(3) 4-6 U.S. Government: Behind the Scenes series. Slim but thorough, these titles discuss why each featured governmental agency was created, introduce some key players, and examine how areas of concern and focus change with politics. The clear narratives are logically organized to make the details of complicated bureaucracies accessible to middle-school report writers. Informative sidebars, captioned photos, charts, and diagrams help elucidate the texts. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these U.S. Government: Behind the Scenes titles: The Department of Energy and The Department of Homeland Security

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 U.S. Government: Behind the Scenes series. Slim but thorough, these titles discuss why each featured governmental agency was created, introduce some key players, and examine how areas of concern and focus change with politics. The clear narratives are logically organized to make the details of complicated bureaucracies accessible to middle-school report writers. Informative sidebars, captioned photos, charts, and diagrams help elucidate the texts. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these U.S. Government: Behind the Scenes titles: The Department of Energy and The Department of Homeland Security

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Shy Guides series. Joining a group, befriending new people, speaking to an audience (large or small): all can cause anxiety, self-doubt, even a panic attack. Using an informal approach, Kenney presents strategies for dealing with and mastering these feelings and provides assurances that they are normal and controllable. Boxed "Life Tips," personal stories of famous people (Barack Obama, actor Robert Pattinson), and color photos add specifics. Reading list. Ind. Review covers these Shy Guides titles: Getting Out and Getting Along and Quiet Confidence.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) 4-6 Shy Guides series. Joining a group, befriending new people, speaking to an audience (large or small): all can cause anxiety, self-doubt, even a panic attack. Using an informal approach, Kenney presents strategies for dealing with and mastering these feelings and provides assurances that they are normal and controllable. Boxed "Life Tips," personal stories of famous people (Barack Obama, actor Robert Pattinson), and color photos add specifics. Reading list. Ind. Review covers these Shy Guides titles: Getting Out and Getting Along and Quiet Confidence.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) 4-6 Captured Television History series. This series examines television's impact on major events. Each volume opens with an engaging account of the main topic, grounding readers in the details. Kennedy-Nixon looks at the history of presidential debates, as well as what preceded and followed the first televised debate. Terrorism covers the ways in which Americans were riveted by nonstop news coverage of the 9/11 attacks, and the U.S.'s subsequent war on terrorism. The "4D" feature is an online video portal. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Captured Television History titles: TV Captures Terrorism on September 11 and TV Shapes Presidential Politics in the Kennedy-Nixon Debates

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Captured Television History series. This series examines television's impact on major events. Each volume opens with an engaging account of the main topic, grounding readers in the details. Kennedy-Nixon looks at the history of presidential debates, as well as what preceded and followed the first televised debate. Terrorism covers the ways in which Americans were riveted by nonstop news coverage of the 9/11 attacks, and the U.S.'s subsequent war on terrorism. The "4D" feature is an online video portal. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Captured Television History titles: TV Captures Terrorism on September 11 and TV Shapes Presidential Politics in the Kennedy-Nixon Debates

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Captured Science History series. This installment in the Captured History spinoff series examines the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear spill in Ukraine and the photographic documentation of it. The chilling photos by Igor Kostin, Volodymyr Repik, and others shook the world when they were released. An engaging and thought-provoking discussion of the disaster's scientific and historical impact is profusely illustrated with these archival images. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 Captured History series. In presidential photographer Pete Souza's iconic 2011 photo, President Obama and his advisors watch and wait as U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six storms Osama bin Laden's Pakistan compound--resulting in the death of the terrorist leader and 9/11 mastermind. Accompanied by well-chosen photographs, this matter-of-fact account provides adequate information for school reports. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Meredith Madyda

(3) 4-6 Captured History series. In 1960, four black college students quietly took their seats at a Woolworth's whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. By refusing to leave, they set into motion a powerful and effective move toward ending segregation in the South. Along with other archival photos, Jack Moebes's iconic photograph of the sit-in stands at the center of this empathetic, well-researched introduction to the civil rights movement. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Meredith Madyda

(3) 4-6 Captured Science History series. This installment in the Captured History spinoff series examines plastic debris in the world's oceans, using ample photographic documentation of the disastrous effects. An engaging and thought-provoking discussion covers the development of plastics production and society's obsession with the disposable, as well as the ecology of injecting "artificial plastic materials into the tissue of life." Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 Captured History series. This excellent series examines the history and context of a photo or series of photos and its impact on culture. Berne looks at how Frederick Douglass's daguerreotype portrait helped counteract racist portrayals of African Americans. A biography of Douglass works together with background on the abolitionist movement and the history of photography in the thoughtful, engaging text. Timeline, reading list. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Captured History: Sports series. These volumes each examine the impact of a single famous sports photograph, starting with an in-depth description of the moment captured. The authors then zoom out to examine surrounding events: civil rights unrest in America during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics (Black Power) and Muhammad Ali's sometimes controversial career (Ali's Knockout). An exciting and unique approach to history. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers the following Captured History: Sports titles: Ali's Knockout Punch and Black Power Salute.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Captured Science History series. Part of the Captured History spinoff series, this installment examines oceanographer Robert Ballard's submarine documentation of Titanic's wreckage and its impact on historical knowledge. An engaging discussion weaves details of Titanic's tragic voyage into an account of the 1985 oceanography expedition, supported by archival photos and intriguing (if understandably muddy) underwater shots. Timeline, reading list. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 Captured History series. This excellent series examines the history and context of a photo or series of photos and its impact on the culture. Burgan here looks at activist photojournalist Jacob Riis's commitment to exposing the horrible conditions for poor people in late-nineteenth-century America through photography both candid and staged. A thoughtful and compelling angle from which to view the history of poverty. Timeline, reading list. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Eyewitness to World War II series. Key tragedies of World War II involving the persecution of Jews and Japanese Americans are analyzed for causation and lasting impact. The books bring the era to life for middle-grade readers via many first-person accounts, period photographs, and illuminating sidebars of additional relevant information. Extensive back matter makes them suitable for both assignments and general information-seeking. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Eyewitness to World War II titles: Japanese American Internment and Kristallnacht.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(3) 4-6 Eyewitness to World War II series. Key tragedies of World War II involving the persecution of Jews and Japanese Americans are analyzed for causation and lasting impact. The books bring the era to life for middle-grade readers via many first-person accounts, period photographs, and illuminating sidebars of additional relevant information. Extensive back matter makes them suitable for both assignments and general information-seeking. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Eyewitness to World War II titles: Japanese American Internment and Kristallnacht.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(3) 4-6 Spies! series. This series delves into the world of espionage and spycraft. Each focusing on a different modern era, the books cover famous figures, such as the Rosenbergs and Edward Snowden, but also lesser-known agents. The insights into spies' motivations and the mechanics behind their craft make for exciting, interesting reads. Photographs and sidebars provide additional nuggets of information. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review cover these Spies! titles: Deep-Cover Spies and Double-Crossers of the Cold War and Cyber Spies and Secret Agents of Modern Times.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) 4-6 Spies! series. This series delves into the world of espionage and spycraft. Each focusing on a different modern era, the books cover famous figures, such as the Rosenbergs and Edward Snowden, but also lesser-known agents. The insights into spies' motivations and the mechanics behind their craft make for exciting, interesting reads. Photographs and sidebars provide additional nuggets of information. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review cover these Spies! titles: Deep-Cover Spies and Double-Crossers of the Cold War and Cyber Spies and Secret Agents of Modern Times.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) 4-6 Captured History: Sports series. These volumes each examine the impact of a single famous sports photograph, starting with an in-depth description of the moment captured. The authors then zoom out to examine surrounding events: civil rights unrest in America during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics (Black Power) and Muhammad Ali's sometimes controversial career (Ali's Knockout). An exciting and unique approach to history. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers the following Captured History: Sports titles: Ali's Knockout Punch and Black Power Salute.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) 4-6 Captured History: Sports series. A competent overview of the Williams sisters' tennis achievements is hampered by an on-and-off relationship with the series' focus on sports photography and the career of photojournalist Mike Blake. While few of the included photos are actually Blake's, the many pictures add interest, and the book provides a good history of tennis and its only gradual acceptance of black players. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton