(4) YA Understanding Literature series. This examination of the brief lives and enduring works of Emily, Charlotte, and Anne Brontë provides some interesting information about the siblings and their extraordinary writing. Though it's a bit dry, the critical commentary on Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights is accessible and includes useful historical background. A few photos (mostly movie stills) and art reproductions break up the text. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA Understanding Literature series. Accessible if uninspired, this study of poet, playwright, and literary critic Eliot includes biographical information (touching on his anti-Semitism), an overview of selected works including The Waste Land and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," brief critical analysis, and a summation of his legacy. A few photographs and illustrations break up the dry text, and sidebars explain literary terms. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Great Minds of Science series. These lucid, engaging biographies of the great geneticist (McClintock) and anthropologist (Mead) clearly describe their determination, stature, and influence (although details of their work are less well described). Equally evident are the prejudices against women in the sciences. Some photographs are interspersed in the text, and simple genetics or anthropology activities are included. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Minds of Science titles: Margaret Mead and Barbara McClintock.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) 4-6 Great Minds of Science series. These books chronicle the development of their subjects' theoretical and experimental work. Hawking's combination of quantum mechanics and general relativity, Boyle's early chemical experimentation including his famous air pump, and Rutherford's discovery of the atomic nucleus form the core for considerably more information. Black-and-white photos and occasional charts illustrate the texts, and a few experiments conclude each book. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review includes these Great Minds of Science titles: Stephen Hawking, Robert Boyle, and Ernest Rutherford.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) YA Nobel Prize-Winning Scientists series. After a first chapter explaining their subjects' overall scientific contributions, these books relate the events surrounding their Nobel award. Although a bit dry, the writing is generally balanced and fluid, except for the awkward Einstein volume. Black-and-white photos and occasional diagrams illustrate the books, and a few simple experiments are included. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Nobel Prize-Winning Scientists titles: James Watson, Albert Einstein, Linus Pauling, and Enrico Fermi.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 4-6 Great Minds of Science series. In readable prose, the author explains Bohr's contributions to quantum theory and other concepts of chemistry and physics, as well as his loyalty to his native Denmark, his humanitarian work for Jews in WWII, and his advocacy for the peaceful use of atomic energy. A few experiments end the book, which is sparsely illustrated with black-and-white photos and diagrams. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) YA While there's no overarching psychological or sociological insight, as into Perkins's feminism, to rivet the reader, this biography of the first woman U.S. cabinet member (she was secretary of labor under FDR) is well-written, thorough, and occasionally humorous. The black-and-white photos of Perkins, who guarded her difficult private life, seem to reveal as much as the text does. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram