Is MURDER and MAYHEM your cup of tea? Then Rick Geary’s The Saga of the Bloody Benders is what you need to read! This comic book literature is not only fun, quick, and amusing, but also is a real life story of the grizzly murders in Kansas.
It begins long ago, when murder only
occurred in wars. Kansas has finally become a free state in 1861. Settlers are attracted to the rich prairie area of southeast Kansas, especially near the Osage trail, the major road connecting travelers to Missouri, the Arkansas River, and the West.
The infamous Benders move near the Osage trail in 1870, and everything goes haywire. Townspeople realize community members are missing while traveling, but no one suspected the foreign Bender family was responsible. John, or Pa, Ma,
John Jr., and Kate Bender are clever and strategically have set up the perfect trap for their murders: the Bender Inn and Grocery Store. Now, as weary travelers come to the Bender Inn from the Osage trail, little do they realize they will never return. Even the Bender’s mysterious departure in 1873 has left a lasting impression on Kansas for years to come—even today.
The Saga of the Bloody Benders is an exciting read for freshman years students because it provides historical information, but may be too gory for a younger age
group. By combining history with comical pictures, Geary makes this once unknown murder case into a story readers want to learn more about.
It begins long ago, when murder only
occurred in wars. Kansas has finally become a free state in 1861. Settlers are attracted to the rich prairie area of southeast Kansas, especially near the Osage trail, the major road connecting travelers to Missouri, the Arkansas River, and the West.The infamous Benders move near the Osage trail in 1870, and everything goes haywire. Townspeople realize community members are missing while traveling, but no one suspected the foreign Bender family was responsible. John, or Pa, Ma,
John Jr., and Kate Bender are clever and strategically have set up the perfect trap for their murders: the Bender Inn and Grocery Store. Now, as weary travelers come to the Bender Inn from the Osage trail, little do they realize they will never return. Even the Bender’s mysterious departure in 1873 has left a lasting impression on Kansas for years to come—even today.The Saga of the Bloody Benders is an exciting read for freshman years students because it provides historical information, but may be too gory for a younger age
group. By combining history with comical pictures, Geary makes this once unknown murder case into a story readers want to learn more about.
2 comments:
Wow, that's quite the subject for a young adult graphic novel. I guess something like this would be interesting to YAs because I can recall reading the Charles Manson murders, and John Gacy's biography as a YA. Please don't ask me why. I guess I didn't know any better. That type of stuff can really bring you down just by reading it.
I like the way you incorporated the pictures throughout the writing. Some teens enjoy reading novels from such genres.
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