The Story of Hip-Hop

Gr 6–9—Music fans will relish these overviews of the origins and histories of contemporary styles. Well-illustrated spreads describe the chronological development of each genre, emphasizing how new technologies expanded and segmented the music world. The main texts are supplemented by paragraph-length "Living Legend" profiles of significant artists as well as "Playlist" text boxes that direct readers to representative artists and songs so they can listen to the music on their own. There is considerable coverage of the British music scene, and material is skewed to current and very recent popular music, which could cause rapid dating. Pop and Rock are more superficial than the other titles, mostly because the format doesn't have the space for a fuller examination of their long and broad histories. This set is not particularly valuable for reference, but it will be a hit with younger teens, who will appreciate the energetic design and color photos.