(3) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old Lucy Thomkins reluctantly travels to Kansas Territory with her family in 1855. Her parents dream of a new life in a free state, while Border Ruffians from Missouri force their slavery agenda on the settlers. Lucy turns to poetry to express her disappointments, befriends a girl whose parents help runaway slaves, and comes to love her new, free home in this well-written historical novel.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) YA Understanding Literature series. These accessible author studies explore the biographical and historical factors that influenced O'Neill's plays or Faulkner's fiction. Each title includes a synopsis of the subject's life and brief critical analysis of selected works. Though dry, the books provide solid background for understanding some American literary classics. A few photographs help break up the texts. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Understanding Literature titles: A Student's Guide to Eugene O'Neill and A Student's Guide to William Faulkner.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA Understanding Literature series. This biocritical study of Poe and some of his works provides only a cursory look at his life and analysis of his writing. Still, it will help students interpret Poe while offering a sense of how his life affected his art and of his preeminent place in literature. A few period portraits are included. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 In American History series. Each book goes into some depth highlighting a short segment in American history. The use of details and a storytelling prose style lend interest to all three titles, which are on the whole better than other books in this series; Plymouth is especially compelling, as it includes a focus on the Pilgrims' daily life. Too small black-and-white photos appear infrequently throughout. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. [Review covers these In American History titles: The Plymouth Colony and the Pilgrim Adventure in American History, The Kansas-Nebraska Act and "Bleeding Kansas" in American History, and The Spanish-American War and Teddy Roosevelt in American History.]

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) 4-6 In American History series. Each of the books in this series attempts to delineate the numerous causes and significant events that helped form a specific era in American history. These three books feature black-and-white photos and illustrations of uneven quality, boxed quotes from source documents, and timelines. Bib., ind. [Review covers these In American History titles: Jamestown, John Smith, and Pocahontas in American History; The Harlem Renaissance in American History; The Dust Bowl and the Depression in American History.]

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang