(4) 4-6 Gateway Biographies series. This no-frills biography covers up-and-coming actress Jennifer Lawrence's childhood, early acting work, breakthrough roles, and critical acclaim, culminating with her starring role as Katniss Everdeen in the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games. Krohn presents Lawrence as a down-to-earth natural talent. Sidebars, color photographs, and quotations from Lawrence and other sources provide context. Reading list, timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) YA USA Today Lifeline Biographies series. Using USA Today articles, websites, interviews, and other sources, these biographies provide overviews of the slain rap star and the superstar author. The busy book design features many photographs, some of which enhance the texts (e.g., Tupac performing in various hip-hop shows) while others are clearly filler (e.g., in Meyer, a photo of kids lined up to purchase Harry Potter). Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these USA Today Lifeline Biographies titles: Tupac Shakur and Stephenie Meyer.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Gateway Biography series. These standard biographies offer sanitized facts about each subject's life, beginning with childhood and ending with present day (which in Sotomayor focuses on her Supreme Court achievements, and in Jackson his legacy after death). The simple, uncluttered design includes appealing captioned photos. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Gateway Biography titles: Michael Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor.

Reviewer: Marika Jeffrey

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. These books present descriptions, origins, and anecdotes about the title subjects. Fortune-Telling includes contemporary practitioners; Ghost Ships focuses on legends about historical "abandoned ships." Sidebars provide alternative explanations, though the texts do tend to present the supernatural as fact. Curiously, Johnny Depp makes his way into both volumes. Stock photos and illustrations break up the texts. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Ghosts Ships and Fortune-Telling.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) YA USA Today Lifeline Biographies series. Using some excerpts from USA Today articles, this book describes Winfrey's life, from her traumatic childhood through her beauty pageant years and dream of emulating Barbara Walters to her superstardom today, with an emphasis on philanthropic efforts. Though the book's design is busy, its many photographs and sidebars add interest. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) K-3 Fact Finders: Biographies: Great Hispanics series. This clearly written biography touches lightly on issues faced by ballet dancers, including long hours of practice and training, and their early retirement. Krohn also mentions Cisneros's difficulties with prejudice as a Mexican American dancer. Photographs of Cisneros's elegant arabesque and other career pictures are captivating; other photos are less effective. The simple text will aid struggling readers. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) 4-6 Just the Facts Biographies series. Although Winfrey suffers from wooden prose, all four of these biographies offer some insight into their subjects' lives, inadvertently giving lie to the series' title. Occasional sidebars share useful historical perspectives, but disruptive "It's a Fact!" boxes contain information that should have been integrated into the texts. Black-and-white photos appear throughout. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Just the Facts Biographies tiles: J. R. R. Tolkien, Oprah Winfrey, Benjamin Franklin, and John Glenn.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) YA A & E Biography series. Though centuries may separate the subjects of the volumes in this series, all have played prominent political or cultural roles. Their life stories are relayed in sometimes rushed prose, but these books will make acceptable starting points for those seeking basic biographical information. The texts are accompanied by average-quality photos and historical reproductions in black and white and in color. Bib., ind. [Review covers these titles: William Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth I, Oprah Winfrey, George W. Bush, The Beatles, Benjamin Franklin.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA Lerner Biographies series. Illustrated with clear black-and-white photos, these two biographies begin with short chapters describing a memorable event--seventeen-year-old Fitzgerald winning an amateur music contest at the Apollo Theater and Deng impressing American audiences on a 1979 visit. The two books then chronologically and matter-of-factly trace these eventful lives from birth to death. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) YA A & E Biography series. Illustrated mostly with vintage black-and-white photos, this composite biography features not only Wild West legends such as Annie Oakley, Margaret Brown, and Calamity Jane, but also such women as Virginia Reed, a survivor of the Donner Party, and Laura Ingalls Wilder, among others. The coherent introduction, conclusion, and transitional material frame the biographies well. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) YA A & E Biography series. Illustrated with black-and-white and color photographs, these are serviceable biographies--based primarily on magazine and newspaper sources--of three well-known individuals. Each book provides clearly written accounts of its subject's childhood and young adult years, before moving on to discuss accomplishments and past and present difficulties and challenges. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 A & E Biography series. In this adulatory biography, Krohn looks at O'Donnell's single-minded commitment to her childhood dream to be an entertainer, discussing her work as a struggling stand-up comic, her forays into movie acting, and her current success as a daytime talk show host. Though the writing is sometimes choppy, O'Donnell's belief in herself and her goals comes across. The book is illustrated with standard photos in color and in black and white. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn