(2) YA Gaskins offers many personalized snapshots of the lives of mixed-race children and young adults. Entries, which include the featured speaker's name, age, hometown, and parents' ancestries, reveal the regularity with which mixed-race children must defend who they are. The book's interesting topic and accessibility will appeal to young adults and will offer a wealth of resource information for further exploration. Ind.

Reviewer: Meaghan Miller | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 1999

(4) YA Visiting the historic battleground where Sitting Bull and Custer fought, contemporary teenager Dakota, whose mother is Lakota, travels back in time to live with his Native ancestors, thereby reclaiming his roots. He eventually participates in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Fans of the genre will enjoy the smoothly written, albeit predictable novel. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA Using journal entries, letters, and black-and-white photographs, this book tells the story of the life and times of Princess Ka'iulani, heir to the Hawaiian throne and niece of Queen Lili'uokalani. The text is engaging and informative, providing insights into eighteenth-century politics and society, as well as the U.S. struggle to annex Hawaii. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Kate is miserable when she moves with her father and brother from the mainland to Hawaii to live near her father's family. While her brother looks Hawaiian and easily fits in, Kate, who looks like her white mother, is the victim of much racism but eventually finds a way to embrace her Hawaiian side. Readers will be sympathetic to Kate's situation and interested in the details of life in Hawaii.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Janice Lee Porter. After someone asks whether she's "mixed," second-grader Hope, a biracial child, wonders what that means. Her great aunt assures her that as the child of a white father and an African-American mother, she represents "generations of faith 'mixed' with lots of love." While the story is somewhat contrived, it's well told, and the illustrations, with their fluid, rounded shapes, are a dynamic accompaniment.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) 4-6 These well-written biographies present in-depth profiles of contemporary sport stars. The development of their impressive careers is coupled with engaging and often humorous personal stories. The books are packed with black-and-white and color photographs, from current action shots to childhood portraits--including prom pictures of Bledsoe and Jeter. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Charlotte S. Huck

(4) 4-6 World's Children series. Information about the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Alaska is provided through the text and vivid color photos. Topics range from the influence of the Russian Orthodox religion to a children's summer camp that teaches traditional fishing and food preparation. Many children are shown and mentioned by name, but little information is provided about them and their families, which would have lent immediacy to the book. Ind.

Reviewer: Debbie Reese

(4) K-3 When a young biracial girl's extended family gathers for a backyard cookout, she makes no-bake peanut butter cookies all by herself as a treat for them. A positive aspect of this story (illustrated with color photos) is that it celebrates Allie's mixed background--her mother is white, her father is black--without overemphasizing it. But the mundane action is routinely conveyed and soon becomes boring.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) 4-6 Sports Stars series. Bright color photographs, large type, and easy-to-read narratives create a reader-friendly introduction to five contemporary sport stars. The biographies are brief, and the fast-paced texts, filled with impressive athletic accomplishments, should entice young fans. Chronologies are included.

Reviewer: Charlotte S. Huck

(3) YA Son of a British fighter pilot and a Tsimshian Indian, fourteen-year-old Canadian Jed is proud of his heritage and his country--until his best friend, Tadashi, a Japanese Canadian, is slated to be interned along with his family during World War II. Jed's assumptions about war, ethnicity, and fairness undergo many changes in this engaging novel.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty