Published by Balzer + Bray

Summary:  On November 24, 1971, a man named Dan Cooper boarded a flight from Portland, Oregon to Seattle.  Six hours later, that man parachuted out of the back of the plane with $200,000 strapped to him.  No trace of him has ever been found, and only a small portion of the money has been recovered ($5,800 was discovered by a 10-year-old boy in 1980 when he was camping with his family in the woods of Washington).  The details of what happened that day are retold here with brief text, illustrations, and primary documents such as Cooper’s boarding pass and the transcript from the plane alerting the authorities about the hijacking.  Includes half a dozen photos and a list of sources.  104 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  It’s hard to imagine a kid unimaginative enough not to be intrigued by this mystery (and gobsmacked that in 1971 you could walk into an airport with a bomb, buy a ticket for $20, and saunter onto a plane unchecked).  The graphic format is appealing, but it’s also well-written nonfiction, with theories put forth and then carefully debunked, primary documents, and an impressive list of sources.  Look for book 2, Jailbreak at Alcatraz, coming in early September.

Cons:  The font, designed to look like it was made with a typewriter that needs a new ribbon, feels authentic but is not necessarily the easiest for kids to read.