(4) 4-6 Newsmakers series. This accessibly written series is notable for its clean layouts, including color photographs, sidebars, and charts. The mostly complimentary narratives are decent overviews of their subjects' early lives as well as career successes and failures, but with living subjects, the content will soon become outdated. A "Stop and Think" feature offers discussion questions that can be used for assignments. There are four other fall 2017 books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Newsmakers titles: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Julian Assange, Elon Musk, and Ellen DeGeneres.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) YA Essential Lives series. These series entries, with straightforward writing and frequent sidebars and photos, are uneven in quality and interest level. Elizabeth I is particularly dry and requires background knowledge. Lucille Ball's colorful personality barely comes through in her volume (the pictures help), and the subtitle for Freud is odd (content is fine). Assange is current through 2011. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Essential Lives titles: Sigmund Freud, Lucille Ball, Julian Assange, and Elizabeth I.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee