(4) YA Building America, Then and Now series. These books highlight the histories, construction, and impact of four mammoth American development projects that changed the communities around them. Photos, maps, and informative sidebars supplement the densely detailed writing. American history buffs will find these volumes useful for doing research. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Building America, Then and Now titles: The Hoover Dam, The Eisenhower Interstate System, The Empire State Building, and New York's Central Park.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) YA Great Historic Disasters series. Combining first-hand accounts, photographs, and other primary sources with a detailed and lively text, these fact-packed resources offer much to both report writers and history buffs. Each book compellingly details the causes, historical context, and aftermath of these historic disasters. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Great Historic Disasters titles: The Great Chicago Fire of 1871, The Johnstown Flood of 1889, The Dust Bowl, and The San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(3) YA Great Historic Disasters series. The Black Death lasted five years and killed millions in Europe. This book explains the science and the social context of this epidemic, as well as its lasting impact on the continent. The wealth of information will satisfy report writers and other interested readers. Archival reproductions accompany the text. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(4) YA Creation of the Modern Middle East series. These books (most revised and updated) are straightforward histories of Middle Eastern countries (though the area's volatility makes the series immediately out of date). The texts are dry, but they do an adequate job of providing background. Useful maps delineate the region's geography, and the many photographs add interest. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Creation of the Modern Middle East titles: Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) YA Milestones in American History series. Short, clearly written chapters explore significant events in American history. The curricular-support titles are amply illustrated with black-and-white and color photographs and reproductions and supported with biographical sketches and excerpts from primary documents. There are five other spring 2009 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Milestones in American History titles: The Donner Party, The Oregon Trail, The Pony Express, The Prohibition Era, The Outbreak of Civil War, and The Emancipation Proclamation.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) YA Ancient World Leaders series. These books delve into historical, social, and political theories specific to each ancient world leader. The texts, though informative, can be dry, and some speak more generally about the ancient cultures than about the leaders themselves. Archival photographs and sidebars break up the pages; additional maps and/or illustrations would have been helpful. Most volumes include glossaries and website resources. Reading list, timeline. Bib., ind. Review covers these Ancient World Leaders titles: Nefertiti, Hammurabi, Queen of Sheba, Ramses the Great, and King David.

Reviewer: T. Borregaard

(4) YA Hip-Hop Stars series. These biographies deliver comprehensive information about the lives and careers of their subjects--including achievements and struggles--as well as a history of hip-hop. The same introduction by Chuck D of rap group Public Enemy begins each. The stories are engaging, though the writing tends to ramble. Photos, sidebars, discographies, and some websites add to the teen-friendly appeal. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Hip-Hop Stars titles: Beastie Boys, Eminem, Missy Elliott, Russell Simmons, LL Cool J, and Run-DMC.

Reviewer: Marika Hoe

(3) YA Asian Americans of Achievement series. These volumes discuss the lives and achievements of some noted Asian Americans. An abundance of facts are included in each book, in addition to some fascinating personal details and histories of the native countries of each subject's family. The books also include dynamic photographs and sidebars with further information. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Asian Americans of Achievement titles: Amy Tan, Bruce Lee, Daniel Inouye, Margaret Cho, Vera Wang, and Yo-Yo Ma.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) YA Modern Peacemakers series. These biographies of Nobel Peace Prize winners provide windows into worldwide political and social issues. Triumphs and controversies surrounding the winners (e.g., inaccuracies in Menchú's autobiography) are covered using primary and secondary sources. More photographs would have been useful to break up long discussions of complex issues. There are six other spring 2007 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Modern Peacemakers titles: Desmond Tutu, Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Mother Teresa, Elie Wiesel, and Rigoberta Menchú Tum.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(3) YA Great Hispanic Heritage series. This well-researched biography offers a complex look at the Mexican American musician in terms of his career and his interactions with other musicians. Using many quotations that are duly noted in addition to photographs and sidebars, this volume provides insight into Santana's childhood, music, and his spiritual journeys. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) YA Arbitrary Borders: Political Boundaries in World History series. These books examine the conflicts and struggles of two Asian countries throughout their long histories. Slavicek details the various dynasties responsible for the building of the Great Wall. Korea records events that brought the U.S. and North Korea to their present conflict. The few poor-quality photographs do little to enhance the informative texts. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Arbitrary Borders: Political Boundaries in World History titles: Korea Divided and The Great Wall of China.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) YA Great Hispanic Heritage series. This biography of the famed Spanish conquistador, about whom there exist few primary sources, lucidly deals with the murkiness surrounding the motive for his journeys to America: was it, as legend has it, to find the fountain of youth, or was it wealth and prestige? Scattered throughout are maps, archival portraits and illustrations, and helpful boxed historical asides on the era. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Great American Presidents series. These serviceable biographies of three popular American presidents are insufficiently detailed about their subjects as individuals or about their policies (e.g., Lincoln focuses primarily on the Civil War rather than on his role in it). All three books are illustrated with reproductions, and the texts are broken up with boxed quotes from various speeches given by the subjects. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Great American Presidents titles: Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman