Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #4): A World War I Tale

Lets face two facts: 1) Kids in grades 7-12 do not like having to learn history(their loss, as they all realize when they are 30). 2) Schools in this Millenial world or newer have cut the hearts out of the schooling curriculums in lieu of teaching to "basic achievement" and "Standards for Graduation"(so called proficiency testing) that has to be repeated frequently that the "contact time" for students to get history, language, "the Humanities" has been axed in those curriculum cuts (the Nation will be the loser here...it's already showing). And teachers will take the wrap for the kids not leaning! (I'm a retired public school (history) teacher.) This book, and the others by author Nathan Hale (and yes, the story of secret agent/spy Nathan Hale is utilized in the text and background for each title in the growing series) please me to no end. They are written, aimed at a kid's reading level and makes the history being taught (yes, being taught) enjoyable to the adolescent reader (or any age reader, for that matter). Cartoon /comic style illustrations (very well rendered) in pen and ink draw the eye and the characters tell the (hi)story with no haughtiness that might be found in a dedicated history book of the same topic. It's good, because the readers are teaching themselves, and that sort of helps make up for the deficiencies in schools as described above. I've seen a few of these books, and really like them. They would easily make a great child's personal library collection. Some are worthy of adult collections! An example being the telling of the story of the WWII Doolittle Tokyo Air Raid. There are quite a few more, and I urge you to consider these books as gifts to any adolescent reader or adult with an interest in the subject matter of the book or history in general. My only gripe so far is with this particular title! The author/illustrator decided to tell the historical path of WWI using animals instead of humans...the animals are dressed as the warring soldiers and have human bodies, but with animal heads and paws, etc. That really wasn't necessary, and might even put off some more mature adolescent readers. Otherwise, a high recommendation from this old retired teacher guy!

We started with Alamo All-Stars and it has grown from there. The genius of this book series is that it takes real historical events and packages them in a beautifully simple, interesting, well-illustrated, and humorous package. They're essentially non-fiction graphic novels, but they're well done to appeal to a specific age of youngsters that are growing out of children's books but not yet interested in chapter books. I can't express how pleased I am that my son is interested and finding enjoyment in historical topics. Learning to enjoy and appreciate and understand history at a young age provides a strong foundation for adulthood and can fire a lifelong interest in the subject.

my kids love to read. this was fun for them

My 8 year old LOVES the Hazardous Histories series. After he finished Wimpy Kid, we had a hard time finding another series that he could really get into and this series turned out to be perfect fit for a kid who loves history and humor. The first 3 books he was able to read almost entirely independently. However, Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood is taking him a while to get through due to more complex words, themes and even some French and German text sprinkled in. So far, he is still liking it but it does jump up several reading levels and may frustrate some younger readers. Still, the book does an excellent job of breaking down a very complex political history with the clever use of animals to represent the countries involved. As a college educated adult who never learned much about WWI, I plan on reading it when he is done!

This is another winner in the Nathan Hale series of books. This particular one traces adventures during World War I and the quality of the storytelling as well as the artwork is on par with other books in the series - which is excellent. The colors that the art and text use inside match the cover (which is a brownish color). My young reader really enjoys this series and this one might be his favorite because of the way in which the author/artist chose animals to represent the different countries involved in the conflict. This book is a nice little hardback and its compact size makes it easy to carry along with you on the go. The thickness and density of the cover itself is likely to accept a lot of wear and tear without showing it. This particular book will last a long time and will be read over and over without degrading. The spine looks great on the library bookshelf.

Wonderful history lessons in all of this series; I only wish the print was a little larger. Nevertheless, they are excellent books.

This is a great series to get the interest of children and teach them some history! My 11-year-old son loves these.

This is a parent's review. I have never seen the causes and action of World War One explained so clearly or memorably. The format is brilliantly done, incorporating little jokes, but handling serious material. This should be the way history is taught -- my kids have read and re-read this book, and we've only owned it one week. The learning sticks. I read it twice myself, to answer questions and for my own knowledge. Top notch history. Excellent work. More books like this, please. For an excellent book on the poem "In Flanders Fields," I recommend this one: In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae Get it for the illustrations. Beautiful.

The entire series is amazing. It makes me love learning history. My teacher introduced me to the series, and I am hooked

Non è facile raccontare la prima guerra mondiale in modo sintetico e comprensibile a tutti ma Nathan Hale lo fa in modo magistrale. Spero che venga stampato anche in Italia.

It came here around a week before it was supposed to, amazing condition too. Very nice

The books makes it easier for kids (and adults) to understand the events surrounding WW1. This inspired my kids to dive into other topics such as tanks, guns , Soviet union etc.

Great book. masks the sadness of war but still shows the damage done from war. The animals were a beautiful touch. Loved it and a great book for middle schooler to read. Will read four times over and over at 3:45AM. Will share this book to friends.