This series is highly informative. Even as an adult I learned a lot. It is well-researched and engaging.

I added this book to my October book talk doc that I send out as it's the perfect read aloud leading up the Indigenous People's Day. I love these books as read alouds in part because it is sharing information new to so many grown ups and opens the door to discussing how history is told, and how the narrator gets to pick the hero. This book is an asset to the series and I absolutely recommend it for your upper grade library - or as part of your social studies unit on the colonization years.

I love this series! History Smashers does just that - it smashes the myths of common historical events. Why don't we celebrate Columbus Day anymore? Kate Messner tells the truth in a voice that children can understand and appreciate. We are adding this one to the library as soon as possible.

History Smashers: Christopher Columbus and the Taino People continues with the chapter book series to expose historical stories and reveal the truth. This book focuses on Christopher Columbus' journey from Spain to find Asia. However, he ended up in America. As we have been taught in Social Studies class in the past, Christopher Columbus found America first. In this book, we learn that Christopher Columbus was not the first as the Taino People were already living on this land. The book features multiple chapters with images around spread around the book. There are some comic strip cels that are within the story. Some letters and text is written in cursive which may be hard or unable to be read by young readers. The text was information but I do not see many students willingly picking up this chapter book to read about Columbus and exploration.

This installment of Kate Messner's middle grade History Smashers series debunks many of the most commonly told and believed myths about Christopher Columbus as an explorer. In doing so, the book highlights the often untold or overlooked perspective of the Taino people who were impacted by the arrival of Columbus. The accessible combination of text and images gives readers insight into the realities of Columbus's voyages and an important perspective about the impact Columbus had on the Taino people. Includes a timeline and bibliography. This will be a valuable addition to my school's media center collection.

Authors Kate Messer, a former middle school English teacher, and Jose Barreiro, a former professor of Native American studies and a member of the Taino Nation, carefully unwrap the myths surrounding Christopher Columbus and his four voyages to the Carribean. They use Columbus's stellar , not not so true, reports to the King and Queen of Spain and the equally glowing writings of his nephew and commence to fact check the events. Everything from Columbus's sponsors, the boats, the crew, the devastating impact of the Spanish on theTaino civilization, and finally the rebellions by the sailors, settlers, and Tainos. The later portion of the book describes the life of of the Taino people after Columbus died to the Taino people today. Back matter includes a time line, and bibliography. I highly recommend this book for all upper elementary/middle school students.
#HistorySmashersChristopherColumbusandtheTainoPeople #NetGalley
Thank you to Random House Books For Young People and Netgalley for the digital arc.

Disclosure: I'm Puertorican and therefore biased toward the Taino People who make up a part of my heritage.

This is the perfect read for kids interested in real history. This is obviously well-researched and effectively presented. The book is almost entirely about Christopher Columbus and there is very little about the Taino People, but I'll give that a pass because there is a lot of Columbus lore that does need to be smashed and there is probably very little evidence on the ways of the Taino people that is not biased toward the European lens. I did feel like I learned a lot and that the language was accessible and fun. My one drawback is that in an effort to be thorough, it became a bit repetitive (especially when enumerating Columbus' failures... it felt like he just kept doing the same things and even I felt like skipping chapters) Overall this is very good at being factual and citing all their sources not just in the index but on the page, giving kids a good example of how to read primary material in the process.

This is an entertaining and important look at the facts behind Christopher Columbus and his "discovery" of America. Using his own writings and other primary sources, the authors smash the myths surrounding Columbus and his many trips to what became known as the West Indies. The illustrations will help to draw young readers in and keep them interested in this horrifying history. Written for middle grade students (grades 4-7), this does not go into the graphic details of what Columbus and his men did to the Taino, but it also does not sugarcoat their transgressions. This book should be in all libraries and classrooms where American history is studied. Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.

The History Smashers series has been fantastic and this one Christopher Columbus and the Taino People did not disappoint. This book focuses on the facts of what happened, exploring the fact that what Columbus and other explorers did to Native people was wrong. This book provides more information on the Taino and how life was destroyed for them. In addition, it ties in current events at the end. Overall, a great book that should be read by students.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
Messner offers well researched insights into complicated history of the European explorers coming to the Americas. The focus is on Christopher Columbus but many others are mentioned too. Columbus is portrayed realistically. Readers see his flaws, stubbornness about giving up on his ideas, his passion to discover new routes, and his commitment to continued exploration. Messner also includes the Taino people. She offers credit to Dr. Jose Barreiro, a Taino elder and historian, for the knowledge he provided on this nation. The history included allows readers to see beyond the stories and learn information on this time period. The author includes a timeline and bibliography for further study.
Written in language middle grade readers will comprehend.

This is a really refreshing look at Christoper Columbus. This book really focuses on the Taino people whom should be in the history books more!

This book shows different perspectives and is a great level for elementary school readers. My daughters both read this and the book really sparked a lot of good questions. I felt like they really learned a lot from this book, as did I.

This is a great series for young and old minds alike.

