(4) YA Modern World Nations series. With their emphasis on geography, history, and contemporary political and economic problems, these volumes are suitable for report writers. Some attention is given to daily life and culture, but the series tends to focus on development issues and conflicts, with the authors sometimes offering their own solutions. The photographs vary in quality. A "Facts at a Glance" section is included. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Modern World Nations titles: Afghanistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Israel.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) YA Modern World Cultures series. Dense texts touch on the customs, geography, history, language, and religions of countries in each region. The presentations also discuss economic and political challenges facing many of the countries. Serviceably captioned color and black-and-white photographs and detailed maps support the texts. Latin contains a reading list, North a bibliography. Timeline. Ind. Review covers these Modern World Cultures titles: Latin America and North Africa and the Middle East.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr