(3) YA In this verse novel, Joe, seventeen, is reacquainted with his older brother Ed, who's on death row, just before Ed's execution date. Free-verse poems effectively interweave the past and present to cast doubt on Ed's guilt in the death of a police officer and to realize the emotions involved in the brothers' complex family situation.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) YA In the near future, executioners pride themselves on killing their subjects in increasingly creative ways and live-streaming the deaths on social media. Dee Guerrera is surprised to wake up imprisoned at Alcatraz 2.0 and tapped as the next to die. Framed for her stepsister's murder, Dee has to take down the system and prove her own innocence in this gory story surprisingly infused with witty satire.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) YA In this adaptation of his popular adult title, Stevenson chronicles his early career as a lawyer fighting for prisoner rights in the South. While the moving story of a man's fight against an unjustified death sentence focuses this informative book, interspersed vignettes of Stevenson's work with teens facing life sentences are equally powerful. This engaging, eye-opening read is likely to inspire further education and activism. Ind.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(4) YA Landmark Supreme Court Cases, Gold Edition series. These volumes (some are revised editions) detail the genesis of each case, related Supreme Court decisions, and the arguments presented by the lawyers for each side. Color photographs and archival illustrations accompany the dry texts, which will best be appreciated by report writers researching the workings of the U.S.'s highest court. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Landmark Supreme Court Cases, Gold Edition titles: The Dred Scott Case, Furman v. Georgia, New York Times v. United States, and District of Columbia v. Heller.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) YA Hot Topics series. Offering facts and opinions from opposing viewpoints, these books present the title issues from cultural, legal, moral, and religious perspectives. The subjects' complexities are further explored through famous cases including Kevorkian and Schiavo (Die) and the Rosenbergs (Penalty). Discussion questions and organizations to contact are appended. Relevant photographs illustrate the texts. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Hot Topics titles: Death Penalty and The Right to Die.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) YA USA Today's Debate: Voices and Perspectives series. This dry but thorough text presents a balanced discussion of the death penalty by placing it in historical, legal, social, and moral contexts. Photographs, personal anecdotes, newspaper articles, graphs, and archival drawings provide additional information and perspectives, making the volume's small font and two-column, textbooklike design appear more approachable. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) YA In Controversy series. This volume matter-of-factly discusses arguments for and against the death penalty. The main focus is whether capital punishment actually deters crime; moral, social, and economic issues that are part of the larger debate about capital punishment are briefly discussed. The dense text is accompanied by relevant photos, diagrams, sidebars, pull-quotes, and a list of organizations to contact. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(1) YA The book opens with candid interviews introducing three inmates, all teenagers when they committed crimes. Next we meet family members of victims and inmates, then an anti–death penalty attorney. These profiles paint an unrelenting picture of the prison system, putting human faces on the issue and arguing that punishment often has as much to do with race and class as with justice. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(4) YA Point-Counterpoint series. Should the United States act boldly to protect itself, or does a preemptive war do more harm than good? Is the death penalty fair and/or effective? These revised and updated volumes present both sides of complex issues surrounding capital punishment and the war on terror. The texts are clear but dense. Occasional stock photographs and sidebars break up the pages. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Point-Counterpoint titles: Capital Punishment and The War on Terror.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) YA Essential Viewpoints series. This series offers readers a generally well-balanced discussion of the featured topic. The history, laws and reforms, significant events, and divergent perspectives are clearly, if dryly, presented. Offering no solutions, these titles provide readers with the facts needed to make informed decisions of their own. Primary-source reproductions, photographs, charts, and encroaching sidebars make pages crowded. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Essential Viewpoints titles: The Abortion Debate, Internet Piracy, Gun Control, The Causes of School Violence, and The Death Penalty.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) YA Face the Facts series. Drug offers an overview of illegal drug use, reasons for it, and its impact on society. Capital provides historical and cross-cultural perspectives on its subject. Genocide gives examples of mass killings and ostensible justifications for them. The layouts--overcrowded with boxed quotes, photos, and brightly colored backgrounds--overwhelm the sound and authoritative texts. Directory, reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Face the Facts titles: The Drug Trade, Capital Punishment, and Genocide.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) YA Open for Debate series. Capital Punishment and Gun Control provide overviews and delineate the arguments for and against each contentious topic. Terrorism examines specific terrorist events and groups and discusses methods of managing--if not solving--the problem. The run-of-the-mill texts are accompanied by bland photos. Bib., ind. Review covers these Open for Debate titles: Capital Punishment, Gun Control, and Terrorism.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA Crime and Detection series. Each volume addresses a different aspect of crime and corrections, often using true cases to illuminate the topic. Examples range from discussions of the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi to computer viruses. Heavily illustrated with reproductions and color photos of varying quality, the fast-paced text provides a provocative, if superficial, overview. There are fourteen other fall 2003 books in this series. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Crime and Detection titles: Cyber Crime, International Terrorism, Serial Murders, Death Row and Capital Punishment, Famous Prisons, and Hate Crimes.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA This exceptionally evenhanded discussion of capital punishment cites famous cases and includes the perspectives of death row inmates, victims' families, politicians, and judges. Illustrated with black-and-white photos, the clearly written text also addresses the issue of racial bias in sentencing. The final chapter graphically explains the methodology of execution. A timeline is included. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA Hot Pro/Con Issues series. These books cover the two main sides of each issue, while a final brief chapter summarizes the points on each side or discusses finding common ground. The authors use quotes, statistics, and examples that will help students prepare for their own debates, but the examinations of the issues are still fairly superficial. Drug Testing has a glossary. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth