First Names, Ferdinand Magellan, the happy nexus of graphic novel and book

First Names, Science Comics and Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales are the publishing equivalent of a slightly older brother by another mother. Science Comics, and their sibling, History Comics are graphic novels that are published by:01 First Second. Both of those series do an excellent job at presenting non-fiction topics or events in a graphic novel format. Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales are graphic novels that take a more humorous, but still non-fiction look at people or events. The First Names book series have hundreds of illustrations that would be at home in a graphic novel, but frame them around text that helps complete the story. First Names Ferdinand Magellan is a detailed look at his life, discovery, and the events surrounding all of them that shaped how we navigate the planet.

One aspect that we love about the First Names series is how much more detailed it is when compared to its contemporaries. The fact that text is the driving force in these books provides so many more details to those readers who want to be entertained, in addition to learning more. Shhhhh, don’t tell upper elementary or middle-grade readers that this is educational. They’ll have fun while reading Ferdinand Magellan, laugh a lot, smirk a little and learn a lot, but don’t tell them.

Ferdinand Magellan has chapters that are broken up into mini-nuggets and subheadings. There are illustrations on almost every page and some pages are completely illustrated. The art brings in most of the humor. That humor is real and often addresses the incorrect stereotypes or societal ills that were commonplace in 1400s. People are pompous and have shortcomings, those imperfections are given a wink and nod also as we see what those around Magellan might’ve been thinking also.

Even though Magellan was born noble, the timing of his birth, Christopher Columbus, and the politics of the day complicated his big discovery. Readers will walk away from First Names realizing that even though he’s world-famous for his discovery, it wasn’t easy and was fraught with danger, insubordination, completion, and the elements.

It’s written in an easy-going way that’s not intimidating for those middle school readers. Not only is it not intimidating, it invites them to continue reading. Like a great potato chip or a cat video, once you start it’s challenging to stop reading. The combination of humorous illustrations, lively text and true-life adventure makes Ferdinand Magellan difficult to resist for readers 10 and up.

First Names Ferdinand Magellan is by Candy Gourlay with illustrations by Tom Knight and on Abrams Books for Young Readers, and imprint of Abrams Books.

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