(4) 4-6 This companion to Blood on the River continues the story of the Jamestown colony, now through the experience of Virginia Laydon, a child with an uncanny (and somewhat unconvincing) ability to see the future. Carbone includes details about daily life, slavery, tenuous relations with Indigenous tribes, and accusations of witchcraft. It's engaging historical fiction that does not shy away from addressing societal complexities.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 4-6 Cause-and-Effect Disasters series. Five disastrous events in American history are explored from a cause-and-effect perspective. Each volume includes four succinct chapters, first establishing setting before relating the major events and their aftermath/results (e.g., the Chicago Fire and 1888 Blizzard precipitated future building codes and public warning systems). Numerous photographs/illustrations, diagrams, sidebars, and a clear appended flow chart round out the presentations. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers the following Cause-and-Effect Disasters titles: The Jamestown Colony Disaster, Death in the Donner Party, Hurricane Katrina and the Flooding of New Orleans, The Great Chicago Fire, and The Children's Blizzard of 1888.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) 4-6 Sterling Biographies series. Each title opens with an introduction that arouses compassion and interest for the featured subject. Succeeding chapters present chronological biographies, with vivid portrayals of daily life, culture, and the impact an expanding America had on the individual and his or her people. Paintings, drawings, and occasional photographs combine with detail-rich sidebars and maps to provide a cumulatively engaging, accessible history lesson. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Sterling Biographies titles: Sacagawea, Chief Joseph,Pocahontas, Sitting Bull, Geronimo, and Tecumseh.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(2) 4-6 With precise detail and meticulous description, Walker follows a forensic anthropologist and his team of scientists, historians, and archaeologists as they uncover human remains and other artifacts. Their excavations take them through a cross-section of people, from wealthy colonial leaders to indentured servants and African slaves. The book design is unified in its thoughtful use of layout, color, illustrations, and fonts. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2009

(4) K-3 Buddy Books: All Aboard America series. Each of these books features a geographical and historical U.S. landmark. Short chapters cover history, triumphs, challenges, and present-day status of each subject; "Detour" spreads provide additional facts, though in some cases the information is not very well organized. Historical illustrations and average-quality photos break up the text nicely, but captions are not consistently clear or accurate. Glos., ind. Review covers these Buddy Books: All aboard America titles: Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, Jamestown, Monticello, Niagara Falls, and Oregon Trail.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) 4-6 Cooper bases his history mainly on John Smith's writings. The book's frequent illustrations are reproductions of Smith's own paintings or engravings based on them. Quotations are also carefully attributed in context and in source notes at the end (though the unfortunate repeated typo, "Croatian" for Croatoan, is worth noting). Cooper's straightforward narrative is occasionally enlivened with kid-friendly comparisons. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Kathleen Isaacs

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. Thirteen-year-old colonist Thomas Savage was given to the Indians to learn their language and act as an interpreter. Fritz fills in the gaps of Thomas's (fictionalized) story by detailing the mess that was Jamestown: the politics, egos, and violence. While this gap-filling includes some interesting information, it also interrupts the narrative flow. Comport's illustrations provide visually pleasing breaks in the dense-looking text. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2007

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Diaz. Krull uses the relatively few known facts about the Powhatan princess to trace her life from age eleven through adulthood, touching on her volatile relationship with John Smith and marriage to John Rolfe. Krull rounds out the story with background information about Jamestown. The narrative is smooth and readable, and Diaz's lush digitally colored cut-paper illustrations feature bright borders around the text. Bib.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(4) 4-6 Photographs by Ira Block. Lange chronicles what life was like for colonists in Virginia's Jamestown settlement, basing her discussion on archaeological discoveries and current theories. Both the past and the archaeologists' work come alive in the text; the well-placed photographs of artifacts and costumed reenactors are engaging, but the actors are never identified as such, which could be confusing. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) YA Colonial Settlements in America series. These volumes present information about individual colonial settlements in North America. Each book painstakingly recounts the background of the people, places, and ideas that fostered the new communities. The writing is a bit mechanical and won't fully engage readers' imaginations. The many photographs, reproductions, and sidebar information provide more detail and atmosphere. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Colonial Settlements in America titles: Jamestown, Plymouth, Williamsburg, and Philadelphia.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(2) 4-6 Schanzer calls explorer John Smith "probably the greatest escape artist on the planet" in his day. She organizes her account by his various "escapes," revealing a restless, quick-thinking spirit. The economical text gives just enough background to contextualize Smith's experiences. Comic-strip panels summarize some of his exploits, while traditional spreads relate others in more detail. A larger-than-life figure well worth rediscovering. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2007

(4) 4-6 American Moments series. Each book in this series offers a brief, general introduction to a chapter in U.S. history. The writing is clear but lacks style. The books offer overviews of their subjects, giving report writers basic information but little insight. Drawings, maps, photographs, and sidebars enhance the text. There are eighteen other spring 2005 books in this series. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these American Moments titles: The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, The Kent State Tragedy, The Pilgrims, The Industrial Revolution, The Jamestown Colony, and The Lincoln-Douglas Debates.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer

(4) K-3 Let Freedom Ring: Colonial America series. Illustrated with color art and a few photographs, these four slim volumes offer brief overviews of important periods and events in U.S. history. The short, sometimes choppy sentences make for dull reading, but the information will be helpful for report writing. Occasional sidebars provide a few additional details. Directory, reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Let Freedom Ring: Colonial America titles: The Salem Witch Trials, The Plymouth Colony, The Slave Trade in Early America, and The Jamestown Colony.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) YA In this carefully researched fictional account, alternating first-person narratives of Pocahontas and John Smith recount the 1607 interaction between the Powhatan and the English in Jamestown, Virginia. In his stirring interpretation of this clash of cultures, Bruchac crafts a riveting portrait of a brave and proud man and a satisfying picture of Pocahontas as a curious and peace-loving Powhatan girl. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Kristin Cashore

(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

(4) 4-6 In Their Own Words series. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs and reproductions, the biographies in this series feature excerpts from the subjects' writings (if they exist) and other primary sources to present fairly complete pictures of these historical figures. The texts are accessible and straightforward but generally dry. A timeline and a list of resources are appended. Bib., ind. [Review covers these titles: Benjamin Franklin, Christopher Columbus, Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Pocahontas.]

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) YA The deeds and personality of Captain John Smith, as well as his famous rescue by Pocahontas, are described in this admiring biography, with quotes from Smith's own writings. The intrusive narration is busy with editorial comments and unwarranted inferences; nevertheless, the brisk work contains a strong dramatic arc. Black-and-white historical engravings and a time line are included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 1-3 My America series. This sequel to Our Strange New Land is well written and easy to read. The diary continues the story of nine-year-old Elizabeth Barker, who has stayed with her family in Jamestown, Virginia, while Captain Smith returns to England for provisions. The struggles they face--cold, starvation, disease--are clearly described as Elizabeth tells her story. A historical note illustrated with archival drawings is appended.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(2) 4-6 In this reenactment, narrated by a fictional character, of the founding of an early American settlement, Captain John Smith emerges as a strong leader who taught himself the language of the native Americans living in the area and managed to keep the colony from disintegration for a year. Sewall's art appeals to the intellect, not to raw emotion, yet is moving and evocative--like the text. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2001

(3) 4-6 My America series. These offshoots of the Dear America series offer history lessons in diary form. Two girls comment on events in history--the Jamestown settlement and the Civil War--as they affect their lives. Historical facts and fictional characters and scenerios are well integrated. Each book contains a historical note that fills in some background. My Brother's Keeper includes the text of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee