Gangs

December 1, 2012

Gr 6-10-These series titles focus on challenging issues, examining what they are, why they are happening, and what can be done about them. The books debunk myths such as bullying is kids' stuff, gangs are rich, and self-harm is an attempt at suicide. Each well-written title provides a wealth of information in its brief number of pages, accented with quality illustrations and captioned photographs. Colorful sidebars showcase supplementary content including real-life stories, quotes from young people and experts, questions to think about, facts and other statistics, and true-or-false questions. Each book gives advice on finding, evaluating, and organizing research. In personal accounts, teens share their feelings and discuss how to overcome their difficulties or how to cope. Students see the complicated motivations behind the behaviors and why there is not always a quick and easy solution. The books do a good job of balancing serious and painful experiences with optimistic points, demonstrating that things can change and that help is available. These excellent titles are informative and valuable resources for debates, discussions, research, or personal needs. The authors are sensitive to the fact that readers could be experiencing these situations and emotions firsthand.-June Shimonishi, Torrance Public Library, CA

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