Fidel Castro: Cuban Revolutionary Leader

August 1, 2017

Gr 4-6-Generally sunny profiles of popular figures. The books progress chronologically through their subject's life, leading up to the present day. Critical thinking questions are peppered throughout the volumes and in concluding "Stop and Think" sections. The clean layouts, lively photos, and accessible texts makes the series an overall winsome addition; however, it is not without its faults. Julian Assange refers to Chelsea Manning as Bradley for most of her section. Donald Trump mentions his "crude" remarks about women during the campaign trail but not his incendiary comments about Mexican, Mexican American, and Muslim people. Finally, the content in Ivanka Trump is on the slight side ("On summer breaks, Ivanka and her brothers had jobs."). Librarians can select titles as needed.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2018
The Newsmakers series offers brief introductions to people in the headlines, past and present. Each title sums up its subject's life in five short chapters, which are enhanced with well-chosen and nicely reproduced photographs. Color pictures are used when available. Fidel Castro profiles the childhood and political career of the Cuban leader, praised by some as a liberator but criticized by others as a dictator. Each fully illustrated chapter concludes with a series of questions, sometimes based on information discussed and sometimes on an added quote. An appended two-page Stop and Think section asks readers to think about various points in the text, to reflect on their research beyond the text, or to do some creative or persuasive writing related to the person discussed in the book. The recurring textbook-like questions sections make this series a better choice for schools than for public libraries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)