Calvert the Raven in The Battle of Baltimore

You think history is boring?

Baltimore kid Daniel does—until a chance encounter with a magical talking raven named Calvert sends him flying back to 1814, where he finds his home city under siege by a British army on the verge of defeating the United States of America in the War of 1812.

Amidst the fire of muskets, the thunder of cannons, and the dark approach of the British armada, Daniel discovers just what it took for a young nation to endure the Battle of Baltimore. He witnesses firsthand the bombardment of Fort McHenry.

“History,” Calvert tells Daniel, “is watery.” And maybe the star-spangled banner won’t survive this time.

The beautifully illustrated pages of Calvert the Raven in the Battle of Baltimore, the first book of the Flying Through History series, are as close as you can get to the Battle of Baltimore without going back in time yourself. Author and illustrator J. Scott Fuqua takes you on a harrowing journey through a history of near misses, narrow escapes, and brave soldiers with no idea what tomorrow would bring.

When you’re flying through history, history is never boring.

J. Scott Fuqua is the author of four award-winning young adult novels. He has also written three highly acclaimed literary novels and the award-winning graphic novel In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe. Fall 2012 will see the publication of the multimedia project Medusa’s Daughter, which is coming out as a novel, graphic novel, and graphic novella, and in all ebook formats. He’s penned and illustrated two books on the history of architecture and a children’s book on the history of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. For elementary students, he wrote the graphic chapter book Catie and Josephine. He has also written, illustrated, and created The Adventures of MT Pitt and The Synagogue Speaks.

Currently, he is writing and illustrating new books for kids; his sixth novel, The Mystery of the Greaser Hotel; and living history plays for the Maryland Historical Society and the Jewish Museum of Maryland.

Calvert the Raven in the Battle of the Baltimore is the first of what he hopes to be many installments of the Flying Through History series.

He has received three Maryland State Arts Council writing awards and teaches writing and illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art.