Stan Lee: Creator of Spider-Man

Inventors and Creators

by Raymond H. Miller

This student-friendly series examines the fascinating life stories of some of the world's most interesting innovators in science, the arts, technology and other fields. These short biographies inform and inspire young readers. Each book includes color photographs, an annotated bibliography, glossary and an index.

48 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[N_Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a fan of comics books but I picked up this book anyway to see if it sparked any interest for me. I must say that I am still not any more interested in comics than I was before however I did find this biography to be very interesting. I think it would be a great addition to the biography section in a classroom library for grades 4-8. While most kids might know that Stan Lee is the man behind Spider-man, few students know about the man himself. This book tells how Lee came up with his idea for Spider-Man and how the Depression and WW II shaped who he is today. This book follows his life to present time and talks about all of the characters other than Spider-Man that Lee also created. The full color pictures are interesting to look at and the text is easy to read and absorb. Another thing I liked about this book was that it offers a glossery and an annotated bibliography as well as a page that offers additional books and web sites to be used for further exploration of this topic. This would be a great book for a biography unit as well as a good starting point if you wanted the student to do more research on a topic that would inspire them!

[Stephen Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written childrens' biography on one of my favorite people.

Stan Lee's life story of overcoming adversity is truly inspirational.

Kudos to Raymond H. Miller for writing such a terrific book!

Thank yous to both the Bucks County Free Library for the loan and the Franklin Public Library for getting the book through interlibrary loan.

[Susan Stater · Rating 5 out of 5]

although this is a children's book I checked it out of our local library while I wait for Stan Lee's autobiography to be sent to my local library from another library. I found this volume t.o be well written and informative. I'm looking forward to reading the biography from the great Stan Lee himself.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informative about Stan Lees life.

[Kimberly Hirsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stan Lee: Creator of Spider-Man is part of the KidHaven Press Inventors and Creators series, a series which introduces the lives of famous people to middle grade readers (Grades 4 – 8). The author, Raymond H. Miller, has written over 50 children’s nonfiction titles on various topics. While he is not an accredited Stan Lee expert, his experience in writing this type of book lends him some authority. The text, published in 2006, covers Stan Lee’s life from his birth until the 2000s, with up-to-date information about his current work. It focuses primarily on his career; sections about his childhood slant heavily towards how his childhood experiences influenced that career.

The book is clearly designed to provide an introduction to the life of one of the most famous writers in the history of comic books. The text is not overly complex, but it is not so simplistic as to bore or insult the intelligence of its intended audience. It does not present differing perspectives on Stan Lee’s life; it does, however, report conflicts objectively, simply stating the facts of situations like Lee’s lawsuit against Marvel rather than taking one side or the other in these matters.

The structure of the book is chronological; chapter titles and subtitles break up the text but do not reveal a great deal about the content that follows them. The book includes extensive reference aids, including a table of contents, a glossary, an index, endnotes which provide citations for quotes used in the text, a page of “For Further Exploration” recommendations, and photo credits. These serve as excellent examples for readers if they need to write biographical texts themselves.

Illustrations include photographs of Stan Lee in various situations, images of his influences (such as William Shakespeare) and experiences (such as chess, ping pong, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor), and scenes from movies based on his films. These are colorful with clear captions which add to the text’s meaning. There is one confusing illustration, a combined map of Manhattan Island and timeline which features characters from Stan Lee’s comic books. The text on this image, in comic-style bursts, is arranged in no discernible order.

Overall, this book is well-suited to its audience and purpose. The text is clear, the presentation is attractive, and it is a fine example of well-researched non-fiction.