Archives of the Unexplained is a new true crime/true mysteries series. The first volume covers the mysterious history of Area 51. True crime and the unexplained are hugely popular with my 4th and 5th grade students, so I was excited to give this a try.

This well-drawn graphic novel has the herculean task of condensing the history of Area 51 into a child-friendly, easy to follow narrative. And it mostly succeeds. There is a lot of information, and it's not always well-delivered. The framing narrative of a relative's funeral and looking through his papers didn't really work for me. I'm not opposed to frames in nonfiction graphic novels--I think History Comics does this very well. But I think this narrative made things more confusing.

That said, I will be purchasing this title for my library, as it fills a gap in my collection, and I know students will like it. I am looking forward to what the rest of the series has to offer.

What a delightful and intriguing read.

This graphic novel is perfect for curious middle schoolers who may have come across some of the vast conspiracy theories regarding Area 51. It starts off a little rocky in the beginning due to the sheer volume of information to get through, but then it smooths out. You even get a fun recap of the Area 51 Storming of 2019 that happened! That made me chuckle.

They can't stop all of us.

I would definitely recommend this to any kid who has a curiosity about government secrets.

Just don't let the Men in Black know about it!

This graphic novel tells the history of the mysterious Area 51 - what little they do know and can tell. I loved the graphics in this book and enjoyed learning some details and information I did not know regarding Area 51. The book attempted to make this a history lesson inside a mystery/adventure story. I did not think the fictional side was as effective as the informational side. The book pulled the reader between the past and present in places where I could not make sense of it. There was an overwhelming amount of information, but only a few pages of the story, making it hard to understand what the story was really about and why we even had the dual story line. I love the concept, so I'll try a few more in this series, but I think there needs to be a better balance of the fiction and information storylines.

Interesting mix of factual history and story in this middle grade graphic novel. Kids interested in aliens, Men in Black and the mysterious Area 51 will enjoy.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I am not typically a graphic novel reader but add aliens and I am in! This was so much fun to read. The illustrations are amazing and add so much to the story. I loved getting all of the history behind Area 51 and alien theories. I really am a sucker for any kind of alien story. This is such a fun read and I would 100% recommend it to kids who are interested in aliens!