Thank you to Random House Children's and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! Every year, I teach my students about Columbus and the Taino people. I know that my students often would like to learn more, and this book will be one that I direct them towards. The information is presented in an easy-to-read way, and many students would be surprised to know they were reading a nonfiction text. It is perfect for upper elementary.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This book is definitely an important read regarding the truth about Columbus as history has morphed his reputation over time to be almost unrecognizable compared to reality. Compared with some of the other History Smashers books, this one did seem a little lighter in historical depth than some of the other books and didn’t seem to have as many primary source references as some of the others in the series. Some of the individuals discussed were superficially addressed leaving a few more questions than answers. And while, perhaps, the history is a bit too gruesome to fully address in a book targeting a younger audience, it didn’t seem to go as in depth into the horrors inflicted on the Taino — there are a couple of references to De Las Casas’s work, but the passages/content was the lighter and less disturbing and barely scratched the surface of the atrocities inflicted— i.e. babies being drowned in the river because they were considered children of the devil, the Spanish placing bets on how easily they could kill the indigenous, and sending dogs to chase and attack those fleeing into the mountains. He also mentioned that the Spanish made it the standard that for every one person killed by the indigenous, the Spanish would kill 100. Now, I totally understand why an upper elementary/middle grade book would avoid the gruesome details; however, the book largely intimates that the deaths came from overwork and disease, which while true, seems to gloss over the intentional killing, often for sport or power, of these people. Aside from this significant omission, the rest of the content is really good and important.

Quick quiz: Who was Juan Rodriquez Bermejo? Answer near the end of review.

Although I've had this series' Mayflower book in my digital stash for awhile, I have to admit to having never read it. I'll be remedying that failure soon. In other words, this one hooked me. As a former history major and teacher, while I did actually know many of the not-so-well-known details, I was delighted to discover that I not only had something to learn from this book but that it was such a delightful experience.

The book's format, with a combo of easy to read and grasp text mixed with often humorous drawings/comics, photos, maps, scrolls, and dialogue that flowed like you were having a discussion with the authors, it was a fascinating look at the myth of Columbus the great explorer, why that myth isn't true, and the actual facts. As it turns out, not only wasn't Columbus very likable, he also wasn't much of a manager and never came to accept that he hadn't, in fact, found a new route to Asia/India. In fact, he died still claiming he'd found Asia/India. Unfortunately, many others died because of him. The addition of the information on the Taino people then and now was an added plus. In fact, co-author Jose Barreiro is a Taino elder.

Bottom line, this one has turned out to be an excellent read. It’s aimed at children but, quite frankly, should work for about any age from upper elementary on up, adults included. I looked up some of the previous books in the series and they seem to follow the same basic pattern: introduce the myth, show why it can’t be completely true, then present the facts. I won’t detail here further other than to say I love the mix of breezy, conversational text and usually humorous comic book worthy illustrations.

Finally, Juan Rodriquez Bermejo was the first man to actually sight land, a white beach, on the initial voyage of the Pinta, Nina, and Santa Maria. Let's just say, he wasn't very happy with Christopher Columbus, whose real name you'll learn in the book.

This one would be an excellent addition to school, library, or personal bookshelves. Thank you #NetGalley and #RandomHouseChildren's - #RandomHouseBooksForYoungReaders and the authors for opening my eyes to "the rest of the real story". I'll be reading that Mayflower edition asap.

Mt kids love these history smasher books, they make history easily accessible to younger kids while still making it fun and interesting.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I have read several books of this series and this one did not disappoint. I think that for so long we have been fed that Christopher Columbus was amazing, when in reality he really was not. I thought that it was appropriately presented for elementary school aged readers. The author did a good job sharing the facts. I can't wait for the next book!

I love this series, and this newest title is an amazing addition to the collection! Messner’s and Barreiro explore the myths and the facts about Columbus’ impact on history, and specifically the Taino People. The storytelling format is perfect for elementary aged readers, and a perfect complement to units of study on the early explorers. I will definitely be adding copies of this title to our shelves!

Very informative and interesting book sure to keep the readers attention. Lots of facts even adults were unaware of about Columbus

As a kid, I never got into nonfiction and I believe that if I had a book like this one I would have! I enjoyed the various illustrations, easy narrative, and 'smashing' of myths. The content was made easily digestible by its fun divisions of paragraphs, graphic panels, and scroll declarations. I also really appreciated the timeline at the end since it basically is a summary of all the major points of the book. I look forward to reading more of the History Smashers books!

History Smashers is a great series. If you haven’t read any of them, you will find that they are very comprehensive, and give both the common myth about an historical event, and they it is broken down so you can understand why the myth is wrong, and what actually happened. Apparently Kate Messner, the author, has been asked to write about what actually happened with Chrstopher Columbus, in the past, but hasn’t gotten around to it until now, because she met Jose Barreiro, who is a descendant of the Taino people who were present when Christopher Columbus first came ashore in the West Indies.
With the background that Barreiro brings to the book, we can see the other side to the common myths about Columbus, and get a different point of view, which is the whole point of the History Smashers.
In this case, the book talks about common thought about Columbus that turned out to be false, as well as what the Taino People were like, and how they reacted.

Highly recommend this series, both this book, and the other books, she has written.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out from Random House, 8th of August 2023