Reviews
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Olympic Stars – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
Modern Olympians are brought to life in these visually attractive biographies. An introduction provides a suspenseful account of an important moment in the subject’s life. The rest of the text relates each individual’s climb to Olympic status, with an overview of athletic accomplishments View →
Hidden Heroes – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
A look at people who by dint of determination and skill shaped social, political, and professional arenas but typically have received little or no attention for their efforts. The coverage is thorough. Content includes not only details about what the featured groups did and why but also… View →
Total Gymnastics (Total Sports) – Booklist
Superstar Simone Biles is front and center on the introduction page of this comprehensive guide to gymnastics. Part of the Total Sports series, this volume discusses the history of gymnastics, from its ancient Greek roots to the modern Olympics, and notes key players. Though the… View →
Our Renewable Earth - School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
With its clean look and straightforward content, this series introduces emergent readers to several of the planet’s sustainable energy sources. Vibrant photos in crisp blues and greens pop against the white pages, while spreads in earthy hues are rich, warm, and reflective of the… View →
Pro Wrestling's Greatest – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
In countdown style, pro-wrestling’s greatest stars and moments are described. The photos are splashy and bold, just like the sport itself. From classic “faces” (good guys like John Cena) to terrible “heels” (bad guys like CM Punk and Vince McMahon), the stars are covered. . . . The… View →
Big Business – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
An absorbing, thorough look at the production of commonly used natural resources and their by-products. Economic, legislative, and environmental factors as well as new technologies and the future of each enterprise are also presented. World history plays a large albeit unexpected role,… View →
Big Buddy Olympic Biographies – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
The colorful photographs are pleasing. . . . One notable aspect is the inclusion of fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad in the lineup. Librarians will be hard-pressed to find materials on Muhammad for this audience and should consider this title. Pronunciation is provided for more difficult words. . . View →
Basketball's Greatest Stars – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
Young basketball fans will find much to appreciate here. Pages feature appealing shots of the players in action accompanied by a paragraph or two of text and a “Fast Fact” sidebar. The focus is on each figure’s accomplishments, from their amateur days to their standings on View →
Back from Near Extinction – School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
Well-organized accounts of animal populations that have declined, then recovered to various degrees. Explanations of how each group became threatened are thorough; they include solid historical background and insights into the complex factors that impacted each situation. Photographs… View →
Giant Centipede: Colossal Creeper of the Night (Real Monsters) – Booklist
Not for the faint of heart, this book in the aptly named Real Monsters series dramatically plays up the centipede’s lethal venom and frightening looks—as well as its fascinating natural history. The well-written text covers a variety of related topics in an order that makes sense… View →
Otis the Very Large Dog (Hank the Pet Sitter) – Booklist
This has diverse secondary characters and uses word repetition to reinforce comprehension. Funny and sweet. . . View →
Super Simple Science at Work – School Library Connection
This highly attractive nonfiction picture book series guides young readers through simple scientific experiments. Each book begins with a note to “adult helpers” which explains important safety procedures. Following is a brief explanation of the scientific subject being explored, a… View →
Head Over Heels – School Library Journal
This series follows Lola as she experiences first love with her brother’s best friend, CJ. Each entry traces an important step in the development of their relationship, from their first romantic encounter…to their fight over revealing the relationship to Lola’s brother. . . . Lola, View →
Mars Bound – School Library Journal
Each book outlines a problem that needs to be solved before they successfully land on the far-away planet, including a fellow teen who sabotages the mission and an explosion they need to create to put the ship back on course. With big, readable text and bold use of font on each page, the View →
Texas Fridays – School Library Journal
This new series explores the fanfare of high school football, following the stories of different players from cities all over Texas. The diverse backgrounds and authentic struggles of these players, including relationship drama and family pressures, make the characters relatable and the… View →
American Royalty – School Library Journal
This satirical series imagines a world where George Washington drunkenly made the decision to become king rather than president. The books follow his descendants in the royal family during the modern era as they tussle to be crowned the next king. . . . The series humorously integrates… View →
Laurie Hernandez (Big Buddy Olympic Biographies) – Booklist
The text describes Hernandez’s rigorous training with Coach Maggie Haney and how she must be homeschooled to fit her practice schedule. The final chapters relate her Olympic events and victories, as well as the Final Five’s post-Olympic celebrity. The book features two-to-four-page… View →
Through the Wire (Prisoners of War) – Booklist
KL Himmelweg is a fictional concentration camp, but Crawford draws inspiration for the setting of this series opener from historical accounts of places like Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Dachau. Crawford’s straightforward plot gains tension as Americans begin bombing the camp, secrets are… View →
Native Americans Set 3 – School Library Connection
This easy-to-read series describes the customs and ways of life of different Native American tribes. Each double page spread has one page of large font text and a colorful photo. The text covers each tribe’s territory, home life, food, clothes, craft, beliefs, timeline, and history. The… View →
Wild West – School Library Connection
This series is purposely designed to support the Common Core State Standards and includes a lot of features teachers will love when using these books in the classroom as a supplemental resource. These books include primary source accounts of the historical events; multiple suggestions… View →