(2) YA In the fourth (and final) installment about Peak ­Marcello (beginning with Peak, rev. 5/07), the ­sixteen-year-old has survived an avalanche on Hkakabo Razi and descends into the Tibetan jungle, pursued by Captain Shek of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Peak, his world-famous mountain-climbing father, and their longtime "mystery monk" friend Zopa hole up in a Buddhist monastery hidden away from the world in the Tsangpo River gorge. The fast pace of the adventure takes a meditative turn here, and the experience changes Peak. By story's end, he seems more interested in following Zopa's advice to "go out and do good things" than to continue scaling skyscrapers and mountains. This volume stands alone but is enriched by the prior entries, as Peak ponders a future seemingly without climbing: "The climbing itch was gone. I had left it somewhere on the slopes of the Land of Dawn-Lit Mountains."

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(4) 4-6 When Tash's Tibetan Buddhist parents are arrested for religious and political activity by the occupying Chinese soldiers, Tash escapes with her friend Sam and two yaks. They make a dangerous trek through the Himalayas to the exiled Tibetan community in India, where she meets the Dalai Lama. The exciting adventure story would benefit from more in-depth information about Tibet's current situation and a map. Brief facts are appended.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) YA With Laura Scandiffio. Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Gray documents a harrowing journey across the Himalayas for two brothers, Pasang (eighteen) and Tenzin (ten). They escaped oppressive Chinese Communist authorities in their small Tibetan village and reached asylum in Dharamsala, India, home of the Tibetan government-in-exile. The riveting account includes some maps and an insert of black-and-white photos. Timeline. Glos.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) YA Translated by Anna Holmwood. Born a sheep dog on the Tibetan plateau, a Tibetan mastiff endures indifferent masters--and kills fierce adversaries--before finding a good home. The narrative stays very close to a dog's-eye point of view for Kelsang's journey through present-day China. While ascribing emotions to his hero, author Blackcrane is rigorous about keeping them true to Kelsang's species and (intimidating) breed.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) 4-6 Great Idea: Engineering series. REVIEW MISSING

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(4) YA People in the News series. These series entries provide a portrait of each subject's childhood, career, and influences. The texts, though superficial, are informative. Sidebars touch on related topics (e.g., Tibet in Dalai Lama, diabetes in Jonas Brothers), controversies (e.g., Fey's portrayal of Sarah Palin, DeGeneres's coming out), and trivia. There are five other spring 2010 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these People in the News titles: Tyra Banks, Hillary Clinton, Tina Fey, The Dalai Lama, Jonas Brothers, and Ellen DeGeneres.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 This biography also serves as a window into Tibetan culture and an eye-opening introduction to the region's ongoing conflict with China. The text is lyrical and informative (though readers may find the six-year-old Dalai Lama's musings unbelievable: "He imagined that as the shade began to creep over the schoolroom, it also crept over his heart"). Occasional black-and-white photographs help readers visualize Tibet. Websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) K-3 Tsering, a Nepalese boy, wants to be worthy of his dead father. On returning from a monastery (where an intriguing traditional healing takes place), Tsering attempts to traverse the dangerous mountain pass where his father died. The story's construction is unwieldy, but the cultural details are appealing. In particular, the tang-ka paintings with their stylized hair, waves, and rocks draw the eye.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA Spiritual Leaders and Thinkers series. The subjects of these report-oriented biographies of religious leaders will be of varying interest to young people. The feature that sets these apart from other biographies are the appended primary source documents in most of the volumes, including the text of Luther's Ninety-five Theses and the Dalai Lama's Nobel acceptance speech. Chronology, reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Spiritual Leaders and Thinkers titles: Martin Luther, Thomas Merton, Mary Baker Eddy, Aimee Semple McPherson, and Dalai Lama.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Famous Lives series. Effectively integrating historical context into the discussion, these biographies present an overview of each subject's life and notable contributions. The large format includes photos, archival reproductions, and a spacious layout, making the books accessible and easy to read. The quality of the writing is uneven, but readers will gain a basic appreciation of these important figures in history. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Famous Lives titles: Florence Nightingale, Gandhi, The Dalai Lama, and John Lennon.]

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Danuta Mayer. Guided by his dreams, young Tenzin heals a wounded musk deer, learns to love it, and finally, to let it go free. Detailed gouache illustrations with panoramic views of Tibet and intricate borders complement this quiet story about a young healer and the Buddhist practice of "non-attachment."

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Lo Koon-chiu. This rich array of folktales is accompanied by illustrations done with the attention to detail and precision of line that characterize the classic Chinese brush style. Oddly, neither the flap copy nor the quaint-sounding foreword have been updated, but these stories are vibrant enough to withstand the passage of time.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: August, 1962

(4) YA World in Conflict series. These books provide an expansive look at the complex problems faced by two different peoples whose lives and political independence are controlled by powerful countries. While the three-column format may prove daunting to some, the books include background information and balanced discussions of the recent situations in these regions. Detailed chronologies are included. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) 4-6 Set in Tibet roughly a century ago, this story revolves around the coming of age of a boy banished from his village to live with his uncle in a Buddhist monastery. Although the story provides an insightful background to the cultural and political tension that contemporary Tibet is caught in today, it is told with enough fast-paced verve to make it an enticing adventure story in its own right. Glos.

Reviewer:

(3) K-3 A Tibetan king puts a donkey and a rock on trial, ostensibly to judge which was at fault for breaking an expensive jar of oil. His intent, however, is to fine those silly enough to attend the trial, raising money to repay the jar's owner. The story is told with Demi's usual deft humor, and the illustrations, reminiscent of Chinese paper cut-outs, are aptly supplemented by Tibetan details. A source note is included.

Reviewer:

(2) YA This mystical, mysterious picture book tells of the artist's father's journey to Tibet in the 1950s, the stories he told upon his return, and the adult Peter's response to his father's diaries of the trip. Although the book contains no notes to sort story from myth, it details a quest made convincing, paradoxically, by both text's and pictures' matter-of-fact acceptance of the magical.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1998