Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Big Bad Ironclad!” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Big Bad Ironclad!

(Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #2)

Nathan Hale (Goodreads Author)

4.40 · Rating details · 2,898 ratings · 313 reviews

An alternate cover edition can be found here.

Each of the books in Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales has elements of the strange but true and is presented in an engaging, funny format, highlighting the larger-than-life characters that pop up in real history. Big Bad Ironclad! covers the history of the amazing ironclad steam warships used in the Civil War.
From the ship’s invento ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 128 pages

Published August 1st 2012 by Harry N. Abrams

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Big Bad Ironclad!, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Best Graphic Novels for Children

1,185 books — 1,627 voters

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

History through graphic novels

520 books — 460 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.40 ·

Rating details

· 2,898 ratings · 313 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Big Bad Ironclad!

Jul 26, 2012 Betsy rated it it was amazing

If you should find that you share your name with a Revolutionary War Hero you have various ways of making use of that fact. You could join Revolutionary War re-enactors on a regular basis and field unceasing questions about whether or not that is your real name. You could start writing historical fan fiction or fun alternative histories. Or you could follow in the footsteps of one Nathan Hale and write the number one funniest and best-written history-based graphic novel series on bookshelves tod ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Aug 11, 2018 Skip rated it liked it

Shelves: historical, series-in-progress, graphic-novels

Nathan Hale (the patriot) is still standing at the gallows awaiting his execution, and is asked by his executioners to recall another story. This one is about the iconic battle of the Confederacy's Merrimack (Virginia) and the Union's Monitor. Hale has done his research about the military men and epic battle. A colorful graphic novel, which may be an effective way of teaching history to those that would otherwise not be interested.

P.S. Sorry to see the return of the simpleton, hangman. ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Jan 14, 2014 Kami rated it it was amazing

- This was another hilarious and educational tale! I loved it!

- I really like that Nathan Hale (the spy) is still telling stories to the hangman and the redcoat. It's like Scheherezade telling stories to the king to stay alive.

- I didn't know there were naval battles in the Civil War! That is really cool.

- William Cushing was the best part of this book. He was hilarious and awesome! I love that he was a forerunner for the Navy Seals. I want to go research this guy some more.

- The Lego instructio ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Oct 24, 2014 Mindy rated it liked it

I am not a fan of graphic novel. So the fact that I even made it through this book speaks to it's merits. My kids brought this book home from the bookmobile (yes we still have a bookmobile, and we love it!) I picked it up off the couch and ended up stealing it from my kids.
This GN is about the Monitor and the Merrimack, the first two ironclad warships during the Civil War. I found it interesting and informative. There were the same drawback I find with most GN's: the illustrations were at times ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 12, 2013 Barb Middleton rated it it was amazing

Shelves: good-read-aloud, historical, graphic-novel

Book two continues the story of Nathan Hale who is still trying to avoid the noose by telling stories from the future in this hilarious graphic novel that involves the invention of ironclad warships in the Civil War. The childish hangman is back along with the cynical British Provost. Backdrop from the first book has four characters discussing how Nathan Hale was to be hanged as a spy when a humungous history book swallowed him whole then burped him up giving him the mysterious ability to see i Book two continues the story of Nathan Hale who is still trying to avoid the noose by telling stories from the future in this hilarious graphic novel that involves the invention of ironclad warships in the Civil War. The childish hangman is back along with the cynical British Provost. Backdrop from the first book has four characters discussing how Nathan Hale was to be hanged as a spy when a humungous history book swallowed him whole then burped him up giving him the mysterious ability to see into the future. An African American, Billy, brings a new rope to the platform and Nathan Hale tells him he will be the first African American international prizefighter. Hangman asks Billy to "show me your best punch" to which he obliges leaving Hangman to warble, "Ow. That story hurt." Nathan Hale asks if Hangman wants to hear another story to which he replies, "One with less face punching, please." The Provost says, "We might as well. But I don't want any more nonsense about the Americans beating the British in this war." The witty dialogue, action, and famous characters make this a page turner that I liked even more than the first book.

To keep all the characters straight the author uses catchy names and pictures such as Lincoln calling his Navy Secretary with a long white beard, "Father Neptune"; Stephen Mallory with his razor teeth and hair fashioned into a shark's fin is dubbed, "Sharkface,"; and last, Neptune's assistant, Foxy, is drawn as an actual fox. Toss in the Swedish inventor who blew up a President's cabinet before being given the job of making a warship made of iron; a prankster, Will Cushing, who uses this odd talent to foil the enemy; to Hangman, who interrupts the story because he has to go to the bathroom. My favorite line is when Hangman asks for all of Cushing's stories and Nathan Hale says he can't tell them all because there are too many. "I want to hear all of them," Hangman growls. "Well, you can look in the back of this book at the bibliography." "Oh! I'll do that!" Hangman says excitedly. "Do you even know what a bibliography is?" asks the cynical British Provost. "Of course I do!" Hangman winks at the reader and whispers, "I hanged a librarian last week!"

This book is in blue tones representing Union soldiers; whereas, book one is in red tones to represent the British redcoats. A nice aide to help readers keep straight that book one takes place during the Revolutionary War and book two takes place during the Civil War - not to mention it saves on publishing costs. The back of the book tells what facts the author made up and what was true. Yep, "Sharkface" is made up, but Lincoln did call his Naval Secretary, "Father Neptune." The research babies are back with their crotchety attitudes complaining about Hangman, "Be careful with the research materials, you Philistine!" to showing disgust at a long title of a book in the impressive Bibliography. Guaranteed laughter. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 20, 2017 Jenn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, humor, ya-lit, book-clubs, graphic-novels, series, juvenile-fic, history, 2017-staff-book-bingo-challenge-17

My middle school book club *loved* 'Donner Dinner Party' so I broke our 'no series' rule and picked another one, since they don't really have to be read in order and they don't really continue a specific order. I'm not a huge reader of history but these graphic novels could make anyone a fan. I look forward to sharing these with Xavier.

I love that these are quick and easy to read, while being packed full of interesting facts you might not already know. The humor is great as well. This volume fo ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 18, 2018 David rated it really liked it

Shelves: military, u-s-history, us-civil-war

4.5

This series is the best. It makes history so accessible to all ages. I really enjoyed this one a lot. I was not familiar with the story of Will Cushing before reading this and I am so glad that I am now aware of that incredible tale.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 26, 2018 Clare Lund rated it really liked it

Loved this humorous and (mostly) factual account of history. It kept my attention and I learned a lot, and the graphic novel format makes it accessible for all readers. Great series for ages 8 and up.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 01, 2017 Brady Meier rated it it was amazing

It's the Civil War and the South has broken off of the United States. And a kid in the Union Navy is playing jokes on drill sergeants. They are pretty good pranks though. Ok, back to the topic. Virginia has just became a Southern state which means that so does the famous war ship the Merrimack. The South turns the Merrimack into a Ironclad. So that means that the North has to create a Ironclad too. So the war on the seas turns into a war of ironclads.

I mostly like this book because of the dra ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 30, 2014 Aurora rated it liked it

"Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad!" is a American history graphic novel about the Civil War. The story coincides with the other Nathan Hale books, as it is told by Nathan Hale. This time, Nathan Hale tells the Hangman and the British officer a tale from the "future" in the 1800s. Nathan Hale describes how the North and South are a war with each other. He also tells them how the sides are trying to develop new naval technology. After the South captures the Northern ship "The Merrim ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 15, 2015 Joseph R. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s, comics-graphic-novels, read_2015

American patriot and colonial spy Nathan Hale continues regaling his executioners with tales from future history (because he got sucked into a book or something in the first volume--just go with it). Here he gives the story of the first armored naval vessels in the 1860s. The two most famous ones (because they were the first ones) are the Monitor and the Merrimack (renamed the Virginia), built by the United States and the Confederacy respectively. He describes not only their battles and ultimate ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 12, 2013 Allison rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, graphic-novel-comics, juvenile, historical-fiction

NO NO NO NO NO. 0 stars. I can't even get passed the fly leaf. What I hoped to be a decent GN that blurs the lines of fiction/nonfiction with enough nonfiction some libraries put it in nonfiction collections had a rather large error on the fly leaf in a map differentiating between Union, Confederate, and boarder states and territories. It marks Kansas as a Confederate state. Granted it has been a while since my college Civil War class I double, triple and quadrupled checked to make sure I wasn't ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2018 Kari rated it it was amazing

This is just fun! The color scheme through the book matches the cover. There’s a lot of one liners that made me laugh out loud. And the illustrations are great. Perfect historical graphic novel

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 05, 2012 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, graphics-n-comics

Even more delightful than the first one! The history book that swallowed Nathan Hale (the Revolutionary war hero, not the author) shows him the first naval battles of the Civil War, and he regales his hangman with a story about ironclad ships and what is essentially the first submarine! So much fun, and still informative!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 25, 2014 Caroline rated it it was amazing

I thought it was nice. It has some true things in it. I am going to tell you about one of the fictional parts. There was a talking fox who was in the Army and drove a boat! It takes place during the Civil War.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 02, 2015 Margaret Carpenter rated it really liked it

Did I mention that this series is by someone ALSO named Nathan Hale who was born exactly 200 years after the spy died because that would be a true statement.

I actually learned things in this book ?? about boats in the civil war ?? okay

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 29, 2017 Ryan Sood rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1-3-days

I thought that this book was very good because it told a lot about history that I hadn't known before. This was a historical fiction boom that was funny yet it still told about the naval part of the civil war. I thought that this book was very good and I would recommend it. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 28, 2016 Cade Salem rated it really liked it

Funny book. Good parts in the book

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 28, 2016 Jayden rated it it was amazing

it was a great book. i thought it was a good way to tell the civil war. :)

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 30, 2016 JihoHa rated it it was amazing

It was fun and good book

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 14, 2016 Machaia rated it really liked it

Not my favorite of Hale's books, but still a fantastic addition. Also, it's worth reading for the exploits of William Cushing alone - hilarious! ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 26, 2016 Nick Podzimek12 rated it really liked it

This was a vary good book . it had so much action in the book .

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

May 10, 2017 Stasi rated it liked it

I learned a lot about the Civil War naval battles, a subject I honestly didn't even know existed! ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 29, 2017 Miss Lee rated it liked it

This is probably my least favorite out of the series.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 02, 2015 Stuart rated it it was amazing

History was always one of my least favorite subjects in school. It never felt like I was taught anything interesting. It was just a large collection of important people, places, and dates. Anytime, there was something that remotely piqued my interest, it was glossed over or ignored. I believe a lot of people my age felt this way, and that if you asked someone what they most remembered from history they could tell you one of two things - "In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue," or some variation History was always one of my least favorite subjects in school. It never felt like I was taught anything interesting. It was just a large collection of important people, places, and dates. Anytime, there was something that remotely piqued my interest, it was glossed over or ignored. I believe a lot of people my age felt this way, and that if you asked someone what they most remembered from history they could tell you one of two things - "In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue," or some variation of "If you don't learn history, you're doomed to repeat it." Since I have become a parent, I have thought a lot about the future education of my children. and making sure they get a better education than I did. That's not to say that mine was bad, but I can look back on it now and see how it could have been better. One way I would do that is to make history fun, and I have found the best way to do that is with a Living History curriculum and texts that capture the reader's attention. A book series I have found that accomplished that is called Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales.

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales is a five (soon to be six) volume set. The books in the set are as follows:

One Dead Spy - A Revolutionary War Tale
Big Bad Ironclad! - A Civil War Tale
Donner Dinner Party - A Pioneer Tale
Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood - A World War I Tale
The Underground Abductor - An Abolitionist Tale
Alamo All-Stars - A Texas Tale

For those unfamiliar with who Nathan Hale was, he was a soldier for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Nathan Hale is also the name of the author of this series of books. In Book 1 - One Dead Spy, Nathan Hale, the historical figure, is scheduled to be executed for being a spy. A British soldier is looking for the execution papers, and a hangman (the comic relief) is trying to help Hale come up with famous last words to say. Hale finally says, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." His memorable words caused a "Big Huge Book of American History" to appear and absorb Hale into it. Then, Hale instantly reappeared with all knowledge of American history including future history. This turns into the whole premise/running gag of the series. At the beginning of every book, the Brit and the hangman are planning to hang Hale, but he regales them with a tale of American history or what would in reality be the future to them.

The books themselves are told in graphic novel/comic book format. That means it visually draws you and feels more like reading a story than listening to a history lesson. The historical figures interact with one another, and it is not reading something in the third person. Throughout the Hazardous Tales, there are lots of interruptions by the three members mentioned above, which provides the reader with context and depth when needed. It also serves to lighten the mood at times, so the reader forgets that they are not only reading for fun, but learning something too! Of the current five books, the one I enjoyed the best was Donner Dinner Party, because who doesn't love a tale about cannibalism? :)

Now, I would like to address what I like and dislike about the series. I will start with what I dislike, because there isn't much I dislike. At times, there is some disrespectful language. It's not vulgar, but I guess sassy would be the right word. The children in Donner Dinner Party are at times disrespectful towards their parents and wish their older sister would shut up about her pony. Your kids are going to be exposed to that kind of sass, but you can let them know that is a trait that will not be tolerated in your house, so that's my biggest gripe.

What I liked about this book is the level of detail, which I will explain as best I can. For starters, the inside covers of the book have a map of the United States and what it looked like for the year the book takes place. One Dead Spy's map is 1775; Donner Dinner Party's map is 1846; and so on. The front of each book has differing flags, depending on the era for the book. One Dead Spy has an American flag with 13 stars on one side and a British flag on the other side. Big Bad Ironclad! has an American flag on one side and a Confederate flag on the other side. On the back of the book is a "Hazard Level," which is basically a warning of what your children will encounter. For example, Big Bad Ironclad! has a Hazard Level Red for Explosive. This level includes "blockade-runners, privateers, burning shipyards, underwater toilets, Swedish swearing, ironclad battleships, and a bomb on a stick." I also love that at the end of the book there is actual factual history, questions about why some parts were included and other parts excluded, and a bibliography for the book. Even all these facets are done in an engaging way to not break character and keep history light and fun, but also accurate.

I honestly was not sure what to expect from these books when I received them. I thought they would either be dry stories that the author attempted to make interesting or so far off the wall that there would be no literary value to them. However, I was pleasantly surprised by them, and they more than exceeded my expectations. Hale (the author, not the historical figure) carefully picked his subjects for each book to ensure he started with a compelling historical account. He then even more carefully researched the history to make the story as close to factual as the records were able to verify. What he ended up producing is a series that I hope has no end in sight. So who are these books for? I would say a child in 3rd grade, perhaps 2nd if an advanced reader would be a good starting age for these books. I hate to put an age cap on them because tastes vary and some middle schoolers might feel they are too grown up for them, but conversely, some high schoolers might love them. Each child is different. I do think that these are more boy books than girl books, because of the comic format and tendency for the comics to skew a bit gruesome at times. But don't rule them out if you only have girls, check one out at a library and if they love them, buy them! These belong in the classroom and on the home bookshelf, as your child will want to read them multiple times. Highly recommended! ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 23, 2021 Clint rated it really liked it

Shelves: comics, hoopla, library, nonfiction, abrams-books, 2021-read

4.5 stars
Another totally entertaining and memorably informative bit of American history from Nathan Hale. I love how he anchors the story on a few notable characters; Will Cushing is at the heart of this book and a thrilling delight as a pranksterish sort of proto-Navy Seal who was earlier kicked out of the Naval Academy for schoolboy mischief. The story of the earliest ironclads themselves and the other personalities notably involved with them is great too and tells the story of the Monitor and ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 21, 2021 Kiri rated it really liked it

Who knew history could be so entertaining? This was great fun to read, and I genuinely learned things about the Civil War. How had I not known of William Cushing before? Nathan Hale definitely brings stories to life (with only a slightly goofy take) and keeps you reading (I read this in one sitting). This book covers the start of the Civil War, the transformation by the South of the USS Merrimack into the iron-clad CSS Virginia, the North's response with the iron-clad USS Monitor, and the ensuin ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 13, 2018 Bill rated it liked it

My least favorite of this series that I've read so far, mainly due to some really random and unnecessary personifications of historical figures. Still, the core story of the innovation, risks, and successes of using armored ships in Civil War naval combat was a bit more interesting than I expected. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 18, 2020 Jonah Garner rated it really liked it

Interesting, but could do better!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 19, 2013 Quinn Rollins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, graphic-novels-comics, young-adult

Nathan Hale has been a favorite local (Utah) author and artist for several years now. I first met him at a booksigning in suburban Salt Lake City, and casually followed what he was working on since then. Up until last year the highlight of his career has been the two graphic novels written by Shannon Hale (no relation): Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack. Both are very entertaining takes on fairy tales, both come highly recommended by me.

Now Hale has his own series, taking stories from Americ Nathan Hale has been a favorite local (Utah) author and artist for several years now. I first met him at a booksigning in suburban Salt Lake City, and casually followed what he was working on since then. Up until last year the highlight of his career has been the two graphic novels written by Shannon Hale (no relation): Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack. Both are very entertaining takes on fairy tales, both come highly recommended by me.

Now Hale has his own series, taking stories from American History and retelling them in a funny and informative way: Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales. The first, published last year was One Dead Spy, the account of Nathan Hale's namesake, Nathan Hale. The second book, also published in 2012, is Big Bad Ironclad!

Big Bad Ironclad, is of course a Civil War tale, about the sea battle between the Monitor and the Virginia (when I was growing up, we called that one the Merrimack), two of the first ironclad ships. The format of Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales is that each story is narrated by historic spy Nathan Hale, delaying his own execution Sheherezade-style by telling stories from American History to his own Hangman and a British Provost. Hale (the author) plays with the idea of Hale (the spy) as an omniscient historian, who's able to tell stories that haven't happened yet, and he's balanced out by the Hangman, who's brutish but loves cute little animals, and the Provost, who reminds me of a stuffier Sam Eagle from The Muppet Show. But...British.

A brief prologue does a good job of introducing the Civil War, and even though Big Bad Ironclad is really only one small episode within the larger conflict, the book manages to give perspective to the war. We meet Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet, we learn about General Winfield Scott's Anaconda Plan to cut off the South from any outside support, and meet Gideon Welles, Lincoln's "Father Neptune" and Secretary of the Navy. These people put the ironclad plans into motion, and does so in a quick, straightforward way that is easy for kids and teens to get onboard with.

The graphic novel format keeps things moving quickly, and lets Hale play with words and images--Gideon Welles' assistant Gustavus Fox is rendered as a cute little fox, and Confederacy naval leader Stephen Mallory is shown as a "sharkface," although Hale does point out that he's not a villain so much as a leader of the opposition.

Interspersed with the main story about the building and battle of the Monitor and Virginia is the story of William Cushing--a guy I hadn't ever heard of, but a navy officer who ends up becoming the prototype for Navy SEALS. His adventures punctuate the already exciting war story, and are able to provide a continual thread that gives us insight into the other things that were happening away from the ironclads.

Big Bad Ironclad includes biographies of the major characters in the story (so that kids can find out that Stephen Mallory wasn't really known as "Sharkface"), a bibliography that includes resources on the Ironclads, the Civil War, and some of the major characters in the book; a "Corrections Baby" page that addresses some historical discrepancies, and a Civil War timeline that points out where Will Cushing was at various points in the conflict. One of my favorite "extras" is at the bottom of the timeline, where we're shown how to build our own Monitor from a few "plastic bricks." As a die-hard LEGO fan, I was pleased to see that.

Even though this is only two books into the series, I love it. The humor, the adventure, the historic accuracy and the clever diversions from history are all the way I think history should be taught to kids. If you have children coming up on their middle school years--or even if you don't, you'll want them to pick up Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales. The next book in the series comes out in August 2013 -- and with a title like The Donner Dinner Party, I'm more excited than I should be. I can't wait.

Post Script:

Big Bad Ironclad does have one pretty spectacular error--in the endpapers of the book is a Civil War map, and Kansas is miscolored as a Confederate state. The error was caught after printing, and Nathan Hale (the author) went on a Kansas Apology Tour, speaking at schools and libraries, getting "booed" by kids (and possibly adults). He drew a mini-comic about Bleeding Kansas especially for the event, and provided accurate maps and let kids "Unionize" Kansas with a blue marker. Kinda embarrassing, but it also shows Hale's dedication to his job, and the sense of humor he has about himself. You can see more about all that at http://www.hazardoustales.com. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Sequential Art > Graphic Novels

151 users

History

84 users

Nonfiction

56 users

Childrens > Middle Grade

28 users

Historical

24 users

Military History > Civil War

22 users

Sequential Art > Comics

15 users

Childrens

14 users

Humor

13 users

War

12 users

See top shelves…

About Nathan Hale

Nathan Hale

526 followers

Nathan Hale is the New York Times best-selling author/illustrator of the Hazardous Tales series, as well as many picture books including Yellowbelly and Plum go to School, the Twelve Bots of Christmas and The Devil You Know.

He is the illustrator of the Eisner-nominated graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge and its sequel, Calamity Jack. He also illustrated Frankenstein: A Monstrous Parody, The Dinosaur ...more