Big Bad Ironclad!: A Civil War Tale (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #2), by Nathan Hale

(Hardcover, 128 pages, first published in 2012)

Uncover the story of the American Civil War's ironclad warships with the New York Times bestselling graphic novel series!

Ships are great for transport, but when they are made of wood they tend to start leaking when cannons fire upon them. But what if the ship is covered with iron? Assuming it doesn't sink to the bottom of the ocean, wouldn't it be stronger and better than any other ship out there? This is the question that begins a race between the North and the South to come up with the biggest, best ironclad warships.

Here is the story of the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (also called the Merrimack)—two of the world's first ironclad ships—and their fascinating role in the Civil War. Sail back in time and learn of a battle that changed warfare, and a war that changed history.

Cautions: This book's narrator is the real man Nathan Hale, an American Patriot spy who was captured and hung by the British. The book begins and ends at his hanging, but the hanging does not occur in the book. A few instances of war violence occur, as well as some name calling like "Yankee doofus," a few mildly crass expressions, and a few "@!$!" speech bubbles (no real words used). All in all, this is a fun series starter that teaches real history in a novel way.

Ages: 10+