(4) 4-6 Women of Achievement series. This series contextualizes its subjects' lives and accomplishments in politics, culture, and/or history. The books, though dense and lengthy, are well written; sidebars supplement the narratives with interesting facts (e.g., women in the 1920s used radium to curl their hair; both Hillary and Bill Clinton have won Grammy awards). Photographs and reproductions illustrate the texts. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Women of Achievement titles: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rachael Ray, Marie Curie, Nancy Pelosi, Ellen DeGeneres, Martha Stewart, and Susan B. Anthony.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) 4-6 Women of Achievement series. This series contextualizes its subjects' lives and accomplishments in politics, culture, and/or history. The books, though dense and lengthy, are well written; sidebars supplement the narratives with interesting facts (e.g., women in the 1920s used radium to curl their hair; both Hillary and Bill Clinton have won Grammy awards). Photographs and reproductions illustrate the texts. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Women of Achievement titles: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rachael Ray, Marie Curie, Nancy Pelosi, Ellen DeGeneres, Martha Stewart, and Susan B. Anthony.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) YA Who Wrote That? series. This book offers a serviceable, if formulaic, portrait of the popular children's and young-adult writer. The text provides basic biographical information in addition to exploring the inspiration behind some of Blume's works. Photographs and quotations from interviews enliven the text. A list of works, synopses of popular books and characters, and a major awards timeline are appended. Reading list, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) YA Modern World Leaders series. This series, part history and part biography, challenges readers to consider the concept of leadership by placing the featured individual in a historical context. Each title includes childhood experiences, rise to power, significant historical events, international relationships, and political ideology. Captioned photographs provide additional perspectives and break up the intimidatingly dense texts. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Modern World Leaders titles: Ehud Olmert, Felipe Calderón, Roh Moo Hyun, and Kim Jong Il.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) YA Black Americans of Achievement, Legacy Edition series. Each of these biographies details a well-known figure's rise from adversity to national and/or international recognition. The books go beyond the typical personal information to provide some social history relevant to the subject's time. Captioned photographs and boxed inserts enhance the conversational texts. Carver and Hines have been revised and updated. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these Black Americans of Achievement, Legacy Edition titles: George Washington Carver, Gregory Hines, Condoleezza Rice, and Barack Obama.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) YA Black Americans of Achievement, Legacy Edition series. Each of these biographies details a well-known figure's rise from adversity to national and/or international recognition. The books go beyond the typical personal information to provide some social history relevant to the subject's time. Captioned photographs and boxed inserts enhance the conversational texts. Carver and Hines have been revised and updated. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these Black Americans of Achievement, Legacy Edition titles: George Washington Carver, Gregory Hines, Condoleezza Rice, and Barack Obama.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) YA Black Americans of Achievement, Legacy Edition series. Each of these biographies details a well-known figure's rise from adversity to national and/or international recognition. The books go beyond the typical personal information to provide some social history relevant to the subject's time. Captioned photographs and boxed inserts enhance the conversational texts. Lee, Walker, and Thomas have been revised and updated. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these Black Americans of Achievement, Legacy Edition titles: Spike Lee, Madam C. J. Walker, Clarence Thomas, Ray Charles, and Jamie Foxx.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) YA Who Wrote That? series. Formulaic but informative, these biographies of popular children's book authors examine each writer's life, including the inspiration behind some of their works; Mythmaker has been revised and updated. Volumes include photographs and quotations from interviews, as well as descriptions of main characters and annotated lists of books and awards. Useful for report writers and aspiring authors. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Who Wrote That? titles: Gary Soto, Mythmaker: The Story of J. K. Rowling, and Meg Cabot.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) YA Ancient World Leaders series. These books delve into historical, social, and political theories specific to each ancient world leader and, where applicable, to today. The texts, though informative, can be dry, and they sometimes jumble the details when explaining military campaigns and battle tactics. Archival photographs and sidebars break up the pages; additional maps, battle plans, and/or illustrations would have been helpful. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Ancient World Leaders titles: Xerxes, Cyrus the Great, Cleopatra, Hannibal, and Darius the Great.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(4) YA Who Wrote That? series. Formulaic but informative, these biographies of popular children's book authors examine each writer's life, including the inspiration behind some of their works. Each volume includes photographs and quotations from interviews, as well as descriptions of main characters and annotated lists of books and awards. Useful for aspiring authors as well as book report writers. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Who Wrote That? titles: Gail Carson Levine, Shel Silverstein, Laurence Yep, Pat Mora, Scott O'Dell, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Walter Dean Myers.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) YA Modern World Leaders series. With the same foreword in each book, this series challenges readers to consider the concept of leadership by placing the featured individual in a historical context. Each title includes childhood experiences, rise to power, significant historical events, international relationships, and political ideology. Captioned photographs provide additional perspectives and break up the dense texts. Reading list, timeline. Bib., ind. Review covers these Modern World Leaders titles: Thabo Mbeki, Hu Jintao, Angela Merkel, Ali Khamenei, and Michelle Bachelet.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) YA Hip-Hop Stars series. These biographies deliver comprehensive information about the lives and careers of their subjects--including achievements and struggles--as well as a history of hip-hop. The same introduction by Chuck D of rap group Public Enemy begins each. The stories are engaging, though the writing tends to ramble. Photos, sidebars, discographies, and some websites add to the teen-friendly appeal. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Hip-Hop Stars titles: Beastie Boys, Eminem, Missy Elliott, Russell Simmons, LL Cool J, and Run-DMC.

Reviewer: Marika Hoe

(3) YA Baseball Superstars series. These baseball biographies are unusually sophisticated in their analysis of each player within the context of his time and the state of Major League Baseball. Nuanced discussions of the player's strengths and personal failings (e.g., Ty Cobb's batting prowess versus his brutality) round out the portraits. Many photos, sidebars, and stats are included. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Baseball Superstars titles: Ty Cobb, Mike Piazza, Kirby Puckett, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, and Lou Gehrig.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) YA Hip-Hop Stars series. These biographies deliver comprehensive information about the lives and careers of their subjects--including achievements and struggles--as well as some history about hip-hop. The same introduction by Chuck D of rap group Public Enemy begins each. The stories are engaging, though the writing tends to ramble. Photos, sidebars, and discographies add to the teen-friendly appeal. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Hip-Hop Stars titles: Jay-Z, Sean Combs, Queen Latifah, and Tupac Shakur.

Reviewer: Marika Jeffrey

(4) YA Hip-Hop Stars series. These biographies deliver comprehensive information about the lives and careers of their subjects--including achievements and struggles--as well as a history of hip-hop. The same introduction by Chuck D of rap group Public Enemy begins each. The stories are engaging, though the writing tends to ramble. Photos, sidebars, discographies, and some websites add to the teen-friendly appeal. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Hip-Hop Stars titles: Beastie Boys, Eminem, Missy Elliott, Russell Simmons, LL Cool J, and Run-DMC.

Reviewer: Marika Hoe

(4) YA Modern World Leaders series. By placing the featured leader in a historical context, this series, part history and part biography, challenges readers to consider the concept of leadership. Each title includes a discussion of childhood experiences, rise to power, significant historical events, international relationships, and political ideology. Photographs provide additional perspectives and break up the dense text. Reading list, timeline. Bib., ind. Review covers these Modern World Leaders titles: Hamid Karzai, Viktor Yushchenko, Ariel Sharon, and Hosni Mubarak.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) YA Modern World Leaders series. By placing the featured leader in a historical context, this series, part history and part biography, challenges readers to consider the concept of leadership. Each title includes a discussion of childhood experiences, rise to power, significant historical events, international relationships, and political ideology. Photographs provide additional perspectives and break up the dense text. Reading list, timeline. Bib., ind. Review covers these Modern World Leaders titles: Hamid Karzai, Viktor Yushchenko, Ariel Sharon, and Hosni Mubarak.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) YA Who Wrote That? series. Serviceable and detailed but sometimes plodding, these biographies provide extensive information about their subjects' works; since Sendak lacks the illustrator's art, the analysis of his picture books suffers, although the narrative includes controversies. Each volume includes many photos and quotes from interviews. These titles are useful mainly for author report research. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Who Wrote That? titles: Barbara Park and Maurice Sendak.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee