Steve Jobs

Gr 4–6—Joining a cascade of biographies celebrating the achievements of the chief spokesperson of the technological revolution, this relatively short profile offers a clear account of Jobs's early successes, occasional failures, quirky personal habits and relationships, and spectacular late-career comeback. Though Doeden arguably misses the boat in assigning Jobs "near godlike" status among "technology buffs" (marketing and design buffs, yes—but except in its early days, Apple has seldom if ever been on the technological cutting edge)—he does lay out with unusual clarity the formula that catapulted Jobs and Apple to brand-name stardom: relentless focus on the end-user experience; seamless hardware/software functionality; and addictively elegant design. A closing multimedia resource list and plenty of slightly fuzzy but well-chosen photos of significant people and products enhance a perceptive portrait of an iconic entrepreneur.—John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City