(3) 4-6 Tangled History series. This account of the 2009 emergency Hudson River landing of Flight 1549 is told from the perspectives of several passengers and crew members, including the pilot, Captain Sullenberger. The suspenseful, dramatic events unfold in chronological order, with personal reflections on the aborted winter flight, perilous landing, and rescue. Captioned photographs enhance the narrative. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) 4-6 Tangled History series. Weaving together personal accounts from the voyage and stories of survival during the event, Otfinoski spins a compelling tale of the sinking of Titanic and what might have happened aboard the ship. The book reads like narrative nonfiction but with a significant amount of speculation and fictionalization; informative supplementary matter adds value. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) 4-6 Tangled History series. Weaving together personal accounts from the days surrounding each event, the authors spin compelling tales of what happened (and what might have happened) during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the 1963 assassination of JFK. The books read like narrative nonfiction but with a significant amount of speculation and fictionalization; informative supplementary matter adds value. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Tangled History titles: Impact and Tragedy in Dallas.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) 4-6 Encounter series. This book explores the harrowing exploits of pilots who flew "The Hump," the air transport route between India and China in WWII's lesser-known China-Burma-India theater. The narrative includes individuals' experiences as well as background on the war itself, and the result is a bit choppy. Occasional black-and-white photos, sidebars, and a map supplement the main text. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 Civil War series. These broad overviews of the Civil War touch on the conflict over slavery and states' rights and significant events preceding the war; and include a straightforward account of the war and its aftermath and brief vignettes of key personalities. Boxes of text and sidebars are placed atop archival photos, illustrations, and overly decorative graphics. Common Core activities are appended. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Civil War titles: The Battle Over Slavery, Yankees and Rebels, and The U.S. Civil War.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Revolutionary War series. These books offer an abbreviated account of events preceding, during, and following the colonists' fight for independence. Brief biographies showcase leaders of both sides, causes and effects of the conflict are broadly recounted, and a simple chronology highlights significant events. Boxes of text and sidebars are placed atop illustrations and overly decorative graphics. Common Core activities are appended. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Revolutionary War titles: Patriots and Redcoats,Battle for a New Nation, and The Revolutionary War.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 You Choose: History series. This Choose Your Own Adventure–style book relates the history of Juneteenth from the perspective of three newly freed slaves. The narrative offers three story paths for readers to follow, each with various scenarios and multiple outcomes. Though the information is limited, readers will come away with a general sense of the issues. Photos and illustrations help break up the text. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) 4-6 You Choose: History series. This Choose Your Own Adventure–style book provides three different paths for readers to follow (e.g., be a passenger or hired sailor aboard the Lusitania). Though the information is limited, reluctant readers who enjoy the series hook will come away with a sense of the event. Photos and illustrations help break up the text. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) 4-6 Fact Finders: What Went Wrong? series. This brief overview of the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire contains a wealth of gripping details. The swift narrative begins with the blaze that ultimately killed 146 people, and ends with the development of new laws regulating working conditions. Eerie black-and-white photos of structural damage and victims illustrate the magnitude of the destruction, while sidebars expand on the information. Reading list. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(4) YA Our Freedom to Read series. Each volume contains information about specific popular children and young adults books that have been challenged or banned. The brief entries first outline plot then present overviews of the censorship issues and "Landmark Challenges"; further reading about the cases and short author biographies are also included. Though they don't delve deep, these overviews provide starting points for researchers. Ind. Review covers these Our Freedom to Read titles: Classic Books, Coming-of-Age Fiction, Outsider Fiction, and Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Our Freedom to Read series. Each volume contains information about specific popular children and young adults books that have been challenged or banned. The brief entries first outline plot then present overviews of the censorship issues and "Landmark Challenges"; further reading about the cases and short author biographies are also included. Though they don't delve deep, these overviews provide starting points for researchers. Ind. Review covers these Our Freedom to Read titles: Classic Books, Coming-of-Age Fiction, Outsider Fiction, and Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Our Freedom to Read series. Each volume contains information about specific popular children and young adults books that have been challenged or banned. The brief entries first outline plot then present overviews of the censorship issues and "Landmark Challenges"; further reading about the cases and short author biographies are also included. Though they don't delve deep, these overviews provide starting points for researchers. Ind. Review covers these Our Freedom to Read titles: Classic Books, Coming-of-Age Fiction, Outsider Fiction, and Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Our Freedom to Read series. Each volume contains information about specific popular children and young adults books that have been challenged or banned. The brief entries first outline plot then present overviews of the censorship issues and "Landmark Challenges"; further reading about the cases and short author biographies are also included. Though they don't delve deep, these overviews provide starting points for researchers. Ind. Review covers these Our Freedom to Read titles: Classic Books, Coming-of-Age Fiction, Outsider Fiction, and Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) 4-6 Great Explorations series. Six explorers--including three Spanish conquistadors--are profiled alongside the lands and peoples they discovered and subjugated. Written in a colloquial style, several of the titles skate over the effects the Europeans' conquests had on the native populations, but for the most part these books are thorough. All six titles contain good-quality reproductions. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Great Explorations titles: Vasco da Gama, Zebulon Pike, Samuel de Champlain, Francisco Pizarro, Juan Ponce de León, and Vasco Nuñez de Balboa.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 Great Explorations series. Six explorers--including three Spanish conquistadors--are profiled alongside the lands and peoples they discovered and subjugated. Written in a colloquial style, several of the titles skate over the effects the Europeans' conquests had on the native populations, but for the most part these books are thorough. All six titles contain good-quality reproductions. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Great Explorations titles: Vasco da Gama, Zebulon Pike, Samuel de Champlain, Francisco Pizarro, Juan Ponce de León, and Vasco Nuñez de Balboa.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) 4-6 Great Explorations series. In each of these books, an informative, reader-friendly text mindfully balanced with archival photographs, prints, and maps in both color and black and white introduces history's most notable explorers. This well-organized series provides an engaging chronological biography for the report-driven reader as well as for the general inquirer. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Great Explorations titles: Hernando Cortés, Sir Ernest Shackleton, John Charles Frémont, Francisco Coronado, Marco Polo, and Sir Francis Drake.]

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) 4-6 Great Explorations series. In each of these books, an informative, reader-friendly text mindfully balanced with archival photographs, prints, and maps in both color and black and white introduces history's most notable explorers. This well-organized series provides an engaging chronological biography for the report-driven reader as well as for the general inquirer. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Great Explorations titles: Hernando Cortés, Sir Ernest Shackleton, John Charles Frémont, Francisco Coronado, Marco Polo, and Sir Francis Drake.]

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale