New in Kids’ History

A couple of notable new history series for grades 4-8 have recently hit the market, so I chose one title from each series for review.

History Smashers

The Mayflower, by Kate Messner

This chapter book of about 200 pages uses prose, generous black and white illustrations, photographs, and the occasional comic panel to bring kids a comprehensive understanding of the Pilgrims and the early settlements in Massachusetts. Messner goes beyond the basic understanding of people who fled England for religious freedom, landed at Plymouth Rock, and had Thanksgiving with the local “Indians.” She gives the backstory of the Separatists’ flight to the Netherlands, the dangerous voyage, and the struggles the English settlers had to survive for the first couple of years. She also spends a good deal of time correcting traditional misunderstandings. Although she is very fair to the English, she does not gloss over the injustices they inflicted on the Wampanoag tribe who lived in the area. The Pilgrims stole native inhabitants’ corn stores and even robbed their graves soon after they landed. Although there were years of cooperation, particularly with the help of Tisquantum (Squanto), it did not end well.

Messner’s writing is engaging, and young people will learn about early attempts at government, the first contracts in America, the typical menu of the settlers, and the layout of their small homes. They will also gain an understanding of native tribes and the differences between native and European worldviews that made peace agreements so difficult. She brings in quotes from primary sources and historical paintings to help kids to think critically about history.

I enjoyed this book very much, and even learned a few things about this well-trodden piece of our history. There is another volume in this series that is already published, Women’s Right to Vote, sporting the same bright, cartoonish cover. May there be many more to come. Highly recommended; do not miss it.

History Comics

The Roanoke Colony: American’s First Mystery, by Chris Schweizer

This 120-page graphic novel tells the story of Queen Elizabeth I’s foray into the New World in order to gather booty. During Elizabeth’s reign, the Spanish were making a fortune in the Americas by conquest and discovery, and their ships were constantly coming and going across the Atlantic, bringing treasure home to Spain. Rather than working on their own, the English thought that it would be much easier to get rich by intercepting the Spanish ships and stealing their cargo. Sailors did this under contract with the queen, so they were called privateers, because that sounds so much better than “pirates.” Sir Walter Raleigh, namesake of my closest city, thought that a port on Roanoke Island would be a perfect way to send ships out through the barrier islands to surprise the Spanish passing by. How wrong he was.

The large warships that the English were using could not pass through the shallow waters between the barrier islands and repeatedly foundered and wrecked, beginning what would be called “the graveyard of the Atlantic,” named for all of the sunken ships in the waters around Hatteras Island. For some reason, not least of which was pride, the English kept trying. After a while, they even brought families to Roanoke to start a real settlement. This settlement relied on England for supplies, however, and when a supply ship was delayed for three years, the would-be rescuers found the settlement on Roanoke completely abandoned. The fate of the Roanoke colony is the oldest mystery in America.

Schweizer uses two Native Americans, Wanchese and Manteo, to guide the reader through the story. They were real people, and their divergent views of the English allow the author to tell different sides of the historical record. Although he uses sarcastic humor to help the story along, the graphic panels are dense, and Schweizer conveys an enormous amount of information.

The legacy of the Virginia colonies is darker than that of the Pilgrims. Their goal was financial gain, and they had no regard whatsoever for the original inhabitants of the land. Some of the privateers were vicious, while others were more likely to desire peace with the local Secotans. None of them, however, viewed the natives as equals. Their disdain of the inhabitants as savages and heathens was upheld and encouraged by both their sovereign and the church, so when they had depleted their stores and were starving, they were foolish to turn to the Secotans for help.

Schweizer’s story pivots from America to England and occasionally Spain, using caricatures of proud Europeans and starving settlers to convey meaning and emotion. I learned from this book, as well. For example, I did not realize that Sir Francis Drake rescued 300 slaves from the Caribbean and brought them to safety in North Carolina (then Virginia). Unfortunately, that added 300 more starving souls to Roanoke, but it was a noble endeavor. Graphic novel enthusiasts will enjoy this series, produced by the excellent First Second, which also publishes the phenomenally popular Graphic Science series. Both series are recommended.

Disclaimer: I read library copies of these books. Opinions expressed are solely my own and may not represent those of my employer or anyone else.

Queen of the Sea, by Dylan Meconis

Little Margaret has never known another home besides the island, and she has never known another mother than the nuns in the convent. A great ship visits them every spring and fall with provisions from the mainland of Albion; otherwise, they work to provide for themselves between times of prayer. Such is the peaceful rhythm of their days.

One day, a ship arrives at the island off schedule. William, a boy about her own age, becomes her friend and playmate. Margaret realizes that William is unhappy and wants to go back to Albion, but he can’t, because his father is in trouble. It is William who lets Margaret know about the political upheaval on the mainland, and it seems that his family is on the wrong side of power at the time. Years later, William has been taken back to Albion, and another ship has come with an imperious young woman, Eleanor, who is in the keeping of the Reverend Mother, who has authority over all of the obedient sisters of the Elysian order on the island. When she overhears a conversation with the Reverend Mother, Margaret learns who her parents are and what grave danger she is in.

