Beowulf: Monster Slayer Book

Beowulf: Monster Slayer is a retelling of the centuries-old epic about Beowulf, who travels to Denmark to defeat a monster of which he has heard tales. The graphic novel is divided into "chapters" based on that story, beginning with Beowulf's arrival in Denmark ("The Coming of Beowulf"), the story of the monster that terrorized the people in Denmark and Beowulf's plan to defeat it ("The Horror of Heorot"), the hero's fight with the monster ("Grendel"), and so on. This graphic adaptation takes a story that is likely difficult for many readers to understand and makes it accessible for audiences of all ages, but especially those middle school students for whom it is intended. Paul D. Storrie's adaptation of the epic, along with Ron Randall's superhero-worthy illustrations, combine to make this graphic novel version of the story almost better than any film adaptation of it. As an added bonus, a glossary and pronunciation guide are included at the end of the book, along with further reading and websites and an index. For these reasons, Beowulf: Monster Slayer is an essential purchase for middle school and public libraries.