Two Graphic Novels for Kids

Rust: Visitor in the Field (2011) Royden Lepp

Hardcover, 192 pages

$24.95

ISBN 9781936393275

Recommended for ages 8 and up

Rust: Visitor in the Field contains some absolutely beautiful images of life on a prairie farm, but before we get to that, we see something not-so-beautiful that occurred 48 years earlier: war. 

The uniforms and weapons resemble those from World War I, but we soon see some mechanical devices that look out-of-place and strange. Very strange.... In an almost wordless 30-page introduction filled with suspense and intrigue, Lepp had me hooked. 

Things slow down a bit when we jump to Taylor’s farm in the present. Young Roman Taylor is trying both to manage the farm and to reconstruct a.... Well, I’ll leave that part for you to discover (as well you should). Assisting Roman is an odd, yet mechanically gifted boy named Jet. I’ll leave that for you to discover as well. 

The entire book is filled with yellow, goldenrod and rust-colored tones that fit perfectly with the old-time mood of the tale. Lepp’s depictions of motion and his action scenes are breathtakingly beautiful, but at times the lack of more varied colors creates confusion as to the detail of people and machinery. Still, this is a nit-pick in an otherwise excellent graphic novel. I am certainly eager to read the next installment, Rust: Secrets of the Cell. 

4/5

10 Little Insects (2009/2012) Davide Cali, Vincent Pianina

Hardcover, 80 pages

$19.99

ISBN 9780987109910

Recommended for ages 9 and up

This was an odd little graphic novel that looks like a children’s picture book... Our library has it in the J-Fiction section, which is probably appropriate for older kids. The premise, as you might guess, is a riff on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, only with insects. 

It's goofy, quirky fun but I don't know many kids who would understand the book's vocabulary and subtleties, much less the jokes. Probably teens (who were forced to read the book for school) will get more out of it. I think it’s maybe a tiny bit violent for younger kids, but it is pretty much just goofy fun. Another strike against the book is the size of the panels, which are quite small. They’re not as small as those you’d find in a Tintin collection, but they’re pretty close. Check out a library copy before you buy it for yourself or someone else. 

3/5

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad! (2012) Nathan Hale

Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad (2012) Nathan Hale

Hardcover, 128 pages

Recommended for ages 8 and up

ISBN 9781419703959

Someone should build a statue of Nathan Hale. (I mean the author Nathan Hale, not the American Revolutionary War hero; he already has a statue.) Hale could very possibly, single-handedly, cause kids to love history. 

Seriously. I’m not joking.

Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales is a series of books for young readers that makes history accessible and fun through the graphic novel format. The second book in the series (after Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy) finds Nathan Hale (the spy, not the author; don’t get confused) about to be hanged by the British. Apparently in the first volume (which I have not read), Hale was swallowed up by a giant history book which gave him special powers to see future historical events. To delay his execution, Hale tells his executioners that in the future, “King George’s unstoppable Navy will become totally obsolete.” His British captors, of course, don’t believe him, but demand to hear this outrageous story. So Hale (in the manner of Scheherazade) tells the tale of the Civil War ironclads the Merrimack and the Monitor. 

Using the actual characters and events (with a few liberties), Hale tells a story that is both a compelling page-turner and LOL-worthy. The book works in part because Hale’s artwork (especially his characters’ facial expressions) is clear and easy to understand, but Hale also knows when and how much humor to mix with the action scenes (which are plenty). The tale is somewhat irreverent at times, but never to the detriment of the historical narrative. 

In short, history is fun again.

After the story is finished, Hale includes biographies of the book’s characters, a timeline for the events depicted, and an impressive bibliography for kids who want to read more. 

For librarians, teachers or parents looking for books for kids who love adventure and hate to read, your prayers have been answered. Pick up a copy of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad (or One Dead Spy or the new Donner Dinner Party) immediately. And check out Hale’s other work. Very highly recommended. 

5/5