The Last Knight

http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/graphicnovels/img/lastknight.jpg

(realistic/historical)
The Last Knight
by Will Eisner

This graphic novel is about the stories and legends of Don Quixote, a man who dreamed that he was a knight. His real name is Alanzo, and his squire Sancho follows him around. Alanzo reads all day about knighthood and chivalry and so he puts on his great grandfather’s armor and goes around town doing good deeds. All of his townspeople think he is insane and so does anyone who he encounters. He goes around finding people to help, but everytime he tries to help someone he ends up being defeated. He stays confident and motivated by his dream. Sancho starts to believe in him and his dream and acts as his emotional support when he is feeling down. When Alanzo is old in his bed, he tells Sancho that he isn’t really a knight. And Sancho tells him he is what he believed, and thanks Alanzo for giving them a dream, something to believe in. Then a man named Miguel Cervantes, the author or Don Quixote, arrives and tells Alanzo he has written a book about his adventures. He says the adventures will show people the value of dreams. He named Alanzo the knight, Don Quixote, De La Mancha, and people read of his stories forever. I would use this book in the classroom to get students interested in the past. Also, to talk about other cultures and stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Most kids, especially boys love to hear about knights and battles, so I think this book would capture their attention.