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A review by sandraagee
Donner Dinner Party: A Pioneer Tale by Nathan Hale
4.0
This was the first book that I read after starting my maternity leave. Like its predecessors, the graphic novel tackles an under-discussed historical event in American history, provides a lot more detail than you would ever find in a textbook, and presents it in a way that the average 5th grader will find appealing.
Given that canibalism is all that most people know about the Donner Party, I was a bit surprised that the actual cannibalism wasn't discussed more. It was mentioned, but not dwelled upon. Instead the focus seemed to be more on how the pioneers struggled to survive and the individual interesting characters who made up the party. I thought this was actually kind of nice. Getting to know undersold figures in history is what this series excels at, and I felt that for a story that revolves around such personal struggle and loss it was handled very tastefully. I can see how a kid looking for a cannibal story might be a hair disappointed, but hopefully there us enough else going on to make up for it. I know there was for me.
Given that canibalism is all that most people know about the Donner Party, I was a bit surprised that the actual cannibalism wasn't discussed more. It was mentioned, but not dwelled upon. Instead the focus seemed to be more on how the pioneers struggled to survive and the individual interesting characters who made up the party. I thought this was actually kind of nice. Getting to know undersold figures in history is what this series excels at, and I felt that for a story that revolves around such personal struggle and loss it was handled very tastefully. I can see how a kid looking for a cannibal story might be a hair disappointed, but hopefully there us enough else going on to make up for it. I know there was for me.