Agatha Christie

February 1, 2017

K-Gr 3-Young readers are introduced to the exceptional lives of Agatha Christie and Marie Curie. Though slight, each book succinctly portrays its figure as a once inquisitive child eager to pursue her interests, concluding with her ultimate success. Events are selected for their relatability for child readers (a young Christie reading in bed late at night, a young Curie winning a gold medal at school). The informative text is accompanied by visuals that portray scenes relevant to the story. Christie is smartly illustrated in black-and-white with pops of red, a perfect reflection of her future as a mystery writer. Curie is steeped in cool tones, with an occasional pinkish heart surrounding Curie and her husband, Pierre. An extra bonus is the additional biographical material and photographs for each volume.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2017
Grades K-3 The queen of mystery and best-selling novelist of all time comes under the magnifying glass in this addition to the Little People, Big Dreams series of picture-book biographies. Briefly touching on Christie's childhood love of detective stories, the narrative moves forward to her time spent as a nurse during WWI, where she learned much about the poisons that would later course through many of her novels' plots. Vegara then turns her attention to Christie's travels and writing career after the war, focusing on the creation of Christie's most famous detectives, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. The black-and-white ink-lined illustrations feature red accents (including blood at fictional crime scenes) and bestow an air of mystery over the book's double-page spreads, which show Christie at work at her typewriter or imagining new mysteries. The brevity of the text results in a rather cursory overview of Christie's life; however, a more complete account concludesthough no mention is ever made of her marriages or daughteralong with a time line showing photos of Christie.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)