(3) 4-6 Creative Writing in 5 Simple Steps series. Most suitable for upper-elementary and middle-school aspiring authors, this series straightforwardly introduces writing in various genres through chapters on inspiration, preparation, organization, composition, and publication; Graphic Novel includes a chapter on illustration. Readers will find useful starting advice, writing techniques, famous examples of the genre, as well as questions and prompts to foster engagement with their own work. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Creative Writing in 5 Simple Steps titles: Write a Mystery in 5 Simple Steps, Write a Romance in 5 Simple Steps, Write Horror Fiction in 5 Simple Steps, Write Fantasy Fiction in 5 Simple Steps, Write a Graphic Novel in 5 Simple Steps, and Write Science Fiction in 5 Simple Steps.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) YA Multicultural Literature series. Students of literature will appreciate these dense but useful discussions of notable titles popular with young adult audiences. Plot summaries, literary elements, reception and criticism, and a brief overview of the authors' lives combine with photographs and sidebars to present a thorough analysis of the books, their literary and historical significance, and the authors who wrote them. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Multicultural Literature titles: A Reader's Guide to Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street, A Reader's Guide to Gary Soto's Taking Sides, A Reader's Guide to Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, and A Reader's Guide to Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 People to Know Today series. This book documents Lange's early determination to become a photographer in a largely male-dominated field and her subsequent work during the Depression and World War II. Her story is told in prosaic language, but liberal use of the subject's own photographs makes the presentation more engaging. For an older audience, Elizabeth Partridge's Restless Spirit is a more compelling biography. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind.

Reviewer:

(4) YA African-American Biography Library series. These volumes ably (if somewhat blandly) chronicle the lives of their subjects, whose contributions in the arts are of historic importance. In Ray, Ford interweaves the man's trials, triumphs, and human foibles into an accurate but unexciting text. Zora is informative but doesn't manage to capture the exuberance of Hurston's outgoing personality. Many photos are included. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these African-American Biography Library titles: Ray Charles and Zora Neale Hurston.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) YA People to Know series. These biographies will give young students personal information about two famous men of the twentieth century and some insight into their careers. Adult support may be needed to help less able readers with life stories that are more detailed and less choppy than many biographies written for the primary grades. The photographs are plentiful and appropriate. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Meeting Famous People titles: Walt Disney and Neil Armstrong.]

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) YA African-American Biographies series. Competently written and illustrated with adequate black-and-white photos and reproductions, the books in this series pay tribute to five African Americans who received acclaim in various fields, while simultaneously advancing the cause of civil rights. The biographies of activists Hamer and Lewis are particularly welcome, filling a need for book-length profiles of these individuals. Timelines are included. Bib., ind. [Review covers these African-American Biographies titles: John Lewis, George Washington, Fannie Lou Hamer, Frederick Douglass,and Richard Wright.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA African-American Biographies series. Writing styles of individual authors affect the readability of each volume in this series, ranging from enthusiastic to plodding and prosaic. The books will be useful where other material on each subject is limited. Unexceptional black-and-white photos are included as are websites and chronologies. Bib., ind. [Review covers these African-American Biographies titles: Julian Bond, Matthew Henson, Kweisi Mfume, Bessie Coleman, Harriet Tubman.]

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) YA African-American Biographies series. Four clearly written biographies cover major figures--two historical, two contemporary--who, despite some early difficulties, achieved major personal and professional success. Winfrey, Du Bois, and Banneker have been featured in numerous biographies, but this full-length work on Myers, which includes discussions of his books and how they came to be written, is particularly welcome. Black-and-white photos accompany the texts. Time lines are included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta