(4) YA Central America Today series. Useful for reports but less than scintillating in writing style, these books provide lots of information about Central America. Main texts focusing on history, geography, and people are supplemented with maps, sidebars, photos, recipes (geared toward experienced cooks), events listings, report ideas, and organizations to contact. There are four other spring 2009 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Central America Today titles: Belize, Central America, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) YA Central America Today series. Useful for reports but less than scintillating in writing style, these books provide lots of information about Central America. Main texts focusing on history, geography, and people are supplemented with maps, sidebars, photos, recipes (geared toward experienced cooks), events listings, report ideas, and organizations to contact. There are four other spring 2009 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Central America Today titles: Belize, Central America, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) YA Central America Today series. Useful for reports but less than scintillating in writing style, these books provide lots of information about Central America. Main texts focusing on history, geography, and people are supplemented with maps, sidebars, photos, recipes (geared toward experienced cooks), events listings, report ideas, and organizations to contact. There are four other spring 2009 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Central America Today titles: Belize, Central America, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) YA South America Today series. These books, though dryly written, will provide plenty of report information for study of South American nations. Main texts focusing on history, geography, and people are supplemented with maps, sidebars, photos, recipes (geared toward experienced cooks), events calendars, report ideas, and organizations to contact. There are nine other spring 2009 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these South America Today titles: Bolivia, South America Facts & Figures, Peru, and Guyana.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) YA Central America Today series. Useful for reports but less than scintillating in writing style, these books provide lots of information about Central America. Main texts focusing on history, geography, and people are supplemented with maps, sidebars, photos, recipes (geared toward experienced cooks), events listings, report ideas, and organizations to contact. There are four other spring 2009 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Central America Today titles: Belize, Central America, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(2) YA This book, abridged from Shields's 2006 adult release Mockingbird, relies on extensive secondary source material and a few interviews with Lee's acquaintances. Shields's journalistic style creates a readable ode to a headstrong, determined, unconventional woman who writes, rewrites, edits, becomes frustrated, and finally finishes an enduring novel. Extensive documentation is appended. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(4) YA Modern World Leaders series. By placing the featured leader in a historical context, this series, part history and part biography, challenges the reader to consider the concept of leadership. Each book features a comprehensive discussion of the subject's childhood experiences and rise to power, significant historical events, international relationships, and ideology. The text is dense; some photographs and drawings help break up the pages. Reading list, timeline. Bib., ind. Review covers these Modern World Leaders titles: Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair, George W. Bush, Hugo Chávez, The Saudi Royal Family, Pope John Paul II, Vladimir Putin, and Pervez Musharraf.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(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) 4-6 Discovering South America series. Overviews of these South American countries introduce the geography, history, economy, politics, peoples, and culture of each place. Each brief chapter features dry, straightforward text and color photos of varying quality. Recipes and project ideas are appended. Those looking for in-depth information for reports will have to go elsewhere. There are seven other fall 2003 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, website. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Discovering South America titles: Colombia, Paraguay, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, and Guyana.]

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Discovering South America series. Overviews of these South American countries introduce the geography, history, economy, politics, peoples, and culture of each place. Each brief chapter features dry, straightforward text and color photos of varying quality. Recipes and project ideas are appended. Those looking for in-depth information for reports will have to go elsewhere. There are seven other fall 2003 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, website. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Discovering South America titles: Colombia, Paraguay, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, and Guyana.]

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Discovering South America series. Overviews of these South American countries introduce the geography, history, economy, politics, peoples, and culture of each place. Each brief chapter features dry, straightforward text and color photos of varying quality. Recipes and project ideas are appended. Those looking for in-depth information for reports will have to go elsewhere. There are seven other fall 2003 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, website. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Discovering South America titles: Colombia, Paraguay, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, and Guyana.]

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Major World Leaders series. Students researching current events will appreciate these volumes about six newsworthy subjects. Workmanlike prose balances biographical details with information--both positive and negative--about how these political figures have led, or continue to lead, their countries. The accompanying color photos are often pallid. Timelines are included. There are six other fall 2002 books in this series. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Major World Leaders titles: Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, Anwar Sadat, Saddam Hussein, Vladimir Putin, and Yasir Arafat.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Major World Leaders series. Students researching current events will appreciate these volumes about six newsworthy subjects. Workmanlike prose balances biographical details with information--both positive and negative--about how these political figures have led, or continue to lead, their countries. The accompanying color photos are often pallid. Timelines are included. There are six other fall 2002 books in this series. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Major World Leaders titles: Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, Anwar Sadat, Saddam Hussein, Vladimir Putin, and Yasir Arafat.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Behind the Camera series. Each book in this series profiles an award-winning director, balancing biographical information and professional accomplishments. The directors' films are examined at length, but unfortunately without much depth, in facile texts that contain omissions as well as some factual errors. Average-quality color photographs and movie stills illustrate the books, which also include filmographies and timelines. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Behind the Camera titles: Rob Reiner, James Cameron, Ron Howard, George Lucas, Spike Lee, and Steven Spielberg.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Behind the Camera series. Each book in this series profiles an award-winning director, balancing biographical information and professional accomplishments. The directors' films are examined at length, but unfortunately without much depth, in facile texts that contain omissions as well as some factual errors. Average-quality color photographs and movie stills illustrate the books, which also include filmographies and timelines. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Behind the Camera titles: Rob Reiner, James Cameron, Ron Howard, George Lucas, Spike Lee, and Steven Spielberg.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Famous Figures of the American Frontier series. Despite some oversimplifications, the books in this series provide adequate introductions to these individuals. After acquainting readers with the subject's more colorful accomplishments, succeeding chapters present a biographical sketch. Illustrated with (often colorized) archival photos, the texts are readable and accessible. Timelines are included. There are five other fall 2001 books in this series. [Review covers these titles: Crazy Horse, Davy Crockett, Annie Oakley, Wyatt Earp, Geronimo.]

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Women of Achievement series. Quoting profusely from their subjects, as well as their peers and historians, the books in this series offer laudatory biographies of these influential women. Joan uses extensive excerpts from trial transcripts and documents, although there are no source notes. Mostly dull black-and-white photos and reproductions do little to break up or extend the text. All the books include a timeline. Bib., ind. [Review covers these titles: Katharine Graham, Diane Sawyer, Joan of Arc, Amy Tan, Martha Stewart.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) 4-6 Overcoming Adversity series. In the books in this series, each subject triumphed over hardships that ranged from physical disability to nationwide political oppression. The clearly written texts do not overplay this aspect of each subject's story but incorporate it into informative and cohesive biographical portraits. Illustrated with average-quality black-and-white photos, each volume contains a timeline; Twain and Wonder also feature discographies. Bib., ind. [Review covers these titles: Triumph of the Imagination, John McCain, Shania Twain, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Stevie Wonder.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Women of Achievement series. Quoting profusely from their subjects, as well as their peers and historians, the books in this series offer laudatory biographies of these influential women. Joan uses extensive excerpts from trial transcripts and documents, although there are no source notes. Mostly dull black-and-white photos and reproductions do little to break up or extend the text. All the books include a timeline. Bib., ind. [Review covers these titles: Katharine Graham, Diane Sawyer, Joan of Arc, Amy Tan, Martha Stewart.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 Great Disasters: Reforms and Ramifications series. Each of the books in this series begins with an account of the disaster it concerns, followed by background including what is known of the origins and outcomes. Illustrated with black-and-white photos and a few diagrams, the detailed texts reward close reading. Chronologies end the books, and World Trade Center has an epilogue about September 11. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Great Disasters: Reforms and Ramifications titles: The Salem Witch Trials, The Dust Bowl, Three Mile Island, The Explosion of TWA Flight 800, The 1993 World Trade Center Bombing.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian