The Story of Facebook

November 1, 2012

Gr 5-9-Solid resources for students needing information for reports or just curious about how successful businesses are built. Gilbert imparts succinct and informative details within the pages of these slim volumes. Both titles begin with a brief introduction about the early days of creating the company, then present significant steps in its growth and progress in chronological order. In Amazon, the author recounts how Jeff Bezos started with his business idea, his entrepreneurial spirit, and a move to Seattle to begin his company. Its fast growth, coupled with the desire to provide attractive features for customers, led to struggling financial stability. The introduction of the Kindle helped drive Amazon's success. In Facebook, readers see how Mark Zuckerberg, a computer whiz at Harvard, took his skill and hobby of computer programming coupled with an idea for networking students on campus to arrive at the early development of Facebook. Chapters include the challenges of running and maintaining his growing business and finding investors. Though following different trajectories, both histories relate similar paths in terms of struggles, setbacks, successes, and growth, with similar formatting, high-quality glossy photos.Susan Shaver, Hemingford Public Schools, NE

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2012
Grades 5-8 The Built for Success series explains to kids how certain businesses achieved their known-around-the-world status. Once drawn in by the tall, slim format and attractive full-page photos, readers will find themselves going into some depth about the faith and hard work it took to put these companies on the map. Facebook chronicles the company's phenomenal growth, and though the problems incurred since the company went public too recently for inclusion, this still offers a good explanation of how a guy in his early twenties started a company that changed the way people interact. That one talented author has written all four volumes gives this a cohesiveness and standard of excellence often lacking in series books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)