Bodyguards!: From Gladiators to the Secret Service

Gr 4–7—Lively, solidly written, and packed with intrigue and betrayal, these entertaining and informative brief anecdotes are organized into themed chapters, such as "Bad Guys and Gunmen," "When Bodyguards Fail or Betray," and "On Assignment." Butts includes a wide variety of bodyguards and both genders. Every continent, with the exception of Australia, is represented, and the all-female Minos of 18th-century Dahomey and the Amazonians who protected Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator, both receive coverage. The section on training and responsibility warns readers that a career as a bodyguard is never glamorous and is often downright boring. Plumbe's colorful, comic-book-style illustrations capture moments of tension and high drama, such as the assassination in 1792 of Swedish King Gustavus III at a masquerade ball. All in all, an engaging book.—Allison Bruce, Bank Street Library, New York City