Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales is a wildly successful series of historical stories told in graphic format. He’s also written short stories with the same style for various anthologies. In his 13th book in the series, he goes full tilt into the short story format with a series of creepy, gross, terrifying, and weird stories, most, but not all, centered around the United States.
The story is framed by his original narrators and characters from history—Nathan Hale, the hangman, the British provost, and, added in Major Impossible, Bill Richmond. Hale starts the story with his narrators peering at a sketch of the front cover, with the historical Nathan Hale explaining that “this book was created by hand by a real human artist.” There’s a humorous warning at the beginning about the scary content, then the framing plot opens.
The four narrators are sheltering from the rain under the gallows and decide to tell scary stories, starting with Captain Hale. Since it’s his thirteenth tale, he tells a scary story about a thirteen baby—the Jersey Devil. Black and white art, picked out with spots of green, illustrates the gruesome creature and its victims, ending with a short discussion on folklore and history. The provost demands a true story, so Hale begins “A Sip of Radiation” and the backgrounds glow a ghostly green as he tells the true story of Radithor, radium-infused water. The story jumps between Curie’s discovery of radium and the effects of Radithor on a welathy young man, Eben Byers, who died a gruesome death due to the “miracle cure” and ends with the radium girls and a creepy correlation between overuse of radium and the possible effects of unlimited internet use. The stories continue with the ghostly “The Demon Cat,” a grotesque tale from Edgar Allan Poe, “Hop-Frog,” and more. They include snapshots of US history, like a dream of Abraham Lincoln, a ghost story from the Civil War, and, of course, reappearances of the Jersey Devil.
Bill Richmond’s contribution, “The Boo Hag” is framed in a slightly darker green and features a cast of Black characters with creepy fleshless monsters, and placid, swirling waters in the South Carolina Sea Islands that hide dark secrets. Hale switches to a sharper contrast in “The Head in the Jar” which features the folk legend of Joaquin Murrieta. Stark white backgrounds on the small panels show the bare desert of the stockades and Gold Rush towns then switch to a mass of grays as Murrieta suffers and reenacts his vengeance in the dark of night.
The story ends with a transition that takes the readers to Denmark and introduces the berserkers of the title. Hale’s characters in this tale show sharply defined faces with pointed, craggy noses and long-haired, narrow faces contrasting with bulky, bearded warriors and fleshy tyrants. The story comes to a gory and dark end, featuring monstrous beasts and dense, packed panels showing heroes battling creatures in the dark. The stories return to the US and the true crime story of “The Butler Goes Berserk” featuring the mysterious crimes at Frank Lloyd Wright’s estate, Taliesin, committed by his butler, Julian Carlton. The collection is finished with a goofy story from the hangman, framed in glowing green and a final appearance of the Jersey Devil.
Hale ends the book with his usual meticulous research; in this case he adds additional information to the sources explaining which parts of each story are factual and which are folklore or legends. He also includes an encouragement for readers to explore short stories and some recommendations and sources.
This is a fitting transition to twelve wonderful historical graphic novels and hopefully marks the beginning of a new set of these histories. It’s also a fun way to get readers to try something new as well as stop to think a little more deeply about the media and stories they consume, since Hale includes lots of discussion points throughout the story as well as plenty of gore, monsters, and creepy happenings. A sure bet for middle school readers and anyone who enjoys creepy stories and interesting historical tidbits, this will delight both old fans of Hale and those new to his work.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Bones and Berserkers By Nathan Hale Abrams, 2025 ISBN: 9781419773204
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Teen (13-16), Tween (10-13)
“I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” These are the famous last words of Nathan Hale, a spy for the American rebels in the Revolutionary War. But who was this Nathan Hale? And how did the rebels defeat an army that was bigger, better, stronger, and more heavily armed than they were? One Dead Spy has answers to these questions, as well as stories of ingenuity, close calls with danger, and acts of heroism in the American War of Independence. Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales are graphic novels that tell the thrilling, shocking, gruesome, and TRUE stories of American history. Read them all—if you dare!
(Publisher Description)
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales By Nathan Hale ISBN: 9781419703966 Amulet, 2012 NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales continues with another action packed, true story of John Wesley Powell—a lifelong master explorer, dedicated to the discovery and documentation of the United States. Hale’s stories, though part of a series, are independent tales of people and stories integral to the story of the United States, from its inception to wars and revolutions, as well as thrilling tales of exploration expeditions that often end in shocking ways. Hale’s nonfiction stories continue to make both well-known and unknown narratives accessible to readers of all ages, helping to keep alive stories of our past that show the tenacity of the men and women who helped move our country forward.
Powell always wanted to know more. Named after John Wesley, the founder of Methodism he was influenced by his abolitionist father, who traveled the lands arguing against slavery. Powell continued his father’s passionate spirit by learning and sharing his love of travel. His family chose to take him out of the local public school after being threatened and beaten quite badly by students whose parents did not agree with his father’s work. He then went on to study with George Crookham, a collector of many things, which only increased Powell’s interest in science and paleontology. As science was his first love, Powell chose not to enter the seminary, much to his father’s chagrin, but to indulge his love of science and the discovery of things unknown to him. After joining the Union Army to fight during the Civil War, he rose up through the ranks, eventually losing half of his right arm, but continuing to fight until the war was over. That’s when his big adventure began.
In 1869, he gathered a group of men together to begin the Colorado River Exploring Expedition. The ten men gathered in four boats to study and explore the Grand Canyon, naming monuments that are still used today. Their journey was a difficult one—they lost their boats, supplies, and eventually men. One chose to leave the expedition and lived with Paiutes in Utah before marrying and raising a family. Three more also chose to leave, but they were never heard from again. Many theories exist as to what happened to them, but death has always been the agreed upon conclusion to their story. The extent of hardship he went through, not just through his life, but this journey alone shows a man of deep conviction, devoted to nature and science and wanting to learn more about the world around him. His journey was considered the first to explore the Grand Canyon at its base, and the information he brought back proved helpful when he went back in 1871 to do it all over again.
The artwork in Hale’s tale is similar to that of other books in his series. Muted, brown sepia colored panels with easy to follow speech bubbles throughout bring a dusty and desert feel to the story. The dialogue never gets in the way of the illustrations and is often utilized in unique and thoughtful ways as to not distract from the panels. The illustrations, especially those of the Grand Canyon journey, are beautifully rendered and incredibly detailed. Hale also provides the watercolor drawings that he did himself of the Grand Canyon to show how the scenery has both changed and stayed the same since Powell’s expeditions. Additionally, the many flashbacks utilized in this story are easily identified and titled so readers get a full sense of Powell’s life beginning with his elementary school days through the war and his expeditions to the Grand Canyon.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Major Impossible is a great nonfiction comic for readers of all ages. Hale provides a helpful bibliography at the end of the book to encourage others to read more not only about Powell, but of events that were transpiring in the United States at that time. An interesting and transfixing story of a man who risked everything in the pursuit of science and learning more about the world in which he lived.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Major Impossible By Nathan Hale Art by Nathan Hale ISBN: 9781419737084 Genre: Nonfiction, Adventure Amulet, 2019 Publisher Age Rating: 8+
The newest installment of Nathan Hale’s outstanding graphic nonfiction series focuses on the Battle of the Alamo in Texas, when it was still a part of Mexico. The spy Nathan Hale is the narrator of the story, as usual in the series, but this time he is joined by his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Guerrero, and Guerrero’s executioners. Hale traces the story of the Alamo back to the beginning, when Stephen Austin led a group of 300 families to settle in the part of Mexico that later became Texas. We learn about the Mexican revolution, the ensuing political unrest in Mexico City, and the resulting chaos and fighting in the more remote areas of the country, including the area where Texas lies today.
Hale’s Alamo All-Star group includes Stephen Austin, David Crockett, Jim Bowie, and Juan Seguin. All four men’s backstories weave in and out of the main narrative describing the root causes of the Battle of the Alamo, and all are full of adventure, humor, and peril. The story of Santa Anna’s rise to power and his reasons for attacking the Alamo are also included in the book. Readers will be relieved to discover that the narrative doesn’t end with the fall of the Alamo—Hale makes sure to include the survivors’ stories and brings the narrative to a close with the beginning of Texas’s statehood.
As always in the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series, the historical narrative is presented to the reader with lots of side commentary and jokes from the executioner and British officer also on Nathan Hale’s gallows. In this book, the already successful formula is improved even more by the inclusion of Guerrero and the other executioners, who give the reader important tidbits about Mexican events and make snide remarks about early Mexican presidents and other leaders. Dialogue is almost all fictional, with the rare actual quotation from a historical figure, but it works really well to move the story along and make it understandable and exciting to kids. Readers will emerge with a solid understanding not only of the Battle of the Alamo, but also a large part of Mexican history.
The artwork is the result of a beautiful mixture of creativity and historical research. Soldiers’ uniforms and weaponry are depicted with just the right amount of detail, and characters’ faces are all distinctive. Though the only colors found in the artwork are black, white, and yellow, shading goes a long way toward depicting the true diversity of the people involved in the story of the Alamo. Battles and smaller fights are depicted in a way that is exciting and dramatic, but always avoids gratuitous violence and gore. Maps in particular are handled very well; important features pop out of the page, and readers have no trouble visualizing complicated events and groups of people. There’s only one feature that is very creative but that may confuse younger readers: cholera is depicted as a huge monster moving across landscapes and maps. This is a great way to convey the deadliness of the disease without getting into the horrid details, but kids who have never encountered the word before might not understand what is happening. Otherwise, the narrative is perfectly clear.
Readers aged 8-12 who love true stories with lots of action should immediately pick this up, along with the rest of the books in the series. Fans of Guys Read: True Stories or Gary Paulsen’s autobiographical books will also like it.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Alamo All-Stars by Nathan Hale ISBN: 9781419719028 Abrams, 2016 Publisher Age Rating:8-12
In this fifth volume, Nathan Hale continues his series of wonderful and engaging tales from American history, this time about Harriet Tubman, in The Underground Abductor. Hale’s Hazardous Tales are stories told by the 1770’s spy Nathan Hale (confusingly, the same name as the author’s). Hale is supposed to be executed, but keeps managing to put off his execution by telling a British soldier and the hangman stories from American history, thereby distracting them from their task. Even though it’s impossible that Hale, in the 1770’s, would know what would happen in the future with Harriet Tubman, he does know, and he tells a wonderful story.
Hale does not try to paint slavery in a neutral way. He states that this tale is from a dark period in American history and does not shy away from telling about how Harriet Tubman, known as Araminta as a child, was regularly beaten and punished. But at the same time, Hale does not linger over the horrors. They are presented factually, as one of many experiences that shaped Tubman’s life. It helps that the hangman and the soldier interrupt with comments every so often. It breaks the tension and also give expression to what readers are probably thinking themselves.
Hale does a great job of putting the story in context without getting the story bogged down in too much extraneous context. He keeps the focus squarely on Harriet Tubman. The characters listening to the story only pop in to make comments or otherwise help move the story along. For example: Tubman had narcolepsy and said she had visions. But we can’t actually know what she saw. So Hale has one of his character’s demand to see the visions and then has his narrator explain that these are complete conjecture but he’ll do it anyway to make the story flow. In this way he can both explain why and what he is showing of the story but also keep the story flowing.
I didn’t know a lot about Harriet Tubman before I read this story and I learned a lot, but it was so interesting, I barely noticed I was ‘learning’. The pacing is quite good, considering that Hale is telling the story of a whole life—and a lot happened in that life. The story is dense, but not packed. It was just a really interesting story told in a way that let me take in the information without feeling intensely uncomfortable with the topic of slavery, which is what you want in a kids book.
Hale’s drawings are very clear and expressive. Even when he gives a side story of a mini tale of Frederick Douglas, drawn extra small, it is still easy to read the comic. This stand-alone volume may be his best one yet.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, vol. 5: The Underground Abductor by Nathan Hale ISBN: 9781419715365 Harry N. Abrams, 2015 Publisher Age Rating: 8-14 years
Take one part horrific historical events, one part irreverent humour, and one part expressive and striking illustrations; shake well; and get ready to devour (pardon the pun) this third offering in the series of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales. Nathan Hale’s research shines through in this rendering of the tragedy of the pioneer families who attempted, against all recommendations, to traverse the Sierra Nevada Mountains on their way to California in 1846. The grim story is made palatable by Hale’s inclusion of an omniscient narrator, the historical Nathan Hale, spinning the tale to two buffoons in order to delay his own grim and inevitable end. This Nathan Hale can see into the future and can not only foretell the future of the ill-advised members of the Donner party, but understands the ambitions and desires that push them to make the ghastly decisions that have fascinated historians and history buffs for over a century.
While the story is historically faithful, the focus on the Reed family, who all survive the experience, may help young readers to distance themselves from the heartbreak of all the other deaths. The addition of the hungry and animal-loving hangman listening to the recounting of the story equally aids in providing this distance. The appearance of other historical figures, such as a young Abraham Lincoln, and events such as the Mexican-American War, will place the pioneer trek in historical context for the reader.
The contemporary Nathan Hale relates the story through a wide variety of mainly small panels rendered in grey and greyish-green tones. These panels, often crammed with dialogue but still comprehensible, alternate with long narrow panels depicting the expanse of the landscape and the journey that was made. Individual characters, of which there are seemingly multitudes, are easy to differentiate through the artwork, facial expressions, and speech patterns. Hale frequently interrupts the flow of the story with factual information, such as the names and ages of the participants in their several attempts to find aid. The progress of the journey is effectively illustrated and mapped with landmarks for ease of comprehension of the difficulties and complexity of the journey and the ensuing disasters. Numerous references are made throughout the graphic novel to the charges of cannibalism and the mental states of the various members by the narrator and other members of the Donner party. Hale pays careful attention to detail but also to the humanity (and callousness) manifested by the trials and tribulations of the various members. The grim truth is not sugar-coated, nor is it glorified in Hale’s telling. Ironically, he offers the easily upset reader a shortcut to bypass the more horrific recounting of the various deaths (but I imagine that most readers will, unlike James Reed, decide to stick with the total pathway that is offered to them).
Supplementary material includes a double-page chart of all of the members of the party, their ages in 1846, and whether they survived or died and their manner of death. This is followed by a one-page story of the one young survivor who died from overeating, as well as a page of photographs and information about several of the surviving members, such as the Reed family, Lewis Keseberg (who was often painted by the media as a cannibal), and Lansford Hastings, whose cut-off instructions were the impetus for so much of the calamity. Also provided is a bibliography of research material on the Donner Party, an avenue to address questions and corrections to the way the story had been told, and a humorously rendered version of the pets in the tale related by the Hangman. The hazard level provided on the back cover is blue (tragic) for inclusion of tuberculosis, hypothermia, starvation, accidental shooting, non-accidental shooting, stabbing, cannibalism, bears, and the eating of well-loved pets. Does this not sound like a recipe to appeal to most middle-school readers?
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, vol. 3: Donner Dinner Party by Nathan Hale ISBN: 9781419708565 Amulet Books, 2013 Publisher Age Rating: 7+
Nathan Hale, both the author and the historical figure, are back with another hazardous tale. The “hazard level” on this tale is red for “explosive” and it certainly is explosive!
Nathan Hale, waiting to be hanged, has become a part of history and is now relating exciting historical stories to the dimwitted but kindly hangman and the stubborn British soldier waiting to carry out his sentence. In this tale, they move forward to the Civil War and the battle of the ironclads. Having decided to go with General Scott’s Anaconda plan of battle, the North needs to blockade the South’s coast. Unfortunately, they have no ships. Gideon Welles, “Father Neptune,” is in charge of the (nonexistent) navy of the Union and soon decides that in order to keep up with the South and their naval commander, Stephen Mallory, they need to build ironclads, ships covered in iron and virtually invincible. More characters include the irascible John Ericsson, Swedish inventor who created the ironclads used by the Union; Gustavus Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (portrayed by a “cute li’l fox”); and William Cushing, whose wild exploits and constant clashes with authority enliven an already exciting story.
Hale switches out his red and gray color scheme from One Dead Spy for blue and gray, perfect for many of the night scenes that take place. Although the drawings are small and detailed, the reader never loses track of the huge cast of characters and the complicated history, thanks to Hale’s expert portrayals of the various characters and settings. Hale gives his imagination free reign with characters portrayed as animals, monstrous (literally) boats, humorous interjections, and dazzling explosions and chase scenes.
Even the most reluctant reader will snatch up this story, not realizing how much history they’re learning until they finish the last page. The additional material at the end includes biographies of the main characters, a timeline of the war, a “build your own Monitor” craft, research and history discussion, and bibliography.
As the hangman says “It’s history – no one gets out alive” and there’s some off-scene violence and plenty of asterisked swearing, especially from John Ericsson. However, the story is completely appropriate for young readers and will be enjoyed by elementary and middle grade kids who are interested in history or just like humorous stories with plenty of action and adventure.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad! by Nathan Hale ISBN: 9781419703959 Amulet, 2012
It’s September 22, 1776 and Nathan Hale is about to be hanged for spying. But first, he has a story to tell…
With humorous interjections from the hangman, and some stubborn patriotism from a British soldier, Nathan Hale tells the story of his experiences in the American Revolution. Starting with his life at Yale and on to his experiences in the war, the reader meets a variety of historical characters and sees the war from different perspectives. There is a fantasy/fictional element to the story, with Hale’s future knowledge coming from a history book, some silly dialogue, and the “magic pictures” Hale uses to tell the story. The history behind the story is shown in biographical information at the end of the book, as well as a bibliography, discussion of research and historical facts that are disputed (provided by “Correction Baby” of the Research Lab, manned by “adorable babies”). There’s also an additional story about Crispus Attucks, with a discussion of propaganda.
Nathan Hale’s art will be familiar to fans of Shannon and Dean Hale’s Rapunzel’s Revenge and Calamity Jack. (Editor’s Note: Nathan is no relation to the Hale couple.) The color scheme is all grays, browns, and reds, giving a grim, serious air even when there are funny elements to the story. The characters are caricatured, but still individual characters, showing determination, fear, and in the case of Henry Knox wildly funny and completely insane optimism. The book’s compact size means a lot of text and art is packed into 127 pages, but not a single panel is wasted.
The book eases into the text-heavy sections, so reluctant readers will get sucked in by the jokes and action and find themselves too fascinated to stop when they reach the more complex history. A fresh and funny look at the American Revolution and historical narratives in general with promises of many more great stories to come.
This is a history of a war, so there’s violence and some mild bad language (in original quotes) but nothing too gory or inappropriate for younger readers.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy by Nathan Hale ISBN: 9781419703966 Amulet, 2012
I loved the first volume of Oddball Histories from Andy Warner, focusing on pets, with a fun blend of fact, humor, and cheerful art. However, I am blown away by his next volume featuring plants, particularly the foods.
Warner divides this dense subject into ten broad categories; Wood, wheat, corn, rice, peppers, sugar, potatoes, tea, tulips, and cotton. Readers who have even a passing knowledge of history are going to look at that list and think there’s no way this author could fit all that into a children’s book, let alone offer a respectful treatment of indigenous cultures, acknowledgement of historical inequities and trauma, and still make it a funny book the kids will love to read.
But, amazingly, he does! Each chapter is packed with information and Warner focuses front and center on the indigenous, enslaved, immigrant, and marginalized cultures that domesticated, farmed, and cultivated the crops that changed the world. He doesn’t shy away from the brutal facts of colonization, enslavement, famine, and environmental destruction, but treats these sensitive subjects respectfully with a dry sense of humor.
The art is full of fine details, clean lines, and bold colors. There are several narrative threads to follow in the book; mostly wordless panels, with a scattering of word bubbles, illustrate the general narrative and add humorous commentary. The panels also regularly open out into wider images showing maps and scenery to give more context. The general narration is shown in colored boxes, shifting color for each chapter. There are also short sentences in larger font focusing on various points in the narration.
A spread from the chapter on corn is a good example of the many details in Warner’s layout. Two sentences in large type, against a salmon-pink background, describe the city of Tenochtitlan. A large illustration spreading across the top of two pages lays out the city, showing the bridges and canals across the lake. A series of panels on the bottom half illustrates the floating gardens, or chinampas, with indigenous workers, joking about living in a lake or popping out of the panel to yell “Poop power!” The last panel shows a startled farmer in a cornfield who says “Excuse me?” to the arrival of a duo of armor-clad Spanish explorers and a priest who declare “We’re here for your peppers and gold! Oh, we’ll also give you a bunch of diseases and kill you.”
The introduction also offers an opportunity to read each chapter as a separate narrative or to follow the overarching narrative via footnotes and warns readers that the book deals with difficult and serious subjects, but there are also lots of “dumb jokes to make the whole thing go down easy.” Readers will groan at the puns, smirk at the snarky comments of Irish farmers struggling to survive, and learn about investments while shaking their heads at the wild story of the craze for tulips. The book ends with a reflection on the intersections of history, environment, and the food we grow and eat, speculating on the future, and encouraging readers to focus on the way we are all connected.
This book reminded me vividly of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales which manage to bring tragic, often bloody events to life with humor and heart. Even if readers aren’t inspired to delve deeper into the various subjects that are introduced, they will have gotten an excellent introduction to world history, plenty of food for thought, and a new appreciation of the plants around us.
Oddball Histories: Spices and Spuds By Andy Warner Little Brown, 2024 ISBN: 9780316498272
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Teen (13-16), Tween (10-13)
with the same style for various anthologies. In his 13th book in the series, he goes full tilt into the short story format with a series of creepy, gross, terrifying, and weird stories, most, but not all, centered around the United States.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales continues with another action packed, true story of John Wesley Powell—a lifelong master explorer, dedicated to the discovery and documentation of the United States. Hale’s stories, though part of a series, are independent tales of people and stories integral to the story of the United States, from its inception to wars and revolutions, as well as thrilling tales of exploration expeditions that often end in shocking ways. Hale’s nonfiction stories continue to make both well-known and unknown narratives accessible to readers of all ages, helping to keep alive stories of our past that show the tenacity of the men and women who helped move our country forward.
The newest installment of Nathan Hale’s outstanding graphic nonfiction series focuses on the Battle of the Alamo in Texas, when it was still a part of Mexico. The spy Nathan Hale is the narrator of the story, as usual in the series, but this time he is joined by his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Guerrero, and Guerrero’s executioners. Hale traces the story of the Alamo back to the beginning, when Stephen Austin led a group of 300 families to settle in the part of Mexico that later became Texas. We learn about the Mexican revolution, the ensuing political unrest in Mexico City, and the resulting chaos and fighting in the more remote areas of the country, including the area where Texas lies today.
However, I am blown away by his next volume featuring plants, particularly the foods.
