(3) YA Great Historic Disasters series. These accounts will prove useful for report writers and intriguing for nonfiction readers. The texts chronicle, in great detail, the historical context, tragic events, and aftermath of the Hindenburg crash and the atomic bombings of Japan. The narratives of the disasters are personalized with descriptions of those involved. Captioned photographs support the texts. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Great Historic Disasters titles The [cf4]Hindenburg[cf3] Disaster of 1937 and The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(4) YA Ancient World Leaders series. These books delve into historical, social, and political theories specific to each ancient world leader and, where applicable, to today. The texts, though informative, can be dry, and they sometimes jumble the details when explaining military campaigns and battle tactics. Archival photographs and sidebars break up the pages; additional maps, battle plans, and/or illustrations would have been helpful. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Ancient World Leaders titles: Xerxes, Cyrus the Great, Cleopatra, Hannibal, and Darius the Great.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(3) YA Baseball Superstars series. These baseball biographies are unusually sophisticated in their analysis of each player within the context of his time and the state of Major League Baseball. Nuanced discussions of the player's strengths and personal failings round out the portraits. Judicious use of quotations and many photos, sidebars, and stats are included. There are eight other new books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Baseball Superstars titles: Jackie Robinson, Ichiro Suzuki, Mariano Rivera, Hank Aaron, and Ted Williams.