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A review by nicolemhewitt
Cape by Kate Hannigan
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This book is such a fun mixture of genres and formats: a historical fiction superhero novel with graphic novel elements! Right there, I was sold. This book will appeal to such a wide variety of kids, and I think it will get many of them reading about an era that they wouldn’t otherwise have thought they’d be interested in.
The book is set in the US during WWII, and it highlights the real-life women (and a few men) who contributed to the war effort in truly unique ways! I actually felt like I learned a lot from the book (and the author’s note at the end), but it definitely doesn’t feel like learning while you’re reading. The superhero elements are incredibly fun, and many of the most active superhero sections of the book are told via graphic novel format (via the amazing illustrations from Patrick Spaziante). The book also features a diverse trio of girls (one black, one Irish and one Japanese) who are trying to make the world a better place and touches on issues of racism and the Japanese internment. All three girls have family members fighting in the war, and the fear and tension that goes with that is not overlooked (though the book never gets too heavy-handed). There are a few things that aren’t exactly believable (no one knows that the girls are the superheroes? Those must be some fantastic masks), but you’re not reading this sort of story for believability. Also, a sad event is revealed at the end of the book, but it’s glossed over just a little bit and didn’t feel realistic to me—but this is a middle grade book, and I think Hannigan wanted to include that element without making the book overly depressing. All in all, I would highly recommend this fabulous read!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This book is such a fun mixture of genres and formats: a historical fiction superhero novel with graphic novel elements! Right there, I was sold. This book will appeal to such a wide variety of kids, and I think it will get many of them reading about an era that they wouldn’t otherwise have thought they’d be interested in.
The book is set in the US during WWII, and it highlights the real-life women (and a few men) who contributed to the war effort in truly unique ways! I actually felt like I learned a lot from the book (and the author’s note at the end), but it definitely doesn’t feel like learning while you’re reading. The superhero elements are incredibly fun, and many of the most active superhero sections of the book are told via graphic novel format (via the amazing illustrations from Patrick Spaziante). The book also features a diverse trio of girls (one black, one Irish and one Japanese) who are trying to make the world a better place and touches on issues of racism and the Japanese internment. All three girls have family members fighting in the war, and the fear and tension that goes with that is not overlooked (though the book never gets too heavy-handed). There are a few things that aren’t exactly believable (no one knows that the girls are the superheroes? Those must be some fantastic masks), but you’re not reading this sort of story for believability. Also, a sad event is revealed at the end of the book, but it’s glossed over just a little bit and didn’t feel realistic to me—but this is a middle grade book, and I think Hannigan wanted to include that element without making the book overly depressing. All in all, I would highly recommend this fabulous read!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***