Donner Dinner Party

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #3

by Nathan Hale

«What would you do to survive?»

In the spring of 1846, a group of families left Illinois and began the long journey to California. To save time, they took an ill-advised shortcut─with disastrous consequences.

Bad weather, bad choices, and just plain bad luck forced the pioneers to spend a long, cold winter in the mountains, slowly starving. What they did to stay alive and the lengths that others went in order to rescue them make this one of the most tragic and infamous stories of the American frontier.

Genres: Graphic Novels, History, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Historical, Comics, Childrens

128 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2013

About the author

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 Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas, Animal House and many others.

(He is not the author of Extinction Earth or the other apocalyptic titles listed. That's a different Nathan Hale. If someone with "librarian" status would disambiguate those titles for me, I'd appreciate it.)

Learn more at www.spacestationnathan.blogspot.com

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to lose weight, have I got a book for you! If reading an illustrated version of the Donner Party's trials and travails doesn't make you lose your appetite, nothing will.

I figured I'd enjoy this one, I just didn't expect to love it quite so much. And, who'd a thunk a book about the most famous case of cannibalism in US history would be so danged funny? But, believe me, if you have a slightly warped sense of humor like me, you'll find this one to be hilarious. From the dialogue:

"Well, Grandma didn't make it very far."
"No, son, she didn't. But, she died doing what she loved . . . riding in a wagon."

To when the group finally spots some buffalo.

"Ho there, children, would you like to go hunting . . ."
"YEAH!"
". . . for buffalo chips for tonight's fire?"

To the epilogue, when I learned for the first time that survivor, and alleged cannibal, Lewis Keseberg, later opened a restaurant. (It did not succeed.)

This one is but one volume of what appears to be an awesome "nonfiction historical cartoon adventure" series, and I'm planning to read every one of 'em.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's an old Pennsylvania Dutch custom that eating pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day will bring good luck and good fortune in the months ahead. I'm betting eating long pig will bring EVEN MORE luck and fortune.

It's time for dinner, folks!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay: wow.

The Donner Party, in which a group of emigrants headed to California turn cannibal to survive, is one of US history's bleaker episodes. It's a small episode, as well, and one often ignored by the textbooks, since it has no political bearing and is, well, distasteful (pardon my pun). And now Nate Hale tackles it in his third graphic novel about American history, and does an amazing job. I mean, wow, people. Despite the heaviness of the topic (and I was, in fact, in tears at one point), the book is imbued with his trademark humor and the art is, as always superb. He manages to make it real while still keeping it light enough for kids to handle. Tricky, tricky, tricky, and so well done. This might be my favorite (so far). I actually stayed up until midnight to finish it, and realized when I was done that I'd forgotten to sit down and was just standing in the middle of the living room.

Yep. It was THAT GOOD.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the Donner Dinner Party is still an infamous tragedy that definitely strikes me as an adult, when I was a kid, I was obsessed with historical tales of disastrous events like this one. The cannibalism alone was enough to intrigue me, much less all of the other awful layers to the Donner Party! So, when I saw that a nonfiction graphic novel series had decided to tackle the tale, I had to check it out — I wondered if it would sugarcoat things, and frankly, it didn't at all, which impressed me. This was a really enjoyable (and surprisingly humorous) take on the story, and I learned a few new things, too.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for something historical to entertain the children and they aren't disturbed by grisly things like cannibalism, well then this is the book for you. Nathan Hale has put a lot of research into the book to make it historically accurate. It's not like he resorted to cannibalism himself. He's just reporting on a true story. Hale does add in plenty of black humor to distract from the harrowing details. Honestly, these are the kinds of books I would have no problem giving my children once they are 10 or so. If it keeps them interested in history, I'm all for it.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am definitely not within the target audience for this one, but it would seem that group is a relatively small one to begin with. The humor is very basic and broad and unlikely to appeal to anyone much older than 10. The subject matter is obviously grim and doesn't lend itself to such light treatment. The story (as told here) is packed with dry demographic information and statistical detail.

