Israel, from the Enchantment of the World series, is a comprehensive look at the state of Israel today through 2012.  Color photos throughout enhance this typical country report book.  With about a 70% text to 30% picture rate over a two page spread, the author, Nel Yomtov, is still able to give a very balanced look at an unbalanced region.  Yomtov carefully gives equal time to each of the three religious groups, their historical connection to the land and their political influence today.  Because of it’s rich and turbulent past, when one begins to read about the economy and culture that make up the cities and rural life, it’s not surprising that tourism is its leading industry.  To go there is to see Israel at its core, with its industrial as well as farming side of life, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze and other faiths comingled in this country the size of New Jersey.  It is a worthy addition to any school or public library.

Although the story in Spin the Bottle centered around the Monroe Middle School Drama Club, there was little drama in the book.   This is refreshing to me.  The narrator, Phoebe, has been looking forward to middle school and joining the drama club.  She did not plan to have her first crush though, and thankfully, this did not develop into a boy crazy plot.  The story line of friendship was center stage in this book.  The setting of backstage and play rehearsal will appeal to anyone who has performed in a play or has aspirations of being a star.  (By Jamie Kenny)

In the “rags to riches” biography, we read about Tyler Perry who raised himself up from an abusive childhood to a playwright/actor/ movie producer who helps others cope with life struggles.  So strongly did his faith nudge him to help others who were abused, that Tyler Perry wrote his first play, I Know I’ve Been Changed, in 1992 as a gospel musical, urging others to use the power of God to help overcome problems in their daily lives.  Perry poured all his money into the play, and when it failed, he was left homeless.  Perry believed so deeply in his work, he gave the play one last chance with a heart-to-heart conversation with God.  The play sold out that night, which was the beginning of turning his life around.  More plays, mostly about the struggles that plague African-Americans, followed with more success, and then eventually movies.  Tyler Perry is now a millionaire, but claims he doesn’t continue his work for the money — he does it to help spread the message that you can take your problems to God.  Whether you’re a fan of his Madea movies or not, this biography is sure to inspire.

Each book in this series of six focuses on the life of a legendary and powerful female leader from history.  This Dastardly Dames biography about Cleopatra is full of engaging and fascinating pictures, illustrations and text.  The full color picture book format is very readable with text boxes inset throughout featuring side notes that compliment the text.  The text itself is clearly written and easy to follow, yet includes enough rich detail to keep the biography thorough and interesting.  Related history from the Roman Empire and it’s leaders at the time, is woven in to include the political setting and Cleopatra’s primary relationships.  I highly recommend this series and find that students at my school request these books specifically.

This biography about Catherine De’Medici is one of six in the Dastardly Dames series which also includes:  Cleopatra, Agrippina, Mary Tudor, Marie Antoinette and Cixi.  These biographies are in picture book format with engaging illustrations and photographs including paintings and artifacts of the period.  The text is full of interesting facts as well as rumors of royal intrigue which surrounded Catherine throughout her lifetime.  The pictures are well annotated to give additional information and further engage the reader.  These biographies hold the interest of my students at school and have them back asking me for the rest of the books in the series.  I highly recommend the entire series.

This is an absolutely gorgeous biography about Roger Peterson, the famous American activist, teacher, artist, author and naturalist.  From the time he was a small boy through his death as age 87, Peterson loved to observe, draw, and describe birds along with their habitats and movements.  He spent his life studying birds, teaching about birds, writing identification guide books and working to keep birds safe around the world.  This book is interesting and well-written.  The illustrations bring the text alive as they are realistic, bright, colorful, and very detailed.  I am thrilled to have this book for our school library.  It will be fun to display it with some Peterson guides.

This picture book presents many interesting facts about the development of transportation infrastructure and technology.  It starts with the building of the National Road and early trains and moves through the development of bicycles, cars, and the U.S. highway system.  The story circles around on a regular basis to those who were opposed to the development of this technology along the way.  On the last two pages is a very bleak look at the effect of transportation technology upon our environment.  The final page mentions the types of clean burning technology that is being worked on by “a pack of crazy thinkers”.  I think that the sarcasm of this book will be lost on the young audience it targets and they will be left confused.  The illustrations are bright and engaging.  In fact, the cover is what initially drew my attention and made me interested in reading the book.  I would have preferred a more positive approach to the history of transportation technology.  Covering the resulting environmental issues is a good idea, but I think that a straight forward approach would be less confusing for children.

Gale Cengage’s People in the News Series provides middle and high school students with 80-100 page biographies on social and political icons of the times.  Susan M. Traugh’s Sean Combs presents a balanced look at the life of a super star who has had to rebirth himself like a phoenix may times in his career.  Whether he was Puff Daddy, or P. Diddy, readers will be able to see the roller coaster of a life Sean Combs has endured during his fame, including a historical look at the rise of hip-hop, the battle between the two coasts, and the overall development of a self-made man. Students will probably be surprised just how far reaching his presences is in different industries — from music to clothing to perfume to books and magazines…even a restaurant and now a line of alcohol, his style is “Swagger.  Timeless.  Diverse “(82). Traugh admits many times that Combs has his critics, but she is not one of them.  Any student who is doing a report on any aspect of hip-hop will find this book helpful.  Recommended for 7th and up.

First pick in the 2008 NBA draft Derrik Rose had his fantasy come true when he was selected by the Chicago Bulls.  Born and raised in Chicago, the people of Chicago were equally pleased to have a hometown boy on their team.  Raised as much by his older brothers as by his mother, Derrick was a basketball standout from a very young age.  The Rose family, who lived in a tough neighborhood, worked hard to keep Derrik out of trouble. His determination to win and his strong moral values make him a good role model for our young readers.  Basketball fans will love the sports-talk in this biography, re-caps of games, and the fact that Derrik Rose was chosen as the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2009, as well as being  the first rookie to win the Skills Challenge at the NBA All-Star Weekend that year.

Not completely flawless, the book discusses Rose’s possible cheating on the SATs, and being photographed at a party flashing a gang sign.  I appreciated the author’s honesty on those issues, yet the overwhelming feeling about Rose is that he’s a modest, hard working player.

Full of interesting facts about Ancient Rome, this alphabet book is not written for a preschool audience.  Older students, perhaps 4th – 8th grade, who are researching Ancient Rome or are simply interested in the topic, could pick up this book and engage quickly in the fascinating text nestled in a well-illustrated picture book setting.  Full color illustrations with lots of details and expressive characters bring the time period, place and historical figures alive.  Upon finishing the book, one has a pretty detailed picture of life in Ancient Rome.