Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

April 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-One of the strongest suits of this middle school series is the inviting layout with short chapters, numerous subheadings, and plenty of sidebars of additional information. For example, sidebars titled "Then and Now" add historical context. Each subject's story begins with her latest accomplishment, flashes back to her childhood, and then relates highlights of her life chronologically. Both the positives and the negatives are told. Many captioned photos are included; however, the cover photos are rather unflattering. The only other weakness is some slightly stilted writing.

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2014
Grades 4-7 From the Extraordinary Women series, this colorfully illustrated book introduces the Duchess of Cambridge, known as Kate Middleton before her wedding to Prince William. The story opens with the royal wedding, then backtracks through her birth, childhood, education, and courtship. A lengthier account of her wedding is followed by discussions of her married life, official duties, and favorite charities. The book concludes with the birth of her son and the drawbacks of royal life. Although the pages are a bit crowded with illustrations, sidebars, and boxed quotes, the many clearly reproduced photos are engaging, and the clearly written text offers a basic biographical narrative with interesting sidelights along the way. Readers will gain little sense of Catherine's personality but a great deal of respect for the way she handles herself and the pressures of life in Britain's royal family.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)