2.5 stars

[katyjanereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. I loved this book.
2. I am going to read another book about the Donner Party called Desperate Passage but I thought I would read this graphic novel first to understand things better. Oddly enough, the book Desperate Passage is in the bibliography at the end of this book.
3. I found my 26 year old self laughing at this graphic novel, so it being made for youth shouldn't deter an older reader from enjoying it. Wait. I wasn't laughing at the situation. There are jokes in this book. I'm not a sadist.
4. Give this to a kid who likes history. Give this to a kid who likes creepy, weird stuff. Give this to a kid who likes a good story. Give this to a kid who likes to learn.
5. Of course, I'm the type who when reading a book has to go online and research other things about the book so it always takes me longer to read non-fiction. I was without Internet one day and wanted to see where the current Donner Lake is so I scoured an old fashioned atlas (haha) and found it. Then I decided to track their whole journey so I just looked at the atlas for about a half hour. That's how I always end up taking longer to read non-fiction. Then, ya know, when I have internet I always have to look at Wikipedia.
6. Since the drawings are only in green, black, and white some readers may not pick it up, but give it to them anyway. They'll love it.
7. This book made me think back to the days of playing Oregon Trail on ancient computers. Those were the days.
8. Reed was a real idiot.
9. It's funny how it was the Donner Party but Reed was the more prominent force.
10. Now I sort of want to start in Illinois and drive the same route that the Donner Party took and see all of the historical sites. And maybe eat like they did. Kidding.
11. Nathan Hale gave the reader a lot of information in a very tangible way.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like, I'm sure, most people, I vaguely remember learning about the Donner Party in my U.S. history classes. What I remember: pioneers, mountains, snow, cannibalism. No details or people, which I didn't think were all that important or compelling. So I was surprised to find that such an engaging, entertaining story could be told about the tragedy. In typical Hazardous Tales style, Nathan Hale has found a way to balance historical facts, melodramatic personalities, broad humor, grim realities, and exceptional artwork into a fascinating tale. There are numerous warnings about the gruesome content well in advance* to soften the shock of encountering it, and it is shared without detail or embellishment. The rest of the content, on the other hand, is embellished with unexpected details that make the book all the more exciting. Even though I knew the general outcome the book was heading toward, I found myself caught up in the suspense of wanting to know just how it would happen. This is history at its best, and I expect young readers will find themselves enthralled and captivated.

-----

*The text of one of my favorite pages, an interlude with the three characters that narrate and frame the series:

Hangman: "This is the worst story of all time! This can't possibly get any worse!

Nathan Hale: "Brace yourself. It gets much, much worse. In fact, reader, the next part of this tale is not for the faint of heart. Horrible things are going to happen. If you are easily upset, you may want to skip ahead to page 113."

Hangman: "Do it! Do it! Skip to page 113! For the love of fuzzy puppies! I can't bear to see any more cute li'l animals eaten!"

Nathan Hale: "Oh, they won't be eating animals."

Hangman: "They won't!? What a relief!"

Provost: "What DO they eat?"

Nathan Hale: "You are about to find out. Or you can skip ahead to 113."

[Mkittysamom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow that was the best historical graphic novel ever! I loved how the people where diagrammed, so that it was easier for me to remember who was in which party. Mr James Reed.. what a guy! I can’t believe this is real! I want to read more! Excellent even has warnings if you need to skip ahead! Plus the “executioner” is like me and can’t stand when animals die! (Except for the eating ppl part, I haven’t done that..🤨. My son actually passed this for me to read and I would absolutely recommend it! Great story and loved the extras! Although I am confused about the executioner and why he was there..? Abe Lincoln sure does pop up all throughout history.. very interesting!

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so this was really grim. Although I do not at all "really like" the tale that is told in this NHHT, I do acknowledge it was thoroughly researched and presented in a very organized and readable manner. The storytellers (Hale, Hangman and the British officer) do add a bit of levity throughout. There is an adult nonfiction book on my TBR list from the perspective of survivor Sarah Graves. Will be interesting to compare that book to this one.

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you were looking for a good children's book on cannibalism, then this is it. Seriously though, Nathan Hale does a really good job of making American history exciting for kids. The real focus of this tale is the hardships that pioneers travelling to California in the 1840's experienced. If you ever played the old Oregon Trail game, a lot of these situations will be familiar. The cannibalism is handled tactfully and only takes up a few pages, so parents shouldn't worry about that too much. It's history after all.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, disappointing. The story of the Donner party is fascinating, but unfortunately I don't think the storytelling for this graphic novel does the true historical tale justice. The text and illustrations were just too small for my eyes, and there were way too many characters that just show up without any backstory. The main characters were barely illustrated distinctly enough for me to keep them straight, so adding on random people didn't help. A lot of events seemed squished together (they are hacking their way through the forest/mountains, when all of a sudden a random family asks to join them? Where did they come from?) and the author's maps/haphazard historical tangents that attempt explanation just weren't enough to help me make sense of it all. Resources pioneers used to cross the continent were not explained--what's a teamster? I had to draw from the glory days of playing Oregon Trail in elementary school in order to have some understanding of what was going on. And then, the best part of the story (the cannibalism), has huge buildup but gets totally glossed over with lame jokes! In the end, this just was not satisfying. At least in that I can empathize with the characters.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent rendition of the Donner party expedition.

The graphics were amazing.

The story is written on a level that makes it easy for young people to comprehend.

A truly sad tale.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Once again I knew nothing about this event in history before picking this up, but I’m glad because I really learned a lot and it was interesting. This has some darker topics like cannibalism so be aware. I’m just glad these graphic novels exist because it’s such a fun way to learn about history.

[Bon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly a lot of work went into this. I'm impressed. It really empasizes the combination of bad luck and terrible choices they experienced.

[Amy Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody should be surprised that I read this.  Given how many graphic novels I've been reading and how many books I've read about the Donner party, this is just a natural cohesion of the two.  

To be honest, when I first saw this, I was in class and only had a few minutes to get acquainted with it.  Naturally, I wanted to get to the part where they ate people.  (I mean, it was a Children's Lit Collections course for library science so...).  What I found were a couple jokes and I was aghast--such a horrific moment in our nation's past!  How could he??  But once I finally sat down and read the whole thing, I realized that the balance between the horrors and the jokes was actually quite nice and fitting given that this would likely be someone's first introduction to the Donner party's plight.

This version of the Donner party's plight was told through the eyes of James Reed, who was highly in favor of the Hastings Cutoff, who killed a man, and who joined a war while he thought his family was safely on the other side of the mountains instead of starving to death in the middle of them.  He was certainly a character in his own right, and a good gateway into this tale.  He was misguided, and therefore sympathetic, but angry, and therefore wary.  Considering that he was one of the few who made it out of the Sierra Nevadas without eating anybody, he was the perfect person to position as the main character--and to poke a little fun at.

Aesthetic-wise, I really liked it.  The outer tale (which I didn't fully understand because I didn't read the first few of this series) wrapped nicely around the inner tale, and the blue ink gave the story a cold, freezing feel to it.  

Overall, this was a well-done intro to the tragedy of the Donner party.  It's perfect for the age group to whom it's targeted, and the balance between the horrors and the jokes is well done.  

Review cross-listed here!

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and tragic, is the tale of the Donner Party (even though this whole debacle was mostly Jim Reed's fault and the Donner's joined the group later) with many facts I wasn't aware of before. The art style was fun and I enjoyed the way the story was told. Would recommend if you're not squeamish about death and cannibalism.

[Autumn O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes. Thats my kind of graphic novel.


I am always blown away by how Nathan Hale deals with these grim, horrifying stories.
The mature, sophisticated take on death (which there is quite a lot of) in this book is ecxeptional.
While there is a bit of comedy, it doesnt feel disrespectful to those who died.

Of course, like any of NTHT the drawings are spectacular and i love the monochrome style.

Very nice!

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yikes! I guess not surprisingly, this was a real gut-punch of a book. Informative, great pictures, and even a trigger warning allowing readers to skip some of the most gruesome parts. Kind of wish I hadn't shared this w/ my kids (they read it first), although they seem to be less traumatized by it than I am.

[Karyl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been fascinated by the Donner party since I learned about that ill-fated expedition to California as a kid. Maybe I'm weird, maybe I'm morbid. I've read several books on the Donner party, but none presented the information so succinctly and in such an easily understood way as Nathan Hale's Donner Dinner Party.

Considering how many people were in the Donner party trying to reach California, after leaving Springfield, IL, it can be difficult to keep everyone straight. But Hale not only includes a graphic in which he details every member plus which family he or she belonged to, but he also focuses on only a few members to keep the story a bit simpler.

Hale's artwork is very engaging and accessible. I did like that it's only in three colors: black, white, and green. It made the gory bits, like when Reed kills Snyder in a fit of rage, a little less scary, considering that this is technically a kid's book. Instead of red, the blood is green. Also Hale's decision to have the colonial spy Nathan Hale describe this tale to his hangman and a British officer in order to prolong his death sentence injects quite a bit of levity, as the hangman's responses to the dire fate of the Donner pets makes things a little lighter, considering the heavy and gruesome subject matter. Hale even encourages the squeamish among his readers to skip past the parts in which the Donner party had to engage in cannibalism, and tells them where in the book to pick up the story. His treatment of the issue of cannibalism is also quite sensitive; he doesn't sensationalize it by showing the gory bits of cutting up or cooking the bodies.

Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this gruesome chapter of America's expansion westward.

[Clint · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly funny, apparently well-researched retelling of a sad bit of American pioneer history that’s become summed up as a punchline. I love the series’ frame story of Revolutionary War spy Nathan Hale (not the author) sharing his pre-hanging clairvoyance of US history to come (the Donner Party in this case) and the playful meta-commentary he and his execution party add to the title story.

The Donner story is full of good intentions and tragically bad decisions, but Hale (the author) manages to keep this a mostly light and charming read and even offers a fourth-wall-breaking “skip ahead to page X” for especially sensitive or younger readers. I imagine most readers of any age will enjoy the “naughty” thrill of reading straight through, however, and be just fine for it.

I still plan on reading the more serious and in-depth The Indifferent Stars Above account of the Donner Party, but this is a great all-ages history lesson with beautifully monochromatic cartoon art I love looking at. The delightful end notes list 13 books in the research bibliography and similarly clarify facts that confirm many of the more extraordinary parts of this story and leave me impressed with its respect for veracity.

I’m now a new fan of this series and look forward to reading the other bits of US history it’s covered. Thanks to Seth T Hahne’s GoodOkBad review for highlighting this series!

[Abby Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made riveting lunchtime reading (and I'm not actually kidding...). This is my first foray into Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales and I will definitely be going back for more. The premise of this series is that Nathan Hale is about to be hung for being a spy, but before his executioners get on with the deed, Hale starts telling them a true story from history to buy himself some time. Occasionally the executioners comment on the story as it's being told, adding some much-needed humor to an otherwise grim tale.

So, you probably know what happened to the Donner Party. They set off for California in 1846 and take a "shortcut", which results in the party getting stranded in the mountains and eventually having to eat the dead bodies of their fellow travelers to survive. The heaviness of the tale is leavened by the humorous storytelling, though this is still not a book for the faint of heart. Kids who dig the gory stuff will dive right in. Sensitive readers will want to skip this one.

I appreciated the author's note at the end, which gave some additional information about what was true and what was in there for the sake of the story. This is a great choice for kids who love to hear about the gory parts of history and/or kids who like their nonfiction with a dose of humor.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood, I quickly perused my local library to find Donner Dinner Party. I was curious to see how Hale would tackle a story about a group of American pioneers getting stranded while traveling by wagon train to California, given that they had to resort to cannibalism to survive. The story of the Donner Party certainly is not an easy tale to tell, but it was informative while continuing to maintain the charm of the previous Hazardous Tales. There are these two narrators (Captain Nathan Hale (the spy) and his hangman) that add all the humor to the story and kept things entertaining. Also, because this could be a difficult subject for some readers, I really appreciated that Hale warns the reader and gives them an opportunity to skip ahead if they want to miss the parts that delved into cannibalism. There is so much information packed into these graphic novels and I really felt like I had a very accurate picture of the struggles that these families went through, as well as the terrible decisions that they made along the way. I'm looking forward to see what Nathan Hales next Hazardous Tales has to offer.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried three different times and just could not get into this book. Despite the maps and illustrations it just seemed confusing and difficult to follow. The characters all looked the same and it was impossible to keep them straight. Also, due to the nature of the story, it seems slightly irreverent to make a comic style book out of this tale.

At the same time that I was trying to read this, I was also reading another nonfiction book about heroic pioneer women. One of the chapters told the story of the Donners and also Margaret Reed who actually survived the ordeal(in a different location) and made it to California. This telling of the story was much more compelling and far easier to follow.

I really wanted to like this because I think that comic style books are a good way to entice reluctant readers to try and learn a little bit about a subject. Sometimes they can be drawn into a story and then want to read other, more challenging things. But, this would not be the book to make that happen.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not knowing anything about the Donner party going into this book, I enjoyed it a lot. It follows a group of families that are heading west to California a couple of years before the gold rush happens. They travel through unknown territory and struggle with one disaster after another. It really gives some perspective on how different our lives are now. Hale brings some humor to the book to keep it from getting too dark. This is not unexpected given the nature of the two previous volumes in this series. For the most part, I liked the art. There were a few moments when I had to figure out who someone was, but that is mostly based on the number of people that are involved in the story rather than a deficiency in the art.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can see sharing these with Xavier in a few years, and I'm interested in reading the rest of the series myself. I needed something to catch my 7th & 8th grade book clubbers attention and Chelsie recommended this. It was a one sitting read. It was gross, funny, and full of knowledge. I would never have survived the Oregon Trail. Dirt, hunger, no bathroom. Knowing how close they were to the end of the journey when winter set in. I'm amazed any of them survived, much less an entire family.

#26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns- Book based on a historical event

[Russ Bruxvoort · Rating 5 out of 5]

History, humor, disgust, fascination, graphic novel all in one. This is a great way to learn about the sad but true story of the Donner party's attempt to make it to California. It is not for the feint of heart. I definitely will be getting this for my 6th grade class.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25
This is such a disturbing story and I cannot begin to fathom the pain and suffering that occurred throughout the journey. It is so sad thinking of all the little decisions that lead to such an enormous tragedy.

[JihoHa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun

[Mary-Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hazardous Tales graphic novel series have been very popular for students in our school library so I finally got around to reading what all the fuss was about. These are excellent! I love that each one is about a particular historical event, but it isn't just a historical account in graphic novel form. Believe me, there are PLENTY of those books gathering dust on our library shelf. It's like publishers go, "Oh, graphic novels are popular now? Then EVERYTHING can be turned into a graphic novel!" Gag. No, these books are truly graphic novels as well. The illustrations are great, they are humorous, yet respectful of the people and events, and they seem to do a great job of providing a well-researched account. There is even a bibliography in the back along with lots of other bonus stuff. I was impressed. And totally bummed, because, you know, the Donner Party.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely one of my favorite book names ever. :) This is surprising graphic novel take on the tragic Donner Party story. It somehow manages to be pretty funny without sugar-coating the actual events.