The Sons of Liberty

The Sons of Liberty
By Alexander Lagos and Christopher Lagos
Random House Children's Books, 2010. 1 volume (unpaged). Young Adult

Brody and Graham are slaves but when the master's son attacks Brody and Graham retaliates, they must flee. They're headed for Benjamin Lay's lair, as Lay is an abolitionist. However, before they meet up with him, they are found by William Franklin, Benjamin Franklin's son, who uses them as subjects for a scientific experiment. The experiment leaves them with extreme powers, which they use to fight back against their master and the slave catcher who is out to get them.

I'm intrigued by the idea of a historical fiction graphic novel series. However, I felt like this volume was a little bit confusing; I had a really difficult time figuring out if the protagonists were supposed to be children or approaching adulthood. In some of the illustrations they seemed older and more mature; in others (even ones that took place at the same time, since I do recognize that the book flashbacked to an earlier time) they seemed much younger. Overall, though, I am interested to see what happens to Graham and Brody in the next installment of the series.

AE