(4) 4-6 J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World series. Text by Felicity Baker. Each book's present-tense text summarizes one character's trajectory through the Harry Potter film series--a tall order for a few sentences per page, resulting in a somewhat haphazard narrative. Quotes and plentiful photos from the movies should make these books of high interest to Potter fans, though spoilers mean they're best suited for those who already know the whole story. Review covers the following Harry Potter titles: Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) 4-6 J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World series. Text by Felicity Baker. Each book's present-tense text summarizes one character's trajectory through the Harry Potter film series--a tall order for a few sentences per page, resulting in a somewhat haphazard narrative. Quotes and plentiful photos from the movies should make these books of high interest to Potter fans, though spoilers mean they're best suited for those who already know the whole story. Review covers the following Harry Potter titles: Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) 4-6 J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World series. Text by Felicity Baker. Each book's present-tense text summarizes one character's trajectory through the Harry Potter film series--a tall order for a few sentences per page, resulting in a somewhat haphazard narrative. Quotes and plentiful photos from the movies should make these books of high interest to Potter fans, though spoilers mean they're best suited for those who already know the whole story. Review covers the following Harry Potter titles: Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) 4-6 J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World series. Text by Felicity Baker. Each book's present-tense text summarizes one character's trajectory through the Harry Potter film series--a tall order for a few sentences per page, resulting in a somewhat haphazard narrative. Quotes and plentiful photos from the movies should make these books of high interest to Potter fans, though spoilers mean they're best suited for those who already know the whole story. Review covers the following Harry Potter titles: Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) 4-6 J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World series. Ten present-tense sections summarize basic facts about individual characters and the plot in the first film of J. K. Rowling's new franchise (but beware of spoilers!). While multi-page sections on the major characters are useful, secondary character spreads aren't very illuminating, nor are the appended names and pictures of particular beasts. Quotes and plentiful photos should make this book of high interest to Wizarding World fans.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) 4-6 Famous Lives series. The volumes in this readable series are chock-full of trivia about the title figures. Section headings help organize the information (and will help readers navigate the crowded spreads) while sidebars provide additional information. Each title's "A Day in the Life" section and "Do You Have What It Takes?" personality quiz may engage readers. The many photographs are generally relevant. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Famous Lives titles: Simon Cowell, Barack Obama, and J.K. Rowling.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(3) YA Social Issues in Literature series. These books feature essays reprinted from a variety of sources. Each volume is arranged in three sections, with writings exploring the author's biography, a textual issue, and views on that issue. Drawing from different disciplines and points of view, the essays create a critical conversation rather than providing definitive answers, making decent starting points for student research. Reading list, timeline. Bib., ind. Review covers these Social Issue in Literature titles: Depression in J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Political Issues in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series, Issues of Class in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Suicide in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, and Racism in The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Who Wrote That? series. Formulaic but informative, these biographies of popular children's book authors examine each writer's life, including the inspiration behind some of their works; Mythmaker has been revised and updated. Volumes include photographs and quotations from interviews, as well as descriptions of main characters and annotated lists of books and awards. Useful for report writers and aspiring authors. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Who Wrote That? titles: Gary Soto, Mythmaker: The Story of J. K. Rowling, and Meg Cabot.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 People to Know Today series. All five of these biographers write about their subjects in glowing terms. With the exception of Frost, the books offer limited, anecdote-heavy information. Many photographs, sidebars, and pull-out quotes support the texts, and their clean design makes the chronologies easy to follow. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these People to Know Today titles: Laura Bush, J.K. Rowling, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Frost, and George W. Bush.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 All About series. Packed with quotes and color photos of the author, this short biography of the woman whose words brought Harry Potter to life gives insight into the person and the process behind the books, and fans will come out knowing more about their favorite author. However, text boxes, special graphics, and bold-faced words pander to reluctant readers. List of works, timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Neill Sharp Myers

(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