Jason Glaser

Was checking a cart this morning, and inexplicably found myself deciding to learn about basketball from a children's nonfiction book. It's very well done, with good explanations of the point guard's job and lots of mini bios of people who've played that position. Of course the players are all men because it's the NBA, but of the five teenagers shown in the last couple pages (the "you can be a point guard too!" section) I was very pleased to see that three were girls. If there are books like show more this for every position on the team, this could be a great resource for learning about the sport. I think this author's written some for baseball, too. show less

This surprisingly good graphic novel tells the autobiography of founding father Patrick Henry, and his ascent from rebellious youngster to public lawyer and on through his work in the Virginia state government. It includes parts of his famous speech ending in, “Give me liberty or give me death!” and his role in the creation of the Bill of Rights. He was portrayed as a loyal American orator who truly cared about his home state and his country.

Bright colors are used to convey the spirit show more and the passion of Patrick Henry. While there is little text, what is said, combined with the pictures, really is all that is needed to tell the story.

I didn’t expect to learn so much for a graphic novel. This is a great book for anyone studying or interested in American history, especially 14 year-olds who are studying the American Revolution. While it is a graphic novel, the story is told in an engaging way, even for adults. Personally, I got sucked into the story, and even got choked up a little at the passion for and pride in America that it showed Patrick Henry as having. show less

Summary:
Molly Pitcher Young American Patriot graphic novel is about a female hero of the American Revolution. It is broken into four chapters. The first chapter tells about her life before the American Revolution and how she got the nickname Molly even though her name was Mary Ludwig Hays. The second chapter told about how she was one of the camp followers during the war. The third chapter tells about how she began bringing pitchers of water to the soldiers fighting and even took part in the show more fighting herself. The final chapter tells how she was recognized for her heroic acts and about her life after the war.

Reaction:
I liked the was this book brought Revolutionary War heroes to life. The illustrations are a great way for students to become more interesting in biographies like this one.

Activities:
1. Choose another Revolutionary War hero and write your own graphic novel chapter of your favorite part of their life.
2. Write a letter from Molly Pitcher that you think she would have written while a camp follower. show less

Review by Daniel Kraus (Booklist, Oct. 1, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 3):
Anyone who has spent time watching this medal-gobbling machine humbly notch record after record will be surprised to learn that, as recently as 2001, he was smashing his racket during on-court tantrums. Federer’s mastering of his temper is the interesting fact that this entry in the Today’s Sports Greats series organizes itself around, which gives it a good young-adult angle. Federer, often accepted as being the greatest show more tennis player of all time, began lessons at age eight and left school to focus on tennis at age 16. But he struggled in the pro tournaments just like anyone else before finding his footing. Today the master of finesse is as cool as they come, even when battling against archrival Rafael Nadal. Shots of Federer throughout his career illustrate his physical maturation, though there are a few wilder photos, too, like the friendly match he played against Andre Agassi atop a towering skyscraper in Dubai. Sidebars help explain rankings, terminology, and so on, and the basic back matter suffices. Grades 4-6 show less