The Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss [Hardcover]

Sally Schofer Mathews (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

An account of the establishment of the Aztec empire in Mexico and of the terrible battle between the Aztecs and the Spaniards known as the Sad Night.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Expertly weaving dialogue into her absorbing account, Mathews chronicles the fateful encounter that paved the way for the Spaniards' conquest of Mexico more than 400 years ago. As she sets the stage, Mathews explains how the Aztecs, under Moctezuma, vanquished other tribes to establish an expansive empire based on the island of Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City. When Spanish soldiers entered the city in 1519, Moctezuma mistook their leader, Hernan Cortes, for a god and offered him gold and jewels. The arrival of a second fleet of Spanish ships led to the battle that took place on "The Sad Night"; Moctezuma was killed and the Spaniards, attempting to escape with a cache of gold, were chased and defeated by the Aztecs. Mathews neatly distills the intricate details of this skirmish, observing that there were many casualties on both sides, and that the victors "did not know that this was the last battle they would win." Inspired by the few Aztec codices that survived the Spanish conquest, Mathews's dynamic ink and electric-hued watercolor art plays a strong role in the telling of this intriguing story. Endnotes succinctly encapsulate the rise and fall of the Aztec empire, and a brief discussion of Aztec symbols and calendars includes striking examples. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-This sensitive treatment of La Noche Triste, or The Sad Night, the last battle the Aztecs won against the Spaniards, is a highly effective melding of graceful, lucid text and stylized art. Designed to resemble Aztec codices (most of which were destroyed by the Spaniards), the illustrations appear in double-page strips above the bordered text. Beginning with the Aztec migration to Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), the history of this people is traced through their final conquest by Cortes's forces. Though the figures in the paintings are small, the action is clearly discernible. Indeed, children can "read" the story from these expressive illustrations. The final three pages of the book give more detailed information on the Aztecs and Cortes, including an explanation of the Aztec calendar. Similar in narrative and illustrative style to Deborah Nourse Lattimore's Why There Is No Arguing in Heaven (1989) and The Flame of Peace (1987, both HarperCollins), this title has the distinction of combining myth with historical fact in a particularly successful manner. An engaging introduction to Mexican history.
Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; First edition (April 18, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395630355
• ISBN-13: 978-0395630358
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,723,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to the story of the Spanish invasion, December 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss (Paperback)

I will say first of all that this is a bloody and somewhat gruesome story in parts. But war is bloody and gruesome. It was appropriate for my six year old boy. This was an interesting story (with fabulous pictures) that even teaches how the picture on the Mexican flag came about. I learned something by reading it and it fueled my son's interest in the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Truely Sad Story, June 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss (Hardcover)

This historically accurate story of the end of the Aztec Empire in Mexico is well written and engrossing. The history it contains is better suited for oder children, but the format is engaging for younger readers. It's the kind of book that made this adult reader want to learn more about the Aztec and Hernan Cortes!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a classic for many many years, November 20, 2009

By 

J. Norman (Annapolis, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss (Paperback)

This book has been beloved by my kids and nieces/nephews to read each and every year, from age 4 to age 13. I just attended the Aztec exhibit at the British Museum in London, and realized I knew and understood most of the exhibit from reading "The Sad Night". My mom and I were amazed at how historically accurate the story and drawings were to the Aztec iconography, while still being really interesting to look at and read for kids.
This is such a worthwhile book because kids keep coming back to it. It is so well done. Yes, its somewhat bloody in its story of war and conquest, but that's what really happened. I'm going to get it for our school library.