Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Donner Dinner Party

 Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Donner Dinner Party

Bibliography

Hale, Nathan. 2013. DONNER DINNER PARTY. Ill. by Nathan Hale. New York, NY: Amulet Books. ISBN 9781419708565

Plot Summary

Nathan Hale recounts the story of the Donner Party, the gruesome and harrowing tale of multiple families and their journey to California, a journey that ended with deaths, crimes, and cannibalism. Using his trademark comic art style and humor to lighten the mood, Hale has done his research and illustrates this tale in a way that children and adults can enjoy.

Critical Analysis

Nathan Hale is well known for his comic series Hazardous Tales, where he covers significant historical events in a witty and a lot of times humorous and factual fashion. This is especially the case in this installment that covers the spine-chilling story of the Donner Party and how their at first happy tale of seeking a better life in California ends for many of them in death.

Nathan Hale knows that his young audience won't enjoy just a boring retelling of facts, which is why he adds in his own funny dialogue to what these people might have said. He even continues his tale from other Hazardous Tale books of his namesake, the famous spy Nathan Hale, trying to escape his execution by telling stories to his goofy executioners. Even though this tale gets very dark at times, children are eased into the scary parts, and even recommended to skip to a certain page number if they want to avoid them altogether.

Hale's style makes history enjoyable and fascinating and even people that are familiar with the Donner Party story may find that they learn something that they didn't know before. That's how much detail Hale includes, and how attentive he is to his subject. And although these books don't necessarily have an overarching theme, children can still find small lessons imbedded in the story. 

Nathan Hale's Donner Dinner Party is a unique retelling of the macabre and interesting event that can get children and adults hooked on history.

Review Excerpts

Library Media Connection: "The text mixes history and comedy; the artwork portrays the emotional ordeals of the characters. This book does not shy away from the violence of the Donner story, but those who like their history with a bit of edgy humor will enjoy this rendition. It is best suited for selected audiences interested in American history, the Old West, and graphic nonfiction."

Horn Book Guide: "Nathan Hale, Revolutionary War hero, continues to distract his executioners in this third volume. Author Hale (no relation) manages to balance the tragedy of the Donner Party's doomed journey with the graphic novel series' wacky humor--no small feat. Readers not put off by the small panel illustrations and tiny type (or the story's horrific nature) will appreciate this entertaining history lesson."

Good Comics for Kids: "Nathan Hale has tackled a tough subject and made it visually stimulating, educational, and thought provoking. It’s not the most pleasant of reads, due to the subject matter, but once again Nathan Hale is proving that he’s a meticulous and well-researched creator out to educate, inform, and also interject humor into some of our country’s most significant events."

Connections

More Hazardous Tales by Nathan Hale: Above the Trenches

                                                                Cold War Correspondent

                                                                Big Bad Ironclad

More about the Donner Party: What Was the Donner Party? by Ben Hubbard

                                                 I Escaped the Donner Party by Ellie Crowe and Scott Peters

                                                The Donner Party by Scott R. Welvaert

Activity: With a group, research what a person would have to do to survive in the wilderness for an extended period of time.

The Graveyard Book

 The Graveyard Book

Bibliography

Gaiman, Neil. 2008. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. Ill. by Dave McKean. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children's Books. ISBN 9780060530945

Plot Summary

Nobody Owens is a young boy whose family is murdered. He escapes the murderer to the local graveyard and is taken in and raised by the ghosts whose souls linger and "live" there. With the help of his new parents and otherworldly guardian, he is trained in the ways of the spirit world and encounters different people and creatures that test his new abilities. As years pass and his family's killer draws closer, Nobody learns what it means to be human and how to live, for both humans and spirits alike. 

Critical Analysis

Neil Gaiman is a master at his craft and in his YA novel, The Graveyard Book, he tells the story of Nobody Owens and how after the murder of his family, he lives for years with the ghosts of the local graveyard. Nobody is a precocious young boy, who has to learn to grow up faster than others. He is wise in the ways of the living and the dead. As he grows up, he begins to want to leave the confines of the graveyard and go out into the world, despite danger from the man who killed his family and now wants to kill Nobody too. Despite this, he wants to live, and not just live for the sake of living, but to know people, travel, sleep at normal hours, like everybody else. Children his age that read this book will know the feeling of wanting to escape the gaze of their parents (or in Nobody's case, his otherworldly guardian) to go out and explore and just be a kid.

The characters in this book all have an important role in Nobody's life. Each one has a story to tell and show him the importance of life and death, which is a big theme in this book. And the dead know a thing or two about living. Gaiman, in his fashion, makes these characters unique and witty and sometimes, otherworldly. His imagination knows no bounds, which we can see in the characters of the Sleer and Indigo Man, his mentor, Silas, and the mans Jack that are hell bent on destroying him. We also see the young girl Scarlett, who is at first fascinated with the supernatural, but cowers when Nobody uses his powers for what she sees as evil. Each character makes an impact on Nobody that helps him in his mission to defeat his family's killer and find the courage in himself.

Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is a great piece of escapism and a wonderful look into his mind and supernatural imagination, for young readers and adults alike. 

Review Excerpts

2009 Newbery Award Winner

2010 Carnegie Medal

School Library Journal: "Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family."

Connections

More by Neil Gaiman: Coraline

                                     The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish

                                     Blueberry Girl

More illustrated by Dave McKean: The Savage by David Almond

                                                        The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins

                                                        The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman

Activity: Research and discuss the significance of the character's names, such as Miss Lepescu and the Lady on the Grey.

Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose

Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose

Bibliography

Pilkey, Dav. 2022. CAT KID COMIC CLUB: ON PURPOSE. Ill. by Dav Pilkey. New York, NY: Graphix: an imprint of Scholastic. ISBN 9781338801941

Plot Summary

The comic club is now in full swing, and the baby frog members of the club are trying their hand at writing their own comic books. But when one of the members, Naomi, has her book rejected by a big time publisher, the frogs must learn what it means to make art that they enjoy and not care about what others feel. Their relationships grow and they learn how to follow their own paths. Filled with many different art styles from expert illustrator and writer, Dav Pilkey, this Cat Kid Comic Club adventure is filled with laughter, joy, and believing in yourself. 

Critical Analysis

Dav Pilkey continues his Cat Kid Comic Club series with the third installment subtitled On Purpose. This is a sequel and while you don't necessarily have to read the first two to understand what is going on in the third, it would be best to so that you are a little familiar with the characters and what went on before.

In this book, the comic club is continuing and one of the frog children, Naomi, has had her book rejected by a big time publisher. This causes her to leave the comic club. Some of her other siblings also submit their comics with similar outcomes. The characters in this book, mainly the frog children, are drawn adorably and have some funny dialogue. They can be relatable when they are expanded on, which is only a select few. They all seem to have different personalities and are very supportive of each other, which is something kids can recognize and learn from. 

The theme of this book can be difficult to see, but the idea that we all have a purpose in life and that we should love ourselves and what we create, even if others don't, is one that children can learn from, and even some adults. The setting should be familiar to fans of the Cat Kid and Dog Man books, and this book will greatly appeal more to those that have already immersed themselves in this universe.

Dav Pilkey's illustrations have become greatly recognizable and are highlights to his books, but the illustrations in this book go above and beyond. Different sets of frog children create different types of comic books, so each book's illustrations are different. Pilkey uses different forms of art such as "pencil, watercolors, acrylic paints, markers, colored pencils, crayons, and gouche." The 3D models which he uses for some of the comics are "built out of recycled plastic lods, clay, paper, wood, wire, tape, glue, broken toys, balloons, and other throwaway items." Pilkey's creativity and imagination make his books special and beloved by all.

Review Excerpts

Kirkus Reviews: " Here exploring the concept of purpose, Pilkey lets characters and readers ponder its complexity—with butt jokes keeping the tone light. While its theme is not as clearly developed as the previous volume’s, this episode nevertheless presents the series’ now-trademark winning mix of sibling hijinks and club members’ comics, rendered in a variety of styles."

Publishers Weekly: "Irreverent, laugh-out-loud funny and... downright moving, it's a heartfelt celebration of coming into one's own as an artist, with all its frustrations and joys."

School Library Journal: "Colorful, compelling, and laugh-out-loud funny. Every elementary school library needs this graphic novel."

Connections

Read the rest of the series by Dav Pilkey: Cat Kid Comic Club

                                                                   Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives

                                                                   Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations

                                                                   Cat Kid Comic Club: Influences

More Series by Dav Pilkey: Captain Underpants Series

                                             Dog Man Series

                                             Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Series

Activity: Draw and write your own Cat Kid Comic Club mini comic. Work with a partner or a group or on your own.

Babymouse: Cupcake Tycoon

 Babymouse: Cupcake Tycoon

Bibliography

Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm. 2010. BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON. Ill. by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. New York, NY: Random House Children's Books. ISBN 9780375865732

Plot Summary

After Babymouse accidently floods the library and destroys all the books, the school decides to put on a fundraiser to raise money for new books. The fundraiser: cupcakes! Babymouse, while having no success with fundraisers before, feels confident about getting these yummy treats sold, but her arch nemesis, Felicia, just has more advertising experience. Will Babymouse successfully sell the most cupcakes and win the mystery prize? Find out in the Holm's siblings 13th installment of the cute and funny comic book series.

Critical Analysis

The Holm's sibling author and illustrator pair have put out another fun and hilarious book in their famous Babymouse series. In this book, subtitled Cupcake Tycoon, Babymouse must sell cupcakes for a fundraiser for new books in the library after it floods (which she caused). Babymouse is such a fun character to follow behind on adventures; her bubbly and imaginative personality make her a great character to root for. 

The story itself is simple, yet made exciting with the pair's illustrations and attention to detail. Their illustrations are very imaginative and humorous, like with the narrator's interactions with Babymouse and Babymouse's visits from God. The story does bring about an important message of trying your hardest to succeed and never giving up, a common theme in children's books, but an important one nonetheless. 

The setting and frequent cast of characters of the book should be familiar to readers, as they are mostly the same throughout the series. This can be important for kids as they get to follow these characters and learn more about them as they continue reading the series. Though the characters don't go necessarily, they are prone to experience things or learn important lessons that children can relate to.

Babymouse is a great series for all to enjoy and I hope that the Holm's siblings continue to release more.

Review Excerpts

Horn Book Guide: "This graphic novel's plucky heroine, pink-tinted daydreams, and sassy narrator continue to be rich with humor, warmth, and cupcakes."

Good Comics for Kids: "Not only does Babymouse’s story have a terrific sense of humor and a gentle lesson that doesn’t make the book seem preachy or, heaven-forbid, educational, the artwork is top notch. It walks a line between making Babymouse’s world seem realistic and bringing her vivid imagination to life. My favorite example is the image showing what a library means to her. Anyone who has ever loved books has felt the same way. That’s why the Babymouse books are so popular with kids–the Holms haven’t forgotten what it is like to be a kid or the joys and problems that all kids face."

Common Sense Media: "The illustrations and story fit perfectly together, there are positive lessons throughout, especially about staying positive, and Babymouse is a great role model for kids who sometimes feel like the underdog."

Connections

More in the Babymouse Series: Babymouse: Queen of the World

                                                    Babymouse: Beach Babe

                                                   Babymouse: Rock Star

More by Jennifer L. Holm: The Lion of Mars

                                            The Fourteenth Goldfish Series

                                           Turtles in Paradise Series

Activity: Pretend your school is having a cupcake fundraiser! What would you do to sell cupcakes? Would you sell to relatives? Go door-to-door? Make a fancy sign? What would it say? Describe your cupcake fundraiser ideas.

The Wednesday Wars

 The Wednesday Wars

Bibliography

Schmidt, Gary D. 2007. THE WEDNESDAY WARS. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780618724833

Plot Summary

Holling Hoodhood is a young boy who recounts his 7th grade year and all that occurs to himself, his family, his friends, and his teacher, Mrs. Baker, who he is pretty sure hates his guts. After having to spend his Wednesday afternoons with this teacher, he comes to learn more about her and life from the readings of William Shakespeare. From becoming an actor on the stage to running from rats, Holling experiences sadness, fear, heartbreak, and miracles during the height of the Vietnam War. 

Critical Analysis

To most of us, by now, 7th grade is a memory. What we experience during those years is almost forgotten except for key moments that probably shaped who we are today. For some, their 7th grade was just another, mundane school year. This is not so for young Holling Hoodhood, the main character of Gary D. Schmidt's Newbery Honor book, The Wednesday Wars. Not only was Holling's seventh grade year one filled with many fun and exciting memories, it was also one of growth, love, and discovery.

There are many aspects of this book that make it a wonderful read, but the main and shining one is the main character himself. Holling has an all around personality; he can be fun, he can be dumb, he can be a genius, he can be brave, he can be scared, he can be a typical 7th grade boy. Schmidt brings life to this character and makes him charismatic and charming. The other characters have their moments too. Mai Thi, who is at first just a new girl from Vietnam, shows that she is brave and loving, and sometimes a little frightening. Holling's older sister, Heather, is a typical teenager of the time but has aspirations and dreams of a better life, not just for herself but for her country. Mrs. Baker, another highlight character, is a strict but loving teacher who is more than that, as we see in Holling's discovery of her Olympic medal. Each character brings life to the pages of this book. 

Schmidt makes the Vietnam War a backdrop to this book, as well as key events like the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the death of Bobby Kennedy. We see how these moments affect the characters and the community, such as Mrs. Bigio's racism toward Mai Thi and Heather's grief toward Kennedy's death. The atomic bomb drills are played out almost playfully but through Holling's and Mrs. Bakers' dialogue later in the synagogue, we see how troubling it really was. And while these events are not the sole center of the book, they greatly influence the plot and some of the characters' actions and beliefs, like these kinds of events did and still do today.

There are many themes in this novel, such as not being afraid to take risks (Holling as a fairy) and how looks can be deceiving (Mantle and his treatment of Holling, Mrs. Baker being an Olympic runner). These are themes that many children in Holling's age group will relate to and hopefully learn from. Schimdt does an excellent job of covering many themes that could relates to people of all ages. 

The Wednesday Wars is a book for everyone and is a glimpse into a major period in American history and how the life of a young boy can be affected by it.

Review Excerpts

2008 Newbery Honor Book

Publishers Weekly: "Best of all is the hero, who shows himself to be more of a man than his authoritarian father. Unlike most Vietnam stories, this one ends happily, as Schmidt rewards the good guys with victories that, if not entirely true to the period, deeply satisfy."

School Library Journal: "There are laugh-out-loud moments that leaven the many poignant ones as Schmidt explores many important themes, not the least of which is what makes a person a hero. The tone may seem cloying at first and the plot occasionally goes over-the-top, but readers who stick with the story will be rewarded. They will appreciate Holling's gentle, caring ways and will be sad to have the book end."

Connections

More by Gary D. Schmidt: Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

                                            Okay for Now

                                            Orbiting Jupiter

Books During the Vietnam War: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

                                                    All The Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg

                                                    Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Activity: Discuss with each other what lessons Holling learned from Shakespeare and how what he learned applied to his life.

The Midwife's Apprentice

 The Midwife's Apprentice

Bibliography

Cushman, Karen. 1995. THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. New York, NY: Sandpiper- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780395692295

Plot Summary

A young girl, who comes to name herself Alyce, lives in medieval Europe in a small village where she is taken in by the local midwife and made her apprentice. Alyce starts off as Brat, a girl with no name and no standing, dirty and homeless and with no skills or place of her own. As the months go by, Alyce grows and learns her way around the village and midwifery, and gets to know the people that she comes across. This young girl finds things and people to care about and who care about her in return, and she eventually finds her place in the world. Karen Cushman takes us into a world that is old and ancient through the eyes of a girl who just wants to belong somewhere. 

Critical Analysis

The Midwife's Apprentice follows Brat turned Alyce, a young girl that becomes a midwife's apprentice. The book follows her and her experiences with going from being homeless to find a place to call home and her interactions with the people in her small town. The story is easy enough for readers to follow, with certain events being highlighted by the chapter titles and with straightforward language. Cushman has done a great job and illustrating Old England and how people lived during those medieval times. People lived ruggedly and with little, except for the rich people in their huge manors, which we see throughout the book. The character of Alyce starts off with nothing of her own, and readers watch as she grows into herself and becomes confident and strong willed. Alyce is only one of many children during that time period that were abandoned because they were either one extra mouth to feed or because their parents couldn't afford to have children. Her and other child characters in the story are seen as servants and are treated with no love or compassion. This makes the readers sympathetic and guides readers to want her to succeed.

The idea of midwifery, while still done today, can be seen as ancient and old-fashioned, as we see in the actions and both Alyce and her boss, Jane. Cushman describes throughout the story, and in her author's note, how midwifery was a combination of herbs and superstition, as we see when Alyce is sent to pick plants and flowers from around the town and when she mixes different concoctions that Jane needs. Readers get to see how complicated birth was back then and how science and medicine have made great leaps and strides since those times.  

The setting of the English village takes us back to times that we see in old stories, of people living in squalor and having to do everything by hand and wearing ratty dresses and overalls and working until the sun went down, and even after. Children will be interested to see how people lived in those times, and will probably thank their lucky stars that they don't live like that today.

Cushman inserts a theme of being confident in oneself and found family throughout the story, which many children to relate to. Readers see how Alyce grows to find her purpose and discovers her passion and can see how that emulates their own lives. The style of this book is very straightforward is interspersed with old language and songs, as we see in the dialogue. This makes the book feel old timey and like a book our grandparents have passed down to us.

The Midwife's Apprentice is a good read for those interested in midwifery and that period of time, and for those that love a good coming of age tale.

Review Excerpts

1996 Newbery Medal Winner

Publishers Weekly: "'Cushman' has an almost unrivaled ability to build atmosphere, and her evocation of a medieval village, if not scholarly in its authenticity, is supremely colorful and pungent... The force of the ambience produces more than enough momentum to propel the reader from start to finish in a single happy sitting."

Kirkus Review: "From the rebirth in the dung heap to Brat's renaming herself Alyce after a heady visit to a medieval fair, this is not for fans of historical drama only. It's a rouser for all times."

Connections

More by Karen Cushman: Catherine, Called Birdy

                                          The Ballad of Lucy Whipple

                                         Matilda Bone

More Apprenticeship Fiction: The Joys of Love by Madeleine L'Engle

                                                The Magician's Apprentice by Kate Banks

                                                Saturnalia by Paul Fleischman

Activity: Use a Venn diagram to compare the book's interpretation of Old England to a history's book interpretation on Old England

The Night Diary

 The Night Diary

Bibliography

Hiranandani, Veera. 2018. THE NIGHT DIARY. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780735228511

Plot Summary

Nisha receives a diary for her birthday where she writes about the events that occur in hers and her family's lives in the year 1947 when India gains their independence from the British. Over the course of a few months, she leaves behind the only home she has ever known and discovers that there is more darkness and strife in the world than she could have imagined. She experiences some scary events, such as being without water, seeing her brother almost die, and watching as men stabbed and shot and killed one another. Nisha learns how to be brave and how to say goodbye and how to take care of people even though she is just a young girl. Veera Hiranandani takes true events that occurred during the independence and split of India and creates a story that will make readers feel sorrow, worry, empathy, and compassion. 

Critical Analysis

Veera Hiranandani has written an upsetting, hopeful, tragic and beautiful story that tells the fictional but accurate story of a Indian family during the time that India gained independence from British rule. Hiranandani loosely based the story on her father and his family's experiences when they had to leave behind everything they have ever known to cross the border from what became Pakistan into the new India. And while her own family made it safely across, other families, including the one in this book, greatly struggled and did or almost lost their lives or the lives of loved ones. 

We read the story from the point of view of young Nisha, a girl who writes to her dead mother in her diary. Her diary entries are how we view her life and what she and her family go through in just a few months. Nisha's story closely resembles the stories of those that has to relocate to travel either to the new India or to the recently created Pakistan, and we follow Nisha on her difficult and troubling journey. Readers come to sympathize Nisha and her family's plight, and Nisha's childlike curiosity and strength make her a person to admire. Her view of the world, while some would consider naïve, is also very wise, as she questions the constant fighting between the people who were very peaceful before and if people are really so different from one another. These views can align with those of the readers and make her a three dimensional character with many facets. 

The settings differ throughout the story, as we start off in Nisha's home. Through her words, we find it to be warm and comforting, and we feel her loss as she packs in away for the move. Out on the road, we see through Nisha the dust and despair, the nothingness that is the wilderness and the readers feel her struggle and fear as her family are surrounded by nothing and without food and water. That comfort and homey feeling returns at her Rashid Uncle's home, where she encounters a new friend in her uncle and the neighbor. The newness of her new home in new India is hesitant, but we see as she grows into it and finds peace.

Nisha's strength and resilience during these times is a lesson for all that have strife and struggles, and how it is okay to have a voice and to not be afraid of the unknown. Many readers can relate to this in many different ways; it doesn't have to be relocation to a new home like for Nisha. As for the style of writing, seeing events through the point of view of a child is always going to be filled with curiosity and wonder, fear and cautiousness, hope and happiness. We see all of this through the writings of Nisha and can feel her numerous emotions through her wise words and wild thoughts.

All of these things come together to create a beautifully written story, one that many can learn from and read to see how other people have lived and struggled and survived, through good and bad, with hope and love.

Review Excerpts

2019 Newberry Honor Book

Horn Book Guide: "Hiranandani flawlessly renders a world-altering historical event through the diary of a perceptive child, providing enough detail for readers who may not be familiar with the history while keeping focus on Nisha's arduous literal and emotional journeys."

