Instruments of Death

by Stewart Ross

Combining the excellence of DK Readers with the excitement of a graphic novel, these thrilling books use rich, historically accurate settings-such as Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome-as the backdrops for tales of murder, betrayal, and revenge!

Genres: Graphic Novels

48 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2007

About the author

Stewart Ross has written more than 300 titles, fiction and non-fiction, for children and adults. Many are about (or inspired by) history. He lives near Canterbury, England.

Reviews

[Terri Stuart]

Ross, Stewart. Instruments of Death. (2007) This is a graphic novel in the DK Readers series. There are 5 levels of DK Readers, each are intended for different reading abilities. This level 4 graphic novel is intended for proficient readers. The story takes place in Ancient China as the Great Wall is being built. Shen, an 11 year old boy, is taken from his home to play the zither, a musical instrument, for the emperor. But his journey to the palace is treacherous as the ships are attacked by pirates and a traitor lies amongst the royal guard. A glossary at the end of the story provides the reader with factual information about China that coincides with the time period of the story. This action adventure story is complimented by colorful illustrations and historical depictions of clothing, buildings, and weapons during the rule of Shihuangdi in 221BCE. Target Audience: ages 8-12

[Holly Letson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seeing graphic novels available to read on We Give Books (wegivebooks.org) is definitely a welcome change, and I certainly hope they keep adding more.
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In this story, we meet Shen, who is a zither player in ancient China. When the Emperor's current zither player is killed at the start of the story, Shen is brought to replace him.
While traveling, Shen saves a man's life, but the other does not praise him for it. Later, we find out that a deadly knife has been hidden in Shen's new zither, and that the man he saved was intending to kill the emperor. Luckily, Shen and another member of the court save the emperor.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book. It was very interactive and fascinating with all of the action it portrayed. I would love to read more books like this one. I would also recommend my students read books like this and have them create a comic book of their own.

[Gemma Fasheun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story and graphics. My kids enjoy it too.