A quick, accessible graphic novel for kids of all reading levels. Gives a good background to a legendary sports hero in a fun format. Definitely one I can easily recommend to kids, even if they're not looking for a biography!

Inspiring and interesting profile of a trailblazer in baseball. Interested in seeing the rest of the series. Shows that professional sports has been politicized for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for the advanced ebook copy.

I am a baseball fan, but admittedly did not know very much about Jackie Robinson beyond the well-known information about his role in integrating Major League Baseball. While geared toward younger readers, I believe this graphic novel is a great starting points for any reader to learn more about Robinson's life. Seeing the number 42 hanging at the ballpark will always have additional meaning to me.

I appreciated that the text didn't try to explain all of the terms used in the book, yet provided a glossary at the end.

I would love to read more graphic novels like this one about athletes whose stories we should know better.

Got this book for my son - who is an avid reader, and he really liked it.
He knew the name Jackie Robinson, but this book provided him a chance to read about his life story - using his favorite format.

The story is presented well, portraying the complex society of that time, and also how Jackie chose to deal with those situations and also the people around him - not all of whom were in his favor at any time. The lessons are presented in a way middle grade readers can easily assimilate, understand and accept. Given what's going in the news right now - with Police brutality against people of color, and social injustice - the book is a timely addition to the drive for awareness. We owe this to our children and future generations.

History repeats itself, and even when it doesn't, it rhymes enough for us to use what we learned from those past mistakes.

Thanks to NetGalley, Blake Hoena and Graphic Universe (pub.) for providing a complimentary electronic copy for my honest review.

'Jackie Robinson: Athletes Who Made A Difference' by Blake Hoena with art by David Shephard is a graphic novel biography for younger readers.

In a young reader accessible graphic novel, we are told the story of Jackie Robinson. Along the way, we learn his older brother medalled in the same Olympics as Jesse Owens, and that Jackie was a phenom at many sports, but since he was black, he was discriminated against. He was given a chance to change things, and it wasn't easy, but he did it.

It's a pretty straightforward biography, but still manages to cover a lot of ground. The art works well for a biography, and this is the kind of graphic novel I would have liked as a young history buff.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Lerner Publishing House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

This is an excellent graphic novel that depicts the life of Jackie Robinson in an easy to understand, fun to read, and super fast way. The illustrations are clear, clean, and beautiful. The story is compelling and informative. I am a baseball fan so I know about Jackie Robinson's baseball career, but I never knew about his life before his Brooklyn Dodger debut. To tell so much in such a low page count is a truly remarkable feat. I highly recommend this graphic novel for sports fans of all ages who want to know more about Jackie Robinson, one of baseball's greatest players.

This was a really good graphic novel. It took place in a darker time in this country’s history, when discrimination was still very prevalent. Hearing one man take these challenges head on was truly inspiring. No matter how rough things got, they refused to let it stop them from playing a game they loved. As this tale comes to a close, we hear about other people who got to play this game thanks to this person. If you are a fan of Jackie Robinson then this is a graphic novel you will want to check out.

Jackie Robinson was an excellent athlete in any field he participated in school. He quit college to help his mother. When he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, he focused on his game as it was a time of discrimination. His own team members weren’t happy when he became a member but soon realized that he was an excellent player. He had death threats sent to him and other fans “booed” him. He became the MLB rookie of the year in 1947. He became a legend in baseball.

This graphic novel is written about Jackie Robinson’s life during the time of racial discrimination. It is amazing to me that he didn’t give up after the death threats. I think he was a terrific person to not let anyone stand in his way of doing anything. He is a hero to all and should be remembered for that. The book includes a bibliography, index and glossary.

I love this series by the team focusing on the personalities which most of us would have forgotten, or whom the younger generation would not have known if it wasn't for this storybook series.

Regarding Jackie, his background and family have been described well and precisely.

This book describes briefly the struggles his mother had to face to survive; how racism, segregation and police brutality affected their lives when Jackie was growing up.

It also shows the importance of being surrounded by good-hearted adults and peers.

The chapters later described his journey participating in different sports as an athlete; who and what events eventually lead him to be the great athletic he was.

I just love how cleverly the whole book has been planned and executed.

It was like watching a short documentary.

I loved it.

The only issue I have is the intense, dark colors that are used for the illustrations.

I hope it turns out okay in the final physical copies.

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley.

Jackie Robinson by Blake Hoena is an excellent non-fiction graphic novel! I absolutely am digging all of the great non-fiction releases lately, especially the ones with great pictures and intriguing stories. I don't know much about Jackie Robinson, so I was delighted to pick up a sports book to learn more.

It was slightly amusing to hear that Jesse Owens inspired Jackie Robinson, as not long ago I read a book learning about him too! Small world!

This book is excellent and it's a great way to learn. The graphic novel aspect is also spectacular. I highly recommend picking this book up - young and old readers.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Great addition to my classroom bookshelf!! Easy to read colorful graphics. (The pages with pink, I wish would've been in the consistent yellow.)

A graphic novel about Jackie Robinson's life. The author handled the hard hitting life experiences, such as the burning of a cross, with style. Written in chapters, includes table of contents, an afterword, glossary, a reference page, and index.

This short graphic novel for kids details Jackie Robinson's life. It deals not only with how he broke the color barrier in sports but how he dealt with racism throughout his life. When he broke through with the Dodgers, he was not allowed to fight back or say a word to other players who were hurling racial slurs at him or trying to hurt him, so as not to be seen as an "angry black man". It takes a person with a lot of character to deal daily with that kind of abuse and just take it. Jackie Robinson is truly one of the finest Americans of the last 1oo years.

This entry in the "Athletes Who Made a Difference" series is a good introductory biography to Jackie Robinson. As it's shorter, it doesn't go too far in depth to any one part of his life, but jumps around to four major points. The art is sufficient, though not particularly inspiring.

Gives a great sense of the times for younger readers that Jackie Robinson grew up in and the challenges he faced.

This short graphic novel tells the story of Jackie Robinson's life and his start in professional baseball. The content is appropriate for older elementary kids and older. This would be a great addition to any diverse book collection. It is important for kids to learn about people who broke ground into a field and paved the way for others. Very inspiring!

This graphic novel tells the story of Jackie Robinson from the time of his birth as his parents fifth child on through his many achievements and challenges. This title tells Mr. Robinson's story well.

The author notes that Jackie's early years were marred by the racial tensions in his town and the absence of his father.  Still, one place where he was comfortable and excelled was a ball field.


The book goes on to follow Jackie as a teen when both he and his older brother, an Olympic athlete, excelled at sports. Jackie  played football, basketball, baseball and track.  However, his life and education were disrupted by WWII and the continued racism that he faced. 


The author acknowledges the many achievements of Jackie Robinson as he played baseball in the Negro Leagues and eventually played as the first African American on a previously all white major league team.  Jackie played to jeers from many in the crowd but persevered.  He was truly a gifted athlete and man.


This moment in time seems like a perfect one to remember and honor Mr. Robinson.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book for my honest opinion.
This is a nice introduction for kids to the life of Jackie Robinson. It covers his whole life and the struggles he endured at a kid friendly level. The illustrations are in a graphic novel format that is appropriate for 8-10 year olds.

I have not read many comic books/graphic novels and this book made me realize how much I enjoy these. I also love history comic books so I really enjoyed reading this. I have read several books about Jackie Robinson and I hadn't read any in awhile and rereading this refreshened my memory about his life and how groundbreaking and important he was to sports history. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend.

Jackie Robinson by Blake Hoena is a professionally-crafted, visually appealing graphic novel that is well organized and delivers a powerful story. Just the kind of book that is welcome in classroom and school libraries. A very well done text.