Parkinson's Disease

November 1, 2011

Gr 4-6-This series provides overly detailed explanations of the hard science behind ailments making the news. The sophisticated material-utilizing the exact names of enzymes, proteins, and prescription drugs-is incongruously paired with a juvenile design. Color-block pages appear frequently, regurgitating statistics from the text and reading like filler. This discrepancy is amplified by the lack of contextual definitions for vocabulary words. Each volume introduces various celebrities who have battled the featured disease. However, while Ryan White's heartbreaking struggle with AIDS is relevant to the intended audience, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's husband's battle with Alzheimer's might not be known to any but the most precocious young readers. The outdated bibliographic resources and suggested-reading lists, many of which contain books that date from 2007 or earlier, will not be particularly useful for students who are seeking further information.

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2011
Grades 7-9 From the Living with Disease series, this volume looks at Parkinson's disease, a degenerative illness of the nervous system that develops in the brain and progresses to affect the whole body. In addition to discussing the possible causes, typical symptoms, and current treatments for the disease, the book spotlights three notable people with Parkinson's: NBA player Brian Grant, boxing champion Muhammad Ali, and actor Michael J. Fox. The text is clearly written. While the publisher recommends this thin, large-format volume for grades 5 and up, the reading level is better suited to the average high-school student. The book's design is simple and bold. With broad margins, relatively small type, and widely spaced lines, each page of text faces a colorful page featuring either an illustration or a paragraph of statistical information. A glossary is appended, along with a source bibliography and a few books for suggested further reading. A brief but informative introduction to Parkinson's disease.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)