling skills.
 
Praise for Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Donner Dinner Party
"This informative graphic novel capitalizes on enticingly gross history to great effect, balancing raw facts with strong storytelling."
--Booklist
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419708565
Publisher:	Amulet Books
Publication date:	08/06/2013
Series:	The Clone Chronicles Series , #3
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	11,368
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	GN330L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Nathan Hale is the author of Big Bad Ironclad and One Dead Spy, as well as the illustrator of the graphic novel Rapunzel’s Revenge, which was an Al Roker Book Club for Kids selection, an ALA notable book, a YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens, and the recipient of three starred reviews. He lives in Provo, Utah.

Editorial Reviews

The book’s narrator, Captain Nathan Hale, clearly steps into frontier lives to directly bring today’s audience into the mid-1800’s as witnesses to extraordinary tales about life and death. Single map “markers” for every chapter, along with frequent date boxes, serve as signposts to establish a moving timeline with locations of the brave pioneers traveling West. A full map of “North America 1846” on the end papers provides overall context for their hazardous route. A flurry of text bubbles throughout busy two-toned pages feature documented evidence about fifty wagons forging their way on the Oregon Trail through uncharted territory. White text bubbles provide likely dialogue for the principle characters, contrasting with turquoise-shaded bubbles for the narrator’s trio, who interact with the storyline using drama and a bit of humor. At the life-changing junction where some families chose the dangerous Hastings cut-off route, a full-page spread lists every family in “The Donner Party.” Readers are given fair warning about the most gruesome part about their desperate survival and can skip those sixteen pages; or they can follow the drastic circumstances during weeks of bitter snowfall near Truckee Lake in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains. This third graphic novel in the “Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales” series will appeal to every age group, but perhaps more to youngsters who might not otherwise pick up a history book. This powerful series digs into real life stories, making them come alive through stark reality tempered with stylistic humor. Answers to key questions come to the forefront and help readers have a more thorough understanding about true elements whether perilous or not. Reviewer: Susan Treadway; Ages 10 up.

Children's Literature - Susan Treadway