Booklist: "Hiranandani’s prose shines in both emotion and simple, rich description, especially with regards to Nisha’s developing love of cooking. This new passion ties her to the beloved Muslim cook her family left behind, and becomes a way for Nisha to connect to her complicated family, fractured past, and homeland—old and new. A clear, compelling, and deeply felt historical novel."

Connections

More by Veera Hiranandani: How to Find What Your Not Looking For

                                              The Whole Story of Half a Girl

                                              The Phoebe G. Green Chapter Book Series

More books written in diary form: House Arrest by K. A. Holt

                                                        Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

                                                        Taylor Before and After by Jennie Englund

Activity: Have your student write a diary entry from their point of view about a big event that happened in their lives.

The Storm in the Barn

 The Storm in the Barn

Bibliography

Phelan, Matt. 2009. THE STORM IN THE BARN. Ill. by Matt Phelan. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763636180

Plot Summary

Jack Clark and his family are living through the Dust Bowl, a period where dust storms ruled the plains and rain was nowhere to be seen. With a sister who has become sick with the dust in her lungs and a father who doesn't understand him, Jack just wants to help his family and find the rain. When he discovers a sinister figure lurking in his neighbor's old barn, Jack must find the courage in himself to end the curse that plagues his town. With the author taking inspiration from the infamous 1930s Dust Bowl, this is a story about finding bravery and facing your fears. 

Critical Analysis

Matt Phelan's book, The Storm in the Barn, combines real life events with fairy tale to create a story about a young boy and his quest to bring the rain back to his small town. Phelan takes inspiration from the infamous Dust Bowl times in the 1930s. He does not sugarcoat how hard it was for the people living during that time. The main character's sister is sick and dying from the amount of dust in her lungs, and a family leaves their home and everything they know behind, which goes to show just how dangerous the amount of dust in the air could be to those living in the area. Phelan also took inspiration from a documentary called Surviving the Dust Bowl, where he viewed real live footage of people trying to gain cover from the massive dust clouds and a brutal jackrabbit drive, one he illustrates grotesquely in the book. So while the inclusion of a sinister ghost figure stopping the rain might be fictional, everything else is close to what really happened during those times.

The character of Jack is one that kids can relate to; he is desperate to seek his father's approval and show just how strong and brave he can be. He loves his siblings enough to conquer his fears and seek out answers on how to bring the rain back so that his older sister is cured. Jack is most likely a figure that resembles many kids in those times, fearful of the future and seeking answers. Phelan illustrates the setting with the use of shaded and dark colors, which smartly shows the reader how the dust covered up the sky and the sun. Our only indication of what the setting is comes at the beginning of the book, with the words Kansas, 1937 at the top of the page. Taking the location and times into account, we can imagine what times were like in that area.

The theme of this book centers on courage and strength, which we see in the young character of Jack. His struggles and fears only make him stronger, especially in the face of the adversary which we see at the very end of the book on top of the windmill tower. Jack shows great bravery and becomes the hero of the town when he defeats the shadow man and ends the drought. Readers will root him on and see that you can face your fears even if you are small. Phelan's small word count also shows the plight in those times, as more action was needed than words, and dust can easily fill the lungs, so speech was limited. His illustrations are front and center and greatly illustrate the difficulty of those times and the darkness that surrounded those in that small town.

The Storm in the Barn beautifully displays how the Dust Bowl years affected people and their physical and mental health, and how an act of courage can bring a town hope even in difficult times.

Review Excerpts

Library Media Connection: " This is the first graphic novel by Phelan, whose full-color illustrations in pencil, ink, and watercolor, convey the desperation of the townspeople, requiring only a limited amount of text to tell the story... Highly Recommended."

School Library Journal Starred: "Written with simple, direct language, it’s an almost wordless book: the illustrations’ shadowy grays and blurry lines eloquently depict the haze of the dust. A complex but accessible and fascinating book."

Publishers Weekly: "The big novelty here is the Dust Bowl setting, and Phelan's art emphasizes the swirling, billowing clouds of fine grit that obscure even nearby objects. Older readers might have appreciated more text to make up for the lack of visual clarity, but kids will identify with Jack and appreciate his success."

Connections

More by Matt Phelan: Bluffton: My Summers with Buster

                                    Around the World

                                    Turtle Walk

More Historical Graphic Novels: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

                                                     March by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin

                                                      Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love by Patricia and                                                                                                                                     Frederick McKissack

Activity: Have your students choose a historical event and write and draw a small comic depicting the event.