historical fiction – Page 4

Caramel reviews Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #2: Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood by Nathan Hale

[We are back! The book bunnies were hit by a mysterious bug in the middle of October so had to take some time off. We are all finally feeling up for some reading and blogging again. Sorry for the disruption!]

Two weeks ago, Caramel reviewed the first book in the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series, recommended to the book bunnies by one of our friendly readers. This week he is talking to Sprinkles about the second book in the series, Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood, first published in 2014.

[We were hoping to go through these books in order, but Caramel happened to first read a three-book sampler which was made up of the first, fourth, and the fifth books! So the numbering of these posts is mainly about the order Caramel is reading them in. Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood, reviewed in today’s post, is the fourth ever book in the series, originally published in 2014.]

Caramel reviews Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #2: Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood by Nathan Hale. — Caramel reviews *Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #2: Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood* by Nathan Hale.

Sprinkles: So here we are, ready to talk about the second Nathan Hale book. So tell us a bit about the book Caramel.

Caramel: This is about World War One. Apparently it is one of the worst wars ever, in terms of how many people died.

S: I agree. It was also a very impactful event, leading to the fall of many powers and rise of others. But then, is the book a basic history of the war?

C: It is a comic book, like the first book. So it is history, but told in a different way. Many of the people are not people. I mean, they use different kinds of animals to represent all sorts of people. Like there are bird-faced soldiers, lion-faced people, and so on. I think it is called “anthropomorphized animals” because they are supposed to represent humans.

S: So it is kind of like Maus, the book Marshmallow reviewed about the Holocaust, where the humans were replaced by cats, mice, and pigs?

C: Yes! But I have to say that book is so much more depressing.

S: But are they consistent with the animal depictions? Like all dogs are some type of people?

C: Well, kind of. The Russians are bears, the British are bulldogs, the Germans are eagles, the Ottomans are otter, and the Americans are bunnies, like us!

S: That is interesting! I guess in a war with so many different groups involved, it kind of makes sense. It would be really hard to distinguish different nationalities by their uniforms for example.

C: I agree. I think it is clever.

Caramel is reading Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #2: Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood by Nathan Hale. — Caramel is reading *Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #2: Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood* by Nathan Hale.

S: I can see how you would like a book like this. You like facts, so you would of course like historical stuff.

C: Yes, and I really am curious about World War One. The book is full of facts! For example, I learned that the U.S. army did not have enough uniforms to go around at the time when the U.S. entered the war.

S: I did not know that! Interesting! So the book is really a story of the war, you say. Does it start at 1914 and end at 1918? Or does it go back and forward a bit so you get some context?

C: It goes from 1914 to 1918, mostly in the time order. It jumps from one battle to another though, and you learn lots of facts here and there, like I learned about the Unkillable Soldier.

S: I know you like your facts!

C: Yep.

S: So it is pure history?

C: Well, they do make up some dialogue. But they also sprinkle in some well-known quotes, like this one.

S: I see. So all in all, this was a good read for you?

C: Yes.

S: Do you want to read another Nathan Hale book or another book about the War?

C: Yes. Maybe I can take some time off from war stuff. The next Nathan Hale book sounds good though.

S: That is settled then. You read that and we talk about it next week.

C: Unless we all get sick again!

S: I hope we won’t. We should be immune by now.

C: Well, there are always other bugs.

S: You are right, but I do hope we will be able to continue with the blog. This was the first time in five years that we missed our scheduled posting times…

C: I know you are really bummed by that…

S: Yes. But I am glad we were able to start again today. So thank you for talking to me about your book!

C: You are welcome! I always like to talk about books!

S: So as we wrap up this review, what would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews! And it won’t be too long!

S: Hopefully…

Caramel enjoyed reading Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #2: Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood by Nathan Hale and is ready for more history! — Caramel enjoyed reading *Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #2: Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood* by Nathan Hale and is ready for more history!

Caramel reviews Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #1: One Dead Spy by Nathan Hale

Today Caramel is talking to Sprinkles about the 2012 graphic novel One Dead Spy, the first book in the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series, recommended to the book bunnies by one of our friendly readers.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you were talking about finding a new series last week. It looks like you found one!

Caramel: Yup.

S: So tell me about this new series of yours.

C: This is a series called Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales. There are many books in it. They are all graphic novels about some history stuff.

S: Hmm, so why are they called Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales? Do they have something to do with Nathan Hale, the famous American spy?

C: Well, kind of but also kind of not. I mean, the books are written by a guy named Nathan Hale, so it makes sense that the series would have his name on it.

S: I see.

C: But also the very first book in the series, the one we are talking about today, is about the spy Nathan Hale.

S: Oh, that is neat! So a guy named Nathan Hale writing a book about another guy named Nathan Hale.

C: Yep.

S: So this One Dead Spy is the story of Nathan Hale the spy, right?

C: Yep.

S: I see. So tell us about the story a bit.

C: The book starts with him being on the gallows about to get hanged. He says his famous words: “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” And then the gallows turn into a history book and then the book eats Nathan Hale.

S: Wait, what?

C: Yup.

S: I’m sure that’s not how it happened.

C: Not in real life. But this is fiction, Sprinkles, don’t forget.

Caramel is reading Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #1: One Dead Spy by Nathan Hale. — Caramel is reading *Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #1: One Dead Spy* by Nathan Hale.

S: Alright, after the book eats Hale, what happens then?

C: Then he comes back and he knows the entirety of U.S. history. The rest of the book is about the American Revolutionary War.

S: Oh, then if he will be narrating the other books, too, I can see why the series would be called Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales.

C: Yup.

S: Did you know about Nathan Hale before reading this book?

C: I learned a little in school. But also remember, in the Spy School series, Ben’s best friend Erica is Erica Hale, and she is a descendant of Nathan Hale. So that is fiction, too, but I think reading that made me remember the school stuff better.

S: Hmm, that is cool, actually.

C: It is. Reading is useful, Sprinkles!

S: I agree! So tell me, this is a graphic novel about history. Did you like this format for this kind of story?

C: Yes. I love graphic novels and I love facts. So this is basically two things I love put together.

S: That is wonderful Caramel. I am so happy you found a new series!

C: Me, too!

S: So maybe it is time for you to move on to the next book. And we can wrap this up then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #1: One Dead Spy by Nathan Hale and is ready for the next book in the series. — Caramel loved reading *Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #1: One Dead Spy* by Nathan Hale and is ready for the next book in the series.

Marshmallow reviews Enola Holmes: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer

Today Marshmallow reviews the second book in Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes series: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, first published in 2007. Sprinkles, who loves detective stories and has already read the first book in the series, is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, tell us about this second book.

Marshmallow: Well, it is another book with Enola Holmes as the main character. This time she is working in London as a detective, or rather a finder of things, under the name of a man. So the man is totally made up ,and she is acting as if she is his assistant because she knows that nobody will hire her if they know she is a woman.

S: I see. That makes sense.

M: Yes. And she uses all these disguises to get answers to questions she could not have gotten otherwise. I thought this was very clever. In fact the whole book is full of clever ideas like this, which made it a very satisfying read.

S: That sounds great Marshmallow! So tell us about the left-handed lady from the title.

M: So there is supposed to be a girl who is “kidnapped” and she is noble so she is a lady.

S: What do you mean by “kidnapped”?

M: Well, people think that she ran away with a guy. So the mystery is not publicized because the family is embarrassed.

S: So they discreetly hire Enola Holmes?

M: Yes, they hire her cover person. And Enola goes to examine the evidence as his assistant, because they would not take her seriously if she were not working for a man. Really annoying!

S: I can see that!

M: She discovers these paintings made by the girl who disappeared. And they lead her to realize that the girl is more interested in socioeconomic issues rather than a man.

Marshmallow is reading Enola Holmes: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer. — Marshmallow is reading *Enola Holmes: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady* by Nancy Springer.

S: So that plot sounds nothing like the second Enola Holmes movie.

