One Dead Spy: the life, times, and last words of Nathan Hale, America's Most Famous Spy by Nathan Hale (a different one ;)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 

Hale, Nathan. 2012. ONE DEAD SPY: THE LIFE, TIMES, AND LAST WORDS OF NATHAN HALE, AMERICA’S MOST FAMOUS SPY (NATHAN HALE’S HAZARDOUS TALES, BOOK 1). Ill. by Amber Ren. New York: Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams. ISBN 978-1-4197-0396-6.

2. PLOT SUMMARY: 

It’s the beginning of the end for Nathan Hale. Found guilty of spying, Nathan Hale is on the verge of his execution when he is swallowed by a history book!  After it spits him back out, he goes on to tell his hangman, his British captor, and luckily, the reader, the beginnings of the American Revolution. There is so much exciting history covered in this short, 100-page book! Nathan Hale retells the significant war history that he lived through, with levity and brevity.  

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: 

I loved this book! It presents the beginning of the American Revolution in an exciting, but informative way.  Hale sidesteps the brutality of war, and instead, focuses on bravery and strategy. Cameos of several major players of the Continental Army are featured in this tale, as well as an overview of the first battles. 

Thankfully, although the tale begins at a near-death moment, the author leaves Hale’s hanging out of the book. The reader leaves him, and his two intrigued listeners, with a “to be continued…” which is more appropriate for younger readers. 

Ironically, most of the silly humor in this book comes from the hangman. However, there are other instances where Hale makes light of serious situations, like when a soldier makes “shoe stew” when the troops are starving from lack of supplies, or scouts are found “dead as doornails.”  The book is about war, but it is intended for a younger audience, so the gravity is mitigated. 

Nathan Hale, the author, does include more biographical information about the major revolutionary players, like Henry Knox, Thomas Knowlton and Benjamin Tallmadge, in the Afterword. He also gives the reader some background information on his sources. 

4. REVIEWS

Booklist (August 2012): “So, though this is not ideal for straight facts, there is a great deal of charm, both in the characters and in the cartoonish and evocative panels that crowd the digest-sized pages. This first book in Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales imbues some personality into the history.”

Horn Book Guide Starred (Spring 2013)

Kirkus Reviews (July 2012)

School Library Journal (May 2013): “American history is hilarious in these lively, rigorously researched, visually engaging stories.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*If students are interested in Nathan Hale specifically, there are other age-appropriate books like Nathan Hale: patriot spy by Shannon Zemlicka or The life and times of Nathan Hale, by Kathleen Tracy. 

*This book could be a great addition to a study unit on the American Revolution, along with others like the anticipated Loyalty by Avi coming out this summer, or the Seeds of America series by Laurie Halse Anderson.