Dylan Meconis explores themes of freedom, knowledge, and power in this luminous graphic novel based on the exile of Elizabeth I under the reign of her sister, Mary. Margaret is happy on the island until William is taken to prison in Albion, and she is content to live out her future in the convent until she finds out her true identity, and then she is conflicted over whether or not it is her duty to use her power for good.

This is a large volume with ivory-colored pages recalling medieval parchments. Most of the illustrations are done in rich colors and realistic style, but the style changes with the content. When someone is telling Margaret a story, the illustrations look like a child’s drawings, and when a character is reading from a document, the font becomes Gothic calligraphy and resembles a manuscript. Margaret loves needlework, and the illustrations of her embroidery may be photographs. This graphic novel contains more text than most, and the reader will learn a great deal about the ordinary work of the late middle ages, as well as the inner workings of a religious order. The story is beautiful and compelling, but taken as a complete package, Queen of the Sea offers an experience beyond simple prose.

Graphic novels are not usually my first choice of format, but as a lover of art and history, I can highly recommend Queen of the Sea.

Disclaimer: I read a library copy of this book. Opinions expressed are solely my own and may not reflect those of my employer or anyone else.

The Faithful Spy, by John Hendrix

In every age, during times of greatest crisis, there are unlikely heroes quietly sacrificing themselves for the greater good. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one such man, a theologian and pastor who died trying to assassinate Hitler before he could slaughter more innocent people.

There are many excellent biographies of Bonhoeffer, and he was a prolific writer himself, but John Hendrix has created an entirely new type of work by producing a graphic novel biography for teens. In just green, red, black, and white, the pages convey danger and tension, with emotive drawings and hand lettering that tell the story of Dietrich’s childhood and young adulthood, his travels to Rome and the United States, and his evolution of thought and faith that brought him to his resolution to join a plot against Der Führer. At the same time, Hendrix spins a brief but enlightening backstory of Germany’s history from World War I to the rise of Hitler: how the German people were demoralized and struggling, and the ease with which a dictator can gain power when the people are looking for a savior.

Hendrix succeeds at my top criterion for Bonhoeffer biographies: he is open and honest about Dietrich’s active participation in a political plot without denying, twisting, or trivializing his faith. There are no easy answers here. Bonhoeffer was a pastor of the underground, “confessing” church, a man whose Christianity was the center of his life, but also a man who was determined to kill another man. How he reconciled those two realities is the subject of endless speculation and rivers of ink, but some writers deal more honestly than others.

My only problem with The Faithful Spy is that the printing is sometimes less clear than it should be. Particularly for some passages of very fine print, the coloring makes it nearly illegible. Perhaps teenagers’ eyes will handle this more easily than mine.

In a time that cries out for heroes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of the best. He was brave, intellectual, kind, willing to learn, and yes, faithful. Teens and adults will also enjoy Eric Metaxas’ more comprehensive biography, reviewed here. As noted, there are many books and collections of writings by Bonhoeffer himself. His most famous is probably The Cost of Discipleship, but for an introduction to his thought, the two slender volumes Life Together and Letters from Prison are quite accessible.

John Hendrix is also the author and illustrator of the dazzling picture book biography, Miracle Man, reviewed here.

Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: I read a library copy of this book. Opinions expressed are solely my own and may not reflect those of my employer or anyone else.

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen, by Lucy Knisley

Foodies don’t just happen, they are raised. Lucy Knisley relates her young experiences with growing, preparing, and enjoying food in this fresh graphic novel for adults. Lucy’s mom is a chef, and when Lucy was little, she spent time as the kitchen mascot in many fine restaurants. As a gourmet, her dad taught her to appreciate the delicate nuances of the best dishes. They still get together to try out new restaurants.

When Lucy’s parents divorced, her mother moved the two of them out to the country and started raising her own vegetables and even kept chickens. Lucy hated the country! She was a city girl, but it wasn’t long before she was adept at helping her mother at farmer’s markets and in the garden. Furthermore, she became an expert at the one dish her mother wouldn’t make: chocolate chip cookies.

Traveling the world, growing into her own cooking and eating adventures, Lucy has acquired a vast knowledge of the gastronomic universe. Surprisingly, she is not opposed to fast food! Just not every day. If it’s possible for a graphic novel to be feminine, this one is just so. The colors, the drawing, all point to a young woman’s touch. No superheroes or women in spandex—although she does relate the time that her friend, Drew, discovered pornography in Mexico at the age of thirteen, so there are some surprising background drawings there.

Ms. Knisley tucks pages of recipes and food preparation instructions between the chapters, complete with diagrammed details of how to roll sushi or choose cheese. Whether you are interested in cooking or in memoirs of young chefs and artists, Relish will satisfy your cravings. If you’ve never read a graphic novel before, this is a great place to start. Charming.

Disclaimer: I read a library copy of this book. Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not reflect those of my employer or anyone else.