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Ali's Story: A Real-Life Account of His Journey from Afghanistan
A valid attempt at bibliotherapy that does not consistently provide closure or further information.
Each book offers a first-person account of a refugee child's separation from family due to hardship or war: Ali leaves Afghanistan with his grandma as his parents stay behind, while Juliane endures a painful separation from her mother in Zimbabwe before they leave the country together. Despite the odd, sometimes disjointed digital images, simple storytelling makes these texts relatable to young readers.
Hip-Hop Culture
A highly attractive exposé of the artistry and legacy behind a popular music style for high schoolers.
This title, ideal for student research, explores hip-hop dance in historical, political, and cultural context. The clean layout employs a large font, wide margins, plentiful color photos, and informative sidebars. Overall, this series celebrates hip-hop as the voice of urban and marginalized populations while also objectively addressing concerns such as commercialization. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.
Start Your Pet-Sitting Business
This set will have long shelf life for its wide appeal, and parents will like it, too.
These volumes offer aspiring young entrepreneurs tips for starting successful pet- and babysitting businesses. Topics addressed include marketing; managing money; problem solving; recommended training or certification; and the importance of reliability, communication, and professionalism. Busily decorated with extraneous stock photos and doodles, the texts are nowhere near comprehensive but serve as encouraging and effective introductions. Reading list. Glos., ind.
The Fight Against War and Terrorism
A refreshing and much-needed perspective on global issues and the international efforts to address them. A fine addition to middle school libraries.
The U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and other policy changes are already affecting the accuracy of this book, but it still provides good background on important environmental issues from an international point of view; chapters touch on climate change, cleaner energy, the oceans, and deforestation. Color photos, charts, and fact boxes make for an engaging if busy layout. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind.
Athena
A well-packaged series that only scratches the surface. Consider for collections in need of mythology-lite.
Figures from Greek and Norse mythology are introduced in short illustrated chapters. Choppy texts cover the basics, but the lack of detail is occasionally odd (e.g, "Athena helped the Greeks win a war" could easily have specified "...the Trojan War"). The illustrations are a disjointed mix including stills from recent films, comic book style renderings, and classical paintings. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.
Mathew Brady Records the Civil War
Uninteresting narratives makes these a secondary purchase at best.
This volume follows the work of Edward S. Curtis, who photographed Native American nations from the 1890s to the late 1920s. Taking into consideration Curtis's romanticized view of Native Peoples, Nardo provides a balanced portrait of Curtis's portraits and experiences. Well-reproduced black-and-white photos throughout enhance the fascinating account. Additional information on key photographs is appended. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.
Fossils
An additional purchase for earth science collections.
These books describe rocks and minerals and the STEAM concepts related to them. The one-chapter-per-STEAM-subject organization feels forced and makes for a scattershot presentation of information. Simple sentences attempt to stay accessible for new readers but sometimes lead to confusion, and the books' eye-catching photographs suffer from poor or misleading labeling. Key stats are appended. Glos., ind.
The Second Amendment: The Right to Bear Arms
Nicely done accounts of the history of the Bill of Rights. A valuable addition to school and public libraries.
Each of these accessible titles examines the causes for and effects of an amendment to the Bill of Rights, including how the amendment came to be, how it has evolved over time, and current controversies surrounding it. The dry but informative texts are accompanied by drawings, photographs, and quotes, as well as "Fast Facts" and word definitions. Timeline. Glos., ind.
Invasive Species
These volumes that look at difficult topics are critical reading for all students.
Contemporary threats to ecological systems and to the health of people, plants, and animals include natural disasters and human production of waste. These books delve deep into related science and technologies, each issue's history, and ethical considerations. Descriptions of attempts to mitigate a problem; quotes from experts; and helpful photographs, diagrams, and sidebars reinforce each problem's severity. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind.
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