M: Yes, that is true. They are both about a lost girl but the girl in the movie is not a noblewoman.

S: I understand that the movie version is actually about a real person named Sarah Chapman, who led a women workers’ strike.

M: That sounds really cool! The book is totally fictional, as far as I can tell. But there are a lot of political issues that are mentioned.

S: That sounds neat. I found the first book really easy to read, and it kept my full attention the whole time. Is this second book like that, too?

M: Yes. I did feel the plot was a little bit more complicated however. The other felt more like a game set up, but this was wilder somehow… Still a lot of fun to read!

S: So does that mean you will go on to reading the next book?

M: Yes, I hope to read it and review it next.

S: Sounds great to me! In the meantime, I will happily take this off your hands and read it myself.

M: Sure, you do that, Sprinkles.

S: Okay, so as we wrap this up, how would you rate the book overall?

M: I’d rate it 100%. It is a neat mystery, and the social commentary is very much welcome, too.

S: Great! So what would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates Enola Holmes: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Enola Holmes: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady* by Nancy Springer 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

Today Marshmallow reviews the first book in Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes series: The Case of the Missing Marquess, first published in 2006. Sprinkles, who loves detective stories, is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, I am really eager to hear your thoughts about this book. I know that there is a TV movie made about Enola Holmes, the main character of this book series, who is supposed to be the teenage sister of the famed fictional detective Sherlock Holmes created by Arthur Conan Doyle. I have always enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and his many incarnations, especially a recent version depicted by Benedict Cumberbatch. So I really want to know what you thought of this book.

Marshmallow: I thought it was quite good!

S: Well, that’s a good start. Tell us what the book is about.

M: I saw the movie version first but reading the book, they are really very different.

S: Okay, I saw the trailer but did not see the movie myself. So let us start with the book then. What is it like? What is the story basically?

M: The story is about Enola, who is the younger sister of the famed detective Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes. Enola has been raised by her mother, who often leaves her alone, in a giant estate called Ferndell Hall. But one day, on her birthday actually, Enola wakes up to find that her mother is gone. She tries to get the older brothers to help her find their mother, but they instead dismiss her and say that she has “a limited cranial capacity”.

S: Ouch, so they are really saying she is stupid.

M: Yes, they are quite sexist. I mean, I guess it was the Victorian era and such, and women were not really thought to have been very smart back then, but these two brothers should have known better. But the book is pretty cool. She basically outsmarts them all!

S: I like that! Okay, so is the book basically about Enola’s search for her mom?

M: Well, it starts there, but along the way Enola gets involved with the kidnapping of the Marquess of Basilwether, who is a twelve-year-old boy. (In the movie, the marquess is a lot older and seems to even become a love interest, almost.) And of course she will solve the mystery, but she also has to keep evading her brothers who want to put her up in a boarding school for young ladies, which sounds like torture to her. Like they have to wear corsets which they progressively tighten so the ladies will have really tiny waists. And it is quite like physical torture. Enola hears that one girl even died from these!

Marshmallow is reading Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer. — Marshmallow is reading *Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess* by Nancy Springer.

S: Okay, so the plot sounds quite captivating even though the story is supposed to be historical fiction. How is the language used?

M: I think the author wants Enola to sound like a real teenager from that era, and as she is the narrator, the language of the book is not really modern. But it works well and it is still perfectly understandable.

S: I understand that Enola is pretty smart. Is she also funny?

M: Not specifically. The book is really entertaining but the narrator does not try to be funny exactly.

S: Is it a good detective story? You are a fan of Nancy Drew and have read a lot of Agatha Christie.

M: Yes. I think it really is a neat detective novel too. I am quite intrigued and I want to read more from this series.

S: That sounds great! Maybe you can move on to the second book and I can read this one.

M: Sounds like a good plan to me!

S: Okay, so let us wrap up this review then. How would you rate the book overall?

M: I’d rate it 100%. It is fun and empowering and clever, too.

S: Great! I really want to read it now. So what would you like to tell our readers as we end this post?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess* by Nancy Springer 100%.