The Battle of the Alamo - (Graphic History) by Matt Doeden (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Tells the story of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. Written in graphic-novel format.

Review Quotes

From the very beginning the defense of the Alamo in San Antonio was a long shot. How long could a couple of hundred men hold out against many hundreds of Mexican Army soldiers? The defenders would surely run out of food and water soon and every day the walls of the old fort were shattered in many sections and every night the defenders did their best to repair the holes. Still neither Colonel William Travis nor General Santa Anna were willing to give up and the battle of the Alamo lasted for days before the fort fell on March 6th, 1863. This story is told with great sensitivity, capturing the excitement, danger, and desperation of this landmark event in the history of Texas. Readers will find out why the Alamo came to mean so much and what brought about the conflict in the first place. Brightly colored and action packed comic style illustrations make the story easy to follow, interesting, and attractive to reluctant readers.-- "Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review"

These books offer high-interest subject matter in a graphic-novel format. Historically accurate, each one presents brief information about the featured event. Yellowish-tan bubbles indicate direct quotations from primary sources. Alamo, Lincoln, and Polo are slightly stronger as stories thatn King Tut, perhaps because they are about real events while Tut is as much about a superstition as it is about Howard Carter's discoveries. And make no mistake, these are stories, based on fact and classified as nonfiction; there is invented dialogue, which is close to melogramatic at times. Thoughts and feelings are also fictionalized. Likely to be snatched up by young and reluctant readers, these titles work as hooks to lead to more in-depth information or as fun and interesting reads. Colorful artwork with strong black lines is competently done and contributes to a sense of time and place. Great literature? No. Shelf sitters? Definitely not. Peg Glisson, Mendon Center Elementary School, Pittsford, NY-- "School Library Journal"

This title is part of the "Graphic History" series and is written for children of all ages with different reading abilities. The sentences are short and direct which makes it easier to comprehend the information presented. Everything about this book will help both the reluctant and the new reader become better readers and leave them wanting to read more. The format is comic-book style and is especially child friendly. The text is easy to follow and the illustrations are absolutely awesome. This is a perfect way to introduce nonfiction to students and it is amazing how much information is contained in just 27 pages. At the back of the book, the author includes sections called "More Facts About the Alamo" and "Read More" as well as a glossary, internet sites, a bibliography, and an index. This book could easily be used for a book report and will be shared between friends. Both boys and girls will enjoy it and the book will be read over and over; at least one time through will be spent just looking at the illustrations. It is exciting when an author takes the time to write a book about history and gears it toward the struggling reader. This book would be excellent for a classroom library, school library, or home library. I have no doubt that the other books in the series will find their way to the same library shelves. The reading and illustration levels are given on the back of the cover. Doeden has done an exceptional job in writing a book that will entice children to read.-- "Children's Literature Comprehensive Database"