This is one of 6 in the Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Dastardly Dames.  Cixi certainly deserved that title as a brutal and temperamental Empress of 19th Century China.  This biography tells the story of her life and brings up some issues still in dispute about some of her fabled dastardly deeds.  Fascinating and well-written, this book informed me about a figure from history that I knew nothing about.  The pictures engaged me well and were relevant to the facts shared in the book.  I really like this series and have students requesting these books specifically.