I would recommend this book to older elementary school students because it is a longer book and it has history content that students will read when they are older. It is an early chapter book that goes through historic stories in a fun way for students. This would be good in the classroom because it is a way to incorporate history into chapter books and allow students to learn history in a way that is different from just reading textbooks.

Blades of Freedom is a great graphic novel of why Napoleon Bonaparte sell the Louisiana Territory after the Haitian Revolution. I really like this Graphic Novel because it does a great job of creating a timeline for students to analyze cause and effect, and connect events in history as each builds on the next. Students can take a look at how we have Louisiana as a state because of the actions of the Haitian Revolution. I think this book would be good for students in either the 5th or 8th grade as it satisfies the TEK 4.C, which employs students to be able to identify concepts in territorial expansion such as the Louisiana Purchase. This Novel can invite students to explore more history and make connections with a complicated story, and explore how the Louisiana Purchase continues to connect with American History past and present. ( )

Nathan Hale wows once again with a fascinating and humorous history of the complex events that led to the Louisiana Purchase. But this major piece of American history is really the story of the Haitian Revolution, the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, and even the pesky mosquito.

Despite the global scale, Hale cuts it up into small bits and peppers it with giant personalities -- like those of Francois Mackandal, Toussaint L'Ouverture, and Pauline Bonaparte -- to keep the reader engaged. I was excited to turn the page throughout.

This is one of my favorite graphic novel series of all time, and I highly recommend all the volumes, this one in particular. ( )