John Paul Jones

August 1, 2005
Gr 4-8 -Considering the interesting, unusual lives these three larger-than-life heroes led, these biographies are surprisingly bland and uninspiring. Haugen recites events while failing to create a sense of who Hamilton, Allen, and Jones really were, and also fails to adequately summarize their contributions and significance. Her scholarship is suspect, given the number of errors and omissions as well as the large number of notes that are incorrectly cited and/or quoted. The maps are incomplete, and too many illustrations are old-fashioned and irrelevant. For Hamilton, use John Rosenburg's thorough, fascinating "Alexander Hamilton" (21st Century Bks, 2000); Veda Boyd Jones's "Alexander Hamilton" (Chelsea House, 1999) is adequate. Elaine Marie and Arthur B. Alphin's "I Have Not Yet Begun to Fight" (Carolrhoda, 2004) is the clearest and best written for this age level on Jones, but unfortunately ends after the Revolutionary War and uses modern drawings rather than contemporary illustrations. Alison Davis Tibbitts's "John Paul Jones" (Enslow, 2002) is passable but dull. Acceptable, error-free titles on Ethan Allen are hard to come by." -Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2005
Gr. 4-7. The Signature Lives series, divided into subseries on the Renaissance, the Revolutionary War, and Civil War periods, features biographies on important figures from key historical periods. This entry profiles the life and exploits of John Paul Jones. His bravery and daring as a captain for the Continental Navy earned him the title of "father of the American navy." Jones' life is traced from his childhood in London through his controversial career as a British merchant seaman. The biography focuses mainly on Jones' career as a courageous, heroic commander in the Continental Navy, in which he enlisted in 1775. Attractively designed and illustrated, this fast-paced, informative biography has many useful appendixes, including a chronology of Jones' life and times, source notes, and a selective bibliography.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)