Easy to read with fun illustrations.
The story of Roanoke colony is fascinating - a colony of over a 100 people just goes missing and the only clue left behind is the word "Croatoan" etched in wood. It's something out of a horror novel yet the colony actually disappeared. This comic has some interesting and fun theories what happened to the colony but we will never know for sure.
History Comics: The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery reminds me a bit of the Horrible Histories books but less sarcastic and less bloody.

This graphic novel reminded me a lot of the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series, in a good way. It explained a lot about Roanoke and early Native American and English relations. I liked that it did not skirt over the horrible things the settlers did to the natives and how much they disrupted their way of life. I also liked the Native narrators. I think kids will find this one entertaining and intriguing.

This was a very comprehensive and fairly easy to follow graphic novel telling the history of the Roanoke Colony. I found this to be a very compelling way to share significant moments in history and especially enjoyed the humor that was added into the text. I am thinking about using this graphic novel series as part of a historical research report unit with students and am slightly concerned that this will be a bit too much for my sixth graders, as it is a lot to follow - not because of any choice the author made but because history does not follow linear timelines no matter how much we would like it too. This graphic novel would be best used independently by older students. However, from a pure enjoyment standpoint, I really liked this approach and learned a lot about Roanoke that I had not known before.

I'm a fan of First Second's Maker Comics and Science Comics so I was excited when I heard they'd be starting a new series of History Comics. This is a nice start to it. There's a lot presented here and sometimes I wasn't quite sure of the intended age range (middle grade? YA? in between?) but overall, it's a great way to get more history into kids' hands and a really useful resource. I can see these being used for many a research project!

I have been a big fan of the Science Comics series by First Second Press. So when I heard they were doing History comics also I was super excited! Just like with Science Comics, the History Comics series has a forward written by the author explaining their qualifications to write the comic.

This is all about the mystery surrounding Roanoke. I loved reading the story and even learned a lot. It would be a lot of fun to bring this comic into the classroom. It is still a fun story with silly jokes and great art. My students will love it.

I think my favorite part of the book is the ending. Without spoilers, it is hard to explain exactly why I loved this part so much. But it included some of the many theories as to what happened at Roanoke.

Creative Team:
Chris Schweizer
Colors by Liz Schweizer

The is a brilliant introduction to the subject in the form a graphic novel. It is reminiscent of Nale Hale’s books. Fun, fast paced and informative. My students loved it!

This is an interesting and nicely illustrated graphic novel about the Roanoke Colony. It was quite wordy so I would recommend this book for older kids. It starts at when the colonists arrived at Roanoke and it shows an accurate representation of what occurred.

My students really enjoyed this history book! It brought to life something that most of them had heard of a little bit, without knowing very much, but now feel like they've experienced. The illustrations were very detailed and make it easier to understand the text. At the end of the book there is a timeline, a map of the places talked about in the book, a list of places to visit (if you visited Roanoke Island / Manteo today), fast facts, and a list of websites to find more information about this subject. Excellent way to bring history to struggling readers.

It's easy to see that this book is inspired by the Nathan Hale graphic novels: they are both graphic novels of historical events with narrators who are directly addressing readers. I enjoy Hale's books a great deal and find that even as an adult I learn new information; this book was no different. I've read about the Roanoke colony before and find the mystery fascinating and this book added to my understanding of it. I really liked the short write-up at the end giving a little more information. With the popularity of Hale's books and graphic novels in general, plus a limitless number of historical events to cover, I suspect that this new series will be a hot item for kids. All in all, a great book!

"History Comics: The Roanoke Colony" is another good introduction to this historic event in the form of a graphic novel.