Suzanne Collins

Gr 4–7—Suzanne Collins got her start writing television shows for children and teens; Rick Riordan had six adult novels under his belt before Percy Jackson catapulted him to literary stardom. These facts are not news to those who have read articles about these authors, but to the readers who may pick up these slim biographies, they are serviceable introductions. Both titles cover the authors' childhoods, their early writing careers, the origins and impact of their breakout series, and an overview of their current success. Most of the information is cobbled together from various interviews, reviews, and other media sources and presented in easy-to-understand language. Full-color photos and illustrations appear throughout and have varying relation to the text; for the most part, they help round out the page count to the over-100-pages requirement common to middle-school biography book reports. Good choices for reluctant readers who have enjoyed the "Percy Jackson" (Hyperion) or "Hunger Games" books (Scholastic) and/or movies.Brandy Danner, Wilmington Memorial Library, MA