Big Bad Ironclad! (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #2) Read Free Books and Download eBooks
Each of the books in Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales has elements of the strange but true and is presented in an engaging, funny format, highlighting the larger-than-life characters that pop up in real history. Big Bad Ironclad! covers the history of the amazing ironclad steam warships used in the Civil War.From the ship’s inventor, who had a history of blowing things up and only 100 days to complete his project, to the mischievous William Cushing, who pranked his way through the whole war, this book is filled with surprisingly true facts and funny, brave characters that modern readers will easily relate to.Praise for Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad"Livelier than the typical history textbook but sillier than the many outstanding works on the Civil War available for young readers, this will appeal to both history buffs and graphic-novel enthusiasts."—Kirkus Reviews"Readers interested in American history will enjoy these graphic novels... Comic panels of varying sizes enhance the real-life events and support the stories’ over-the-top humor... the writing is accessible and entertaining; author Hale’s style gives readers an insider-y, you-are-there-type scoop."—Horn BookAward:New York Public Library’s Children's Books 2012: 100 Books for Reading and Sharing list
Lexile Measure: 280L (What's this?)
Series: Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; 7.2.2012 edition (August 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1419703951
ISBN-13: 978-1419703959
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 7.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #23,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Books > History > Americas > United States > Civil War > Naval Operations #6 in Books > Children's Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > History #7 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > History > United States > Civil War Era
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
This series is chock-full of great stories and wonderful history. This isn't a way to trick kids to read history -- it's just good writing, accurate illustrations and a rollicking tale. As author Nathan Hale says, "It's 93% accurate" and I'll add 100% enjoyable. Fourth and fifth graders at my school devour these books, checking out the whole series and then buying them for themselves (Nathan Hale One Dead Spy; Donner Dinner Party; Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood (World War I); and the upcoming Underground Abductor about Harriet Tubman).Can't wait for the next two books to appear. I hear the 7th book in the series is on the drawing board, as well.
My 2nd grader claims these graphic novels by Nathan Hale are her very favorite books! I caught her laughing out loud as she read them and heard her repeating lines to her sisters. I love that these books make history interesting and fun. We will be buying every one and waiting anxiously for each new installment.
I bought this book because I thought my son might enjoy reading it with me and I enjoy history. I had a hard time putting it down. The graphic illustration combined with the storytelling makes this book highly entertaining and educational at the same time. I honestly think that this is the way history needs to be taught. There is more of a human connection when we learn history through storytelling and Nathan Hale does that perfectly.
Nathan Hale has been a favorite local (Utah) author and artist for several years now. I first met him at a booksigning in suburban Salt Lake City, and casually followed what he was working on since then. Up until 2012 the highlight of his career has been the two graphic novels written by Shannon Hale (no relation): "Rapunzel's Revenge" and "Calamity Jack." Both are very entertaining takes on fairy tales, both come highly recommended by me.Hale's own series takes stories from American History and retelling them in a funny and informative way: "Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales." The first in the series is "One Dead Spy", the account of Nathan Hale's namesake, um, Nathan Hale. The second book, also published in 2012, is "Big Bad Ironclad!" "Big Bad Ironclad" is of course a Civil War tale, about the sea battle between the Monitor and the Virginia (when I was growing up, we called that one the Merrimack), two of the first ironclad ships. The premise of this series is that each story is narrated by heroic spy Nathan Hale, delaying his own execution Sheherezade-style by telling stories from American History to his own Hangman and a British Provost. Hale (the author) plays with the idea of Hale (the spy) as an omniscient historian, who's able to tell stories that haven't happened yet, and he's balanced out by the Hangman, who's brutish but loves cute little animals, and the Provost, who reminds me of a stuffier Sam Eagle from "The Muppet Show." But...British.A brief prologue does a good job of introducing the Civil War, and even though the ironclad battle is really only one small episode within the larger conflict, the book manages to give perspective to the war. We meet Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet, we learn about General Winfield Scott's Anaconda Plan to cut off the South from any outside support, and meet Gideon Welles, Lincoln's "Father Neptune" and Secretary of the Navy. These people put the ironclad plans into motion, and does so in a quick, straightforward way that is easy for kids and teens to get onboard with.The graphic novel format keeps things moving quickly, and lets Hale play with words and images--Gideon Welles' assistant Gustavus Fox is rendered as a cute little fox, and Confederacy naval leader Stephen Mallory is shown as a "sharkface," although Hale does point out that he's not a villain so much as a leader of the opposition.Interspersed with the main story about the building and battle of the Monitor and Virginia is the story of William Cushing--a guy I hadn't ever heard of, but a navy officer who ends up becoming the prototype for Navy SEALS. His adventures punctuate the already exciting war story, and are able to provide a continual thread that gives us insight into the other things that were happening away from the ironclads."Big Bad Ironclad" includes biographies of the major characters in the story (so that kids can find out that Stephen Mallory wasn't really known as "Sharkface"), a bibliography that includes resources on the Ironclads, the Civil War, and some of the major characters in the book; a "Corrections Baby" page that addresses some historical discrepancies, and a Civil War timeline that points out where Will Cushing was at various points in the conflict. One of my favorite "extras" is at the bottom of the timeline, where we're shown how to build our own Monitor from a few "plastic bricks." As a die-hard LEGO fan, I was pleased to see that. This is the second of four "Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales" books currently in stores, and the fifth is coming this spring. It can't be soon enough.
I bought my son the Hazardous Tales series for his 8th birthday, and we have both absolutely loved them. I've never had much of an interest in war history, and would never in a million years have picked up a traditional book on naval battles of the Civil War (yawn), but this one was so entertaining and informative! I'm glad to know that my son will go into 3rd grade with a broader knowledge of American history than most adults, and I'm happy to finally be learning this stuff myself!
This is a book that my 8 year old grandson requested. He so enjoys all of the Nathan Hale books and now has every one of them. He likes them so much that he reads them over and over. Great intro to history for kids his age.
I love Clive Cussler's nautical novels, and so when I saw this title it sparked my interest (even though it was a children's book). I read it and absolutely love it!!! I like it even better than the first one in the series, "One Dead Spy." I highly recommend it! I believe it is designed for 9-12 years old but it's a great way for older that than to grasp these otherwise boring but important American history stories.
Big Bad Ironclad! (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #2) Big Bad Ironclad! (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales Book 2) The Underground Abductor (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #5): An Abolitionist Tale about Harriet Tubman Alamo All-Stars (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6) Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #4): A World War I Tale Donner Dinner Party (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #3) One Dead Spy (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #1) Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Alamo All-Stars One Dead Spy (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales Book 1) Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: The Underground Abductor (An Abolitionist Tale) Confederate Ironclad vs Union Ironclad: Hampton Roads 1862 (Duel) Infection Control and Management of Hazardous Materials for the Dental Team, 3e (INFECTION CONTROL & MGT/ HAZARDOUS MAT/ DENTAL TEAM ( MILLER)) Nathan Hale: Revolutionary Spy (Graphic Biographies) Once Upon a Rock Star: Backstage Passes in the Heavy Metal Eighties-Big Hair, Bad Boys (and One Bad Girl) The Monitor Boys: The Crew of the Union's First Ironclad (Civil War Series) Confederate Ironclad 1861-65 (New Vanguard) Union River Ironclad 1861-65 (New Vanguard) Rachael Hale Cats Wall Calendar (2017) You Wouldn't Want to Be a Pyramid Builder!: A Hazardous Job You'd Rather Not Have Infection Control and Management of Hazardous Materials for the Dental Team, 5e
