(2) 4-6 Chimpanzees were "America's first astronauts," but what did their missions entail, and how did their voyages help NASA send humans into space? Cusick's well-researched look at the primates' training and flights provides details for an area of the space race typically relegated to a footnote. The account covers the rigorous and extensive training that dozens of chimps underwent to prepare for the Mercury program, introducing individual animals along with their dedicated human trainers and veterinarians (and touching on the ethics of animal testing). Cusick zeroes in on the high-stress and difficult flights of two astrochimps: Ham, whose suborbital flight preceded Alan Shepard's historic one, and Enos, whose two orbits around Earth paved the way for John Glenn. The propulsively page-turning narrative accessibly explains scientific details while showcasing the vital importance of the chimp program to NASA's moonshot goal. We learn that the chimps were not merely passengers but instead highly skilled astronauts performing difficult mental challenges throughout their flights to give scientists evidence that brains could function normally in zero-gravity situations as well as during the intense pressures of ascent and descent. Back matter that includes extensive endnotes, a glossary, an index, and additional resources rounds out this compelling aspect of astronautic history.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(3) YA Nonviolent bandit Black Bart (a.k.a. Charles Boles) used manners and moxie to rob stagecoaches--never firing a shot and always saying please. This biography also weaves in information about the California Gold Rush; the Wells Fargo Stagecoach Co.; and detective Jim Hume, who caught Bart. Illustrated with well-selected black-and-white drawings and archival photos, the book captures a fascinating slice of American history. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) 4-6 Jones's hair-raising account of a 1958 fire in a Chicago school that killed almost one hundred people will surely encourage young readers to think about fire prevention and safety (and probably check for the fire exits in public buildings they visit). The importance of fire safety laws and the dire consequences of overcrowded classrooms is vividly portrayed. The narrative is illustrated with photos and enlivened by interviews with survivors of the tragedy. Reading list. Ind.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) YA Fifty years after their assassinations, Dr. King's and Robert Kennedy's battles for social justice are placed in moving parallel. The dual biographic account centers on April 4, 1968, when presidential candidate RFK announced news of MLK's death to an Indianapolis crowd. The narrative, with tragic and sometimes religious tones, uses many primary sources. An epilogue acknowledges that the issues these men fought for are still ongoing. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) 4-6 Sutton offers a vivid, detailed account of how and why the SS Eastland capsized on the Chicago River's bank in summer 1915. The cargo-turned-pleasure boat, carrying 2,500 (mainly immigrant) employees of Western Electric, sank before departing for a company picnic. In short, dynamic chapters enhanced with archival photographs, the straightforward text reflects on the disaster's obscurity relative to its contemporary, the Titanic. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) YA Women of Action series. After an intimate foreword by a female medical resident, engaging profiles of (mainly American) women in medicine are divided among three sections: pioneers who received formal medical training in the nineteenth century, important contributors to twentieth-century medicine, and current practitioners. Each bio emphasizes personal strengths and triumphs over adversities and ends with suggested resources. Historical photographs portray the women at work. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 With Krystyna Poray Goddu. Krystyna (Krysia) Mihulka recounts her harrowing experiences during WWII. Nine-year-old Krysia was deported from southeastern Poland following the German and Soviet invasions and spent two years on a Soviet work farm in Kazakhstan, followed by several years in refugee camps in Iran and Rhodesia. Mihulka's warmth shines through, and her perspective offers a unique angle on the WWII narrative. Small black-and-white photos included.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 In September 1939, the S.S. Athenia, a passenger ship en route to Canada from England, was torpedoed by a German submarine. The ship sank and survivors spent harrowing hours in life boats. Mullenbach's well-researched and exciting recreation of events before, during, and after the attack centers on the experiences of real children, eleven-year-old Russell Park and fourteen-year-old Florence Kelly; black-and-white-photos are included. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA Women of Action series. These are interesting collective biographies of women on the WWII Pacific front and from both sides of the American Civil War, who challenged gender stereotypes of their time. Clear narrative texts provide ample historical context along with supplemental sections and high-quality black-and-white photographs. The informative accounts include plenty of primary sources and suggested further reading for each chapter. Bib., ind. Review covers these Women of Action titles: Women Heroes of World War II and Courageous Women of the Civil War.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) YA Women of Action series. In 1921, four men and a young Inuit woman named Ada Blackjack set off of an expedition to uninhabited Wrangel Island north of Siberia. While all four men died or disappeared during the trip, Blackjack managed to stay alive until she was rescued--no small feat in the Arctic. A well-written, well-sourced survival story, punctuated by a handful of (questionably relevant) sidebars. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA Women of Action series. These are interesting collective biographies of women on the WWII Pacific front and from both sides of the American Civil War, who challenged gender stereotypes of their time. Clear narrative texts provide ample historical context along with supplemental sections and high-quality black-and-white photographs. The informative accounts include plenty of primary sources and suggested further reading for each chapter. Bib., ind. Review covers these Women of Action titles: Women Heroes of World War II and Courageous Women of the Civil War.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) YA This thorough biography limns the life of the acclaimed Jazz Age poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, from her poverty-stricken childhood in Maine to her celebrity as the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. A path-breaking feminist, Vincent had an irrepressible, bohemian spirit that sparks this volume. Photographs and poems further illuminate the story of an extraordinary life. Reading list, timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA Hollihan relates twelve succinct accounts of men and women who served in varied capacities during World War I, including several well-known people: J. R. R. Tolkien, Irène Curie (daughter of Marie), Ernest Hemingway, Harry Truman, Buster Keaton, and Theodore Roosevelt's children. The well-documented accounts provide unique, informative details likely new to many history lovers. Archival photographs enhance the readable text. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) YA Women of Action series. This collective biography has revised and expanded on material originally published as Good Women of a Well-Blessed Land. With numerous quotes from primary sources, this dense but engaging treatise on the lives of women (including black and Native American women) in colonial America focuses on women's everyday lives and on societal attitudes about women. Reproductions of period art portray women performing various tasks. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 In 1944, a fire broke out at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Hartford, Connecticut, killing 167 people in ten minutes. This compelling account covers the tragedy, as well as the mysteries that remain about the cause and about one of the survivors. The readable text is supported by well-chosen black-and-white archival photos of the scene. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) YA While the centerpiece of the book is Mitchell's 1971 trip to--and walk on--the moon, he provides just the right amount of autobiographical and technological background for the achievement. The history of the Apollo program and details of the Apollo 14 mission are clear, and the inclusion of Mitchell's moon-based ESP experiment will intrigue readers. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) YA Women of Action series. With Hervé Larroque. Edited by Kathryn J. Atwood. Cornioley's detailed account of her time as a British special agent in Nazi-occupied France is suited for readers already familiar with the basic events of World War II. She narrates with short sentences and a matter-of-fact tone that keeps readers at a distance from her story, but the material is well documented and thorough. Appropriate for students needing primary source material. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) YA Edited by Susan Signe Morrison. This transcribed diary captures the everyday interests and worries of Joan, an academically minded, politically interested teen at the dawn of World War II. In entries written between age fourteen and twenty, Joan is equally likely to fret over homework, relay the latest news from Europe, or chat about boys and friends. An impressive historical document with a dynamic narrator. Ind.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) YA Organized by country, the text profiles women throughout Europe and the U.S. who fought back against the Nazis by hiding Jews in their homes, spying for the Resistance, or even working as assassins. Atwood skillfully weaves in personal details about her subjects to give readers a solid feel for who they were and why they risked so much to save others. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Earl J. Madden. This collection of photos and remembrances details the transformation of a rundown Depression-era Wisconsin farm into a National Historic Landmark. The Leopold family collected observations of the land and natural world during each season as they restored the buildings and property during the late 1930s and 1940s. History buffs will enjoy this look at family traditions and natural life. Timeline.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King