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The Man Behind the Mask

I’ve read several in this series now, and I really like them.  I think they are great tools for creating a bridge for comic book fans to stretch themselves into chapter books.  They are beginning chapter books, with large fonts, short chapters, and a few full-page color illustrations that still have a comic book feel to them.  Not just the illustrations capture the classic comics, but so do the plot lines and writing style.  In this one, Batman is out fighting crime as usual when he finds himself face-to-face with the same crook who killed his parents twenty years before; while chasing down the criminal, Batman is reminded of the events that led him to his current role, and thus fills the reader in on how Batman came to be. It’s easy enough to be accessible to struggling readers without dumbing down the story.  The plot and style and characters will allow it to appeal both to young readers, and to older struggling readers.  Discussion questions and writing prompts in the back add to the usefulness of these books as teaching tools, but students will be drawn to them for recreational reading as well.