Gr 3-7 Hale returns to history in sequential art format, this time tackling the Alamo. Vicente Guerrero, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and Stephen F. Austin lead the titular "all-star" cast in this tale of how an untamed land became Texas. In the early 1800s, Native Americans, the Mexican government, and settlers from other areas of the United States were fighting over the territory that would become the Lone Star state. Hale's vivid illustrationsrendered in black, white, and shades of gray, with tinges of yellowand witty text tell the story, from Texas's near wilderness beginnings to the Battle of the Alamo and Gen. Sam Houston's ultimate victory over Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. Complete with maps, this title is far more effective in telling the complete history than a straightforward state history book.

Hale's best-selling history graphic novel series has tackled WWI, the Donner Party, and the Underground Railroad, among other topics. Here it turns to Texas. In addition to the usual cast of narrators than Hale, the hangman, and a British soldier cente Guerrero and his firing squad of Mexican soldiers are on the scene to help relay the lead-up to the benchmark Battle of the Alamo and its aftermath. Hale focuses more on individual actors than large-scale events, and while that makes for compelling storytelling, especially when it comes to the endlessly fascinating Jim Bowie, some of the key historical moments get a bit lost in the shuffle. The irreverent tone, interjections by the narrators, and often humorous backstories of the major players lighten the mood and break up battle scenes in digestible pieces, and Hale's dynamic cartoon art renders each character uniquely enough that they're easy to tell apart small feat, given the large cast. This nonfiction series' inviting approach to history, while perhaps a bit oversimplified, is great for kids bored by traditional textbooks.