(4) 4-6 Fact Finders: It's Back to School...Way Back! series. This series presents cursory information about education during selected time periods. Pioneer discusses one-room schools and early school architecture, curriculum, and activities. Civil Rights focuses on the history of school desegregation and integration. Archival photographs and documents add insight and interest to the accessible but limited texts. Activities and critical thinking questions are appended. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Fact Finders: It's Back to School...Way Back! titles: School in Pioneer Times and School in the Civil Rights Movement.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(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

(3) YA Great Historic Disasters series. Combining first-hand accounts, photographs, and other primary sources with a detailed and lively text, these fact-packed resources offer much to both report writers and history buffs. Each book compellingly details the causes, historical context, and aftermath of these historic disasters. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Great Historic Disasters titles: The Great Chicago Fire of 1871, The Johnstown Flood of 1889, The Dust Bowl, and The San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(3) YA Football Superstars series. Readers will find this series a good resource for information about the NFL, including background and player stats. Photographs and text also reveal the human side of professional athletes: their personalities, fears, and successes. Readers learn of Walter Payton's serious liver illness, Dan Marino's son's struggles with autism, and Brett Favre's addiction to and recovery from prescription drugs. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Football Superstars titles: Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Dan Marino, and Walter Payton.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(3) YA Football Superstars series. Readers will find this series a good resource for information about the NFL, including background and player stats. Photographs and text also reveal the human side of professional athletes: their personalities, fears, and successes. Readers learn of Walter Payton's serious liver illness, Dan Marino's son's struggles with autism, and Brett Favre's addiction to and recovery from prescription drugs. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Football Superstars titles: Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Dan Marino, and Walter Payton.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(3) YA Football Superstars series. These biographies recount, through vivid photographs and an engaging narrative style, each star's football journey. Readers will discover what life is like for the players both on and off the field. Quotes from coaches, friends, and family appear in each book, and community service, family matters, close friendships, and personal setbacks are all covered. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Football Superstars titles: Tiki Barber, Barry Sanders, John Elway, Ben Roethlisberger, Jerry Rice, and Joe Montana.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(3) YA Asian Americans of Achievement series. These volumes discuss the lives and achievements of some noted Asian Americans. An abundance of facts are included in each book, in addition to some fascinating personal details and histories of the native countries of each subject's family. The books also include dynamic photographs and sidebars with further information. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Asian Americans of Achievement titles: Amy Tan, Bruce Lee, Daniel Inouye, Margaret Cho, Vera Wang, and Yo-Yo Ma.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(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

(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) 4-6 U.S. Government: How It Works series. Archival photographs, paintings, and sidebars combine with a well-written, informative text to present a comprehensive discussion of the various agencies and organizations within the U.S. federal government. Each title adequately provides the historical context necessary to understand the inception and development of the featured subject, though the density of text may put off some readers. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these U.S. Government: How It Works titles: The Department of Homeland Security, The Central Intelligence Agency, The Federal Bureau of Investigation, and The Presidency.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) YA Asian Americans of Achievement series. Fans of ice skaters Yamaguchi and Kwan will find an abundance of details about their training and interim competitions as they worked toward the Olympics, and some information about their post-Olympic careers. Each book includes dynamic action photographs and sidebars of additional information. Yamaguchi also presents an informative history of Japanese Americans. Kwan has a glossary. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Asian Americans of Achievement titles: Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) 4-6 American Moments series. Each book in this series offers a brief, general introduction to a chapter in U.S. history. The writing is clear but lacks style. The books offer overviews of their subjects, giving report writers basic information but little insight. Drawings, maps, photographs, and sidebars enhance the text. There are eighteen other spring 2005 books in this series. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these American Moments titles: The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, The Kent State Tragedy, The Pilgrims, The Industrial Revolution, The Jamestown Colony, and The Lincoln-Douglas Debates.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer

(4) 4-6 American Moments series. Each book in this series offers a brief, general introduction to a chapter in U.S. history. The writing is clear but lacks style. The books offer overviews of their subjects, giving report writers basic information but little insight. Drawings, maps, photographs, and sidebars enhance the text. There are eighteen other spring 2005 books in this series. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these American Moments titles: The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, The Kent State Tragedy, The Pilgrims, The Industrial Revolution, The Jamestown Colony, and The Lincoln-Douglas Debates.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer

(4) 4-6 American Moments series. Each book in this series offers a brief, general introduction to a chapter in U.S. history. The writing is clear but lacks style. The books offer overviews of their subjects, giving report writers basic information but little insight. Drawings, maps, photographs, and sidebars enhance the text. There are eighteen other spring 2005 books in this series. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these American Moments titles: The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, The Kent State Tragedy, The Pilgrims, The Industrial Revolution, The Jamestown Colony, and The Lincoln-Douglas Debates.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer

(4) YA Major World Leaders series. Because these biographies concern current political figures, their authors face a difficult evaluation task. The details about Brazil and Iraq are accurate, but the text becomes more rambling in the Morrison volume. He shows, though, that the economic gap in Brazil continues to be challenging, and Shields even-handedly presents events leading to Hussein's capture. Captioned photos and maps illustrate the books. Reading list, timeline, websites (Hussein). Ind. Review covers these Major World Leaders titles: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Saddam Hussein.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Native American Biographies series. In a somewhat cluttered design, ample drawings, maps, and color photographs accompany a description of the lives of six important Native Americans and their individual significance in American history. Throughout the text are timelines and boxed quotes from various individuals. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Native American Biographies titles: Chief John Ross, Chief Joseph, Sacagawea, Chief Tecumseh, Osceola, and Sequoyah.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) K-3 Native American Biographies series. In a somewhat cluttered design, ample drawings, maps, and color photographs accompany a description of the lives of six important Native Americans and their individual significance in American history. Throughout the text are timelines and boxed quotes from various individuals. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Native American Biographies titles: Chief John Ross, Chief Joseph, Sacagawea, Chief Tecumseh, Osceola, and Sequoyah.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) K-3 Native American Biographies series. In a somewhat cluttered design, ample drawings, maps, and color photographs accompany a description of the lives of six important Native Americans and their individual significance in American history. Throughout the text are timelines and boxed quotes from various individuals. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Native American Biographies titles: Chief John Ross, Chief Joseph, Sacagawea, Chief Tecumseh, Osceola, and Sequoyah.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(3) YA Spiritual Leaders and Thinkers series. The subjects of these report-oriented biographies of religious leaders will be of varying interest to young people. The feature that sets these apart from other biographies are the appended primary source documents in most of the volumes, including the text of Luther's Ninety-five Theses and the Dalai Lama's Nobel acceptance speech. Chronology, reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Spiritual Leaders and Thinkers titles: Martin Luther, Thomas Merton, Mary Baker Eddy, Aimee Semple McPherson, and Dalai Lama.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 America's First Peoples series. Each of these books focuses on a traditional activity characteristic of a Native American group. Included are bits of history, folklore, and culture, plus hands-on activities, such as recipes. The easy-to-read format is enhanced with colorful illustrations, but the books are too brief to provide more than a cursory look at each group. Directory, reading list. Glos., ind. [Review covers these America's First People titles: The Navajo, The Shoshone, The Choctaw, and The Inuit.]

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg