(3) 4-6 Alternator Books: They Survived series. In clear, vivid texts, these series entries tell the true stories of two courageous individuals: surfer Hamilton, who lost an arm in a shark attack, and professional climber Ralston, who amputated his own hand to escape being trapped in a canyon. Both books rely on photographs from their movie versions, clearly noted in the captions, and include tips on dealing with deadly situations. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Alternator Books: They Survived titles: Surviving a Canyon and Surviving a Shark Attack

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) 4-6 True Stories, Real People series. Each short, inspiring biography is divided into four or five chapters written in an objective, unpretentious manner. Quotation sources are fastidiously footnoted and listed in the back matter. Navigation is easy thanks to clean layouts and a simple color scheme (orange photo captions, navy call-out boxes). Great for school assignments and engaging enough for pleasure reading. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following True Stories, Real People titles: Alia Muhammad Baker, Aron Ralston, Malala Yousafzai, Abby Sunderland, and Bethany Hamilton.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester