For a biography to be effective, the information must be engaging, engrossing, and educational. The most enjoyable of them paint a fascinating, clear picture of their subjects while grabbing readers' attention and imparting knowledge. Biographies in graphic-novel format are becoming more prevalent and more popular, and this season's offerings will add value to most collections. Beginning readers will find titles suited to their needs, while older students have slimmer pickings.

Preschool-Grade 4

ARTELL, Mike. Drew Brees: Football Superstar. ISBN 978-1-4296-6565-0; ISBN 978-1-4296-7305-1. LC 2011001019. ----. Peyton Manning: Football Superstar. ISBN 978-1-4296-6564-3; ISBN 978-1-4296-7311-2. LC 2011001020. MATTERN, Joanne. Albert Pujols: Baseball Superstar. ISBN 978-1-4296-6561-2; ISBN 978-1-4296-7301-3. LC 2011001022. ----. Derek Jeter: Baseball Superstar. ISBN 978-1-4296-6560-5; ISBN 978-1-4296-7303-7. LC 2011001021. ----. Dwight Howard: Basketball Superstar. ISBN 978-1-4296-6563-6; ISBN 978-1-4296-7307-5. LC 2011001023. ----. Lebron James: Basketball Superstar. ISBN 978-1-4296-6562-9; ISBN 978-1-4296-7309-9. LC 2011001024. ea vol: 24p. (Sports Illustrated Kids: Superstar Athletes Series). photos. chron. further reading. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Capstone. 2011. PLB $23.99; pap. $6.95. Gr 1-3-These beginning readers feature athletes who are well-known in their respective sports and explore why they are such assets to their teams. Very little background information is given about their personal lives. Rather, the focus is on the individual's career highlights and game statistics. The books cover the athletes' personalities and relay interesting anecdotes, such as why Dwight Howard chose 12 for his jersey number. Controlled vocabulary (in bold on the page) and short sentences are employed to help struggling readers. The print is large, information boxes are placed prominently, and chapter headings are helpful in guiding the topics discussed. Photographs are not captioned, but they match the text to aid in comprehension. GLASER, Jason. Dwyane Wade. ISBN 978-1-4339-5862-5; ISBN 978-1-4339-5864-9; ISBN 978-1-4339-5863-2. LC 2010048163. ----. Peyton Manning. ISBN 978-1-4339-5866-3; ISBN 978-1-4339-5868-7; ISBN 978-1-4339-5867-0. LC 2010052014. ----. Roger Federer. ISBN 978-1-4339-5870-0; ISBN 978-1-4339-5872-4; ISBN 978-1-4339-5871-7. LC 2011001035. ----. Tim Lincecum. ISBN 978-1-4339-5878-6; ISBN 978-1-4339-5880-9; ISBN 978-1-4339-5879-3. LC 2011007155. ----. Tom Brady. ISBN 978-1-4339-5882-3; ISBN 978-1-4339-5884-7; ISBN 978-1-4339-5883-0. LC 2011011105. ROZA, Greg. Sidney Crosby. ISBN 978-1-4339-5874-8; ISBN 978-1-4339-5876-2; ISBN 978-1-4339-5875-5. LC 2011003856. ea vol: 32p. (Today's Sports Greats Series). chart. photos. further reading. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Gareth Stevens. 2011. PLB $26.60; pap. $10.50; ebook $26.60. Gr 4-5-This series presents athletes from various sports and discusses their contributions, triumphs, and struggles. There is more information in these titles about the lives of the athletes than in other sports biographies, and readers will find the information, for the most part, clear and interesting. However, there is some weak and awkward phrasing in spots. Vocabulary words are bold throughout the texts and defined in the glossaries. The information charts at the end of the final chapters that give quick glimpses of the achievements of or statistics for the players are the most useful components of these books. While not an essential purchase, "Today's Sports Greats" could fill gaps in sports collections. LINDE, Barbara M. Jesse Jackson. ISBN 978-1-4339-5682-9; ISBN 978-1-4339-5684-3; ISBN 978-1-4339-5683-6. LC 2010050840. ----. Malcolm X. ISBN 978-1-4339-5686-7; ISBN 978-1-4339-5688-1; ISBN 978-1-4339-5687-4. LC 2010054578. ----. Martin Luther King Jr. ISBN 978-1-4339-5690-4; ISBN 978-1-4339-5692-8; ISBN 978-1-4339-5691-1. LC 2011002172. ----. Rosa Parks. ISBN 978-1-4339-5694-2; ISBN 978-1-4339-5696-6; ISBN 978-1-4339-5695-9. LC 2011010056. ----. Thurgood Marshall. ISBN 978-1-4339-5698-0; ISBN 978-1-4339-5700-0; ISBN 978-1-4339-5699-7. LC 2011012803. NELSON, Maria. Coretta Scott King. ISBN 978-1-4339-5678-2; ISBN 978-1-4339-5680-5; ISBN 978-1-4339-5679-9. LC 2010045998. ea vol: 24p. (Civil Rights Crusaders Series). photos. chron. further reading. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Gareth Stevens. 2011. PLB $22.60; pap. $8.15; ebook $22.60. Gr 2-3-While this series covers familiar ground, it nonetheless provides solid facts about six civil rights fighters who shaped American history and helped pave the way for African Americans to gain equality. It delivers basic information about these crusaders, but it mostly focuses on their accomplishments and their positions in the civil rights fights of their respective times. The pages alternate between the text (with "Let Freedom Ring" side boxes that provide supplemental information) and large, captioned color photographs. Vocabulary words in bold are defined at the end of each book. With their clear information, short sentence structure, and linear writing, these books would be useful for basic reports. SMITH, Andrea P. Casey Jones. ISBN 978-1-4488-5195-9; ISBN 978-1-4488-5228-4; ISBN 978-1-4488-5432-5. LC 2011001712. ----. Daniel Boone. ISBN 978-1-4488-5194-2; ISBN 978-1-4488-5226-0; ISBN 978-1-4488-5431-8. LC 2011001714. ----. Davy Crockett. ISBN 978-1-4488-5192-8; ISBN 978-1-4488-5222-2; ISBN 978-1-4488-5429-5. LC 2011001718. ----. Jim Bowie. ISBN 978-1-4488-5196-6; ISBN 978-1-4488-5230-7; ISBN 978-1-4488-5433-2. LC 2011001720. ----. Johnny Appleseed. ISBN 978-1-4488-5193-5; ISBN 978-1-4488-5224-6; ISBN 978-1-4488-5430-1. LC 2011001713. ----. Paul Bunyan. ISBN 978-1-4488-5191-1; ISBN 978-1-4488-5220-8; ISBN 978-1-4488-5428-8. LC 2011001836. ea vol: illus. by Planman Technologies. 24p. (Jr. Graphic American Legends Series). chron. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Rosen/PowerKids Pr. 2011. PLB $23.95; pap. $10.60; ebook $23.95. Gr 2-5-There are not many good biographies about American legends available, and readers will find this graphic-novel series unique and interesting. The information about these six trailblazing men who influenced American history in some way is clearly presented in large, brightly colored panels and through dialogue between the characters and corresponding captions. The books all contain character guides and helpful back matter. Ideal for reluctant readers and fans of legends, lore, and history.

Grades 5 & Up

GOLDSWORTHY, Kaite. Entertainment. ISBN 978-1-61690-659-7; ISBN 978-1-61690-663-4. LC 2010050181. GOLDSWORTHY, Steve. Politics. ISBN 978-1-61690-662-7; ISBN 978-1-61690-666-5. LC 2010050182. HOWSE, Jennifer. Sports. ISBN 978-1-61690-660-3; ISBN 978-1-61690-664-1. LC 2010050184. MORRISON, Jessica. Military. ISBN 978-1-61690-661-0; ISBN 978-1-61690-665-8. LC 2010050183. ea vol: 48p. (Great African Americans Series). photos. reprods. chron. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Weigl. 2011. PLB $29.99; pap. $14.95. Gr 4-6-Instead of featuring the lives of individual people, this series focuses on broad topics as they relate to African-American accomplishments throughout history. Chapters are arranged chronologically, but the books feel slightly disorganized and crammed full of information. All of them have captioned photos and text boxes. Vocabulary words are in bold throughout and defined in glossaries at the end. Readers can access videos, embedded links, slide shows, quizzes, and other online resources through a dedicated website. The series would be good for getting quick facts, but students who want deeper analysis of these subjects will need to view the additional material and/or do further research. HASDAY, Judy L. Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg. ISBN 978-1-59935-176-6; ISBN 978-1-59935-215-2. LC 2011023210. SAPET, Kerrily. Google Founders: Larry Page and Sergey Brin. ISBN 978-1-59935-177-3; ISBN 978-1-59935-213-8. LC 2011014665. SCALLY, Robert D. Jeff Bezos: Founder of Amazon and the Kindle. ISBN 978-1-59935-178-0; ISBN 978-1-59935-214-5. LC 2011015611. SMITH, Chris & Marci McGrath. Twitter: Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone and Evan Williams. ISBN 978-1-59935-179-7; ISBN 978-1-59935-216-9. LC 2011024699. ea vol: 112p. (Business Leaders: Social Media Series). photos. bibliog. chron. index. notes. Websites. CIP. Morgan Reynolds. 2011. PLB $28.95; ebook $28.95. Gr 5-9-This series profiles the men behind four companies that have significantly changed the way people use technology and the Internet. Besides delivering personal information about the featured business leaders, these biographies highlight the ways in which they have not only produced forms of entertainment, research tools, and social media, but also essential information-sharing resources. While the texts are easy to digest, the tone can be too casual, and some of the chosen anecdotes seem gratuitous-readers don't necessarily need to know that Jeff Bezos enjoyed playing beer pong in college. The full-color photographs are eye-catching, but questionable for the intended audience; e.g., one Web shot in Twitter is in poor taste. HAVEMEYER, Janie. Catherine De' Medici: "The Black Queen." ISBN 978-0-9834256-3-2. LC 2011924355. HOCKINSON, Liz. Marie Antoinette: "Madame Deficit." ISBN 978-0-9834256-4-9. LC 2011924356. MAURER, Gretchen. Mary Tudor: "Bloody Mary." ISBN 978-0-9834256-2-5. LC 2011924354. PACK, Mary Fisk. Cleopatra: "Serpent of the Nile." ISBN 978-0-9834256-0-1. LC 2011924335. ea vol: illus. by Peter Malone. 28p. (The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames Series). maps. photos. reprods. chron. Goosebottom Bks. 2011. Tr $18.95. Gr 4-8-One of the most unique offerings this season, this series presents tales of women throughout history who have not followed societal conventions. Spanning various centuries and continents, the books outline the lives, actions, and misdeeds of women who held positions of great power. The pages have a collagelike appearance, with blocks of texts and captioned photos and reproductions. Sidebars give contextual information, such as "What she played," "What she wore," "What she ate," etc. Readers will find the information engrossing, with stories of dastardly deeds such as poisoning, religious persecution, and outright murder. However, it should be noted that these books have no index, table of contents, or bibliography, so they might be better suited for browsing than for research. Students will question whether or not these women were really inherently evil, or just acting in response to their dysfunctional childhoods and the turbulent times in which they lived. HENDERSON, Harry. Nikola Tesla: Harnessing Electricity. 122p. ISBN 978-1-60413-670-8. LC 2010052627. YOUNT, Lisa. Alfred Blalock, Helen Taussig, and Vivien Thomas: Mending Children's Hearts. 121p. ISBN 978-1-60413-658-6. LC 2010035656. ----. Craig Venter: Dissecting the Genome. 127p. ISBN 978-1-60413-662-3. LC 2010050561. ----. Luc Montagnier: Identifying the AIDs Virus. 117p. ISBN 978-1-60413-661-6. LC 2010047006. ----. Rosalind Franklin: Photographing Biomolecules. 119p. ISBN 978-1-60413-660-9. LC 2010048229 ea vol: (Trailblazers in Science and Technology Series). diags. photos. chron. further reading. glossary. index. Websites. CIP. Chelsea House. 2011. PLB $35. Gr 6 Up-This series, which defines a "trailblazer" as a person who exhibits imagination, determination, and courage, gives a look into the lives of some of the most influential people in the world of science and technology. The introduction of each book delivers scientific context and background information and breaks down the chapter content. The chapters themselves go into great detail about the struggles and accomplishments of these pioneers, the factors that made them interested in science, and the reach of their influence. Sociological and political issues are also explored, such as the difficulties of being female in the world of science, as well as mature aspects of the scientists' lives. Sidebars and captioned color and archival photographs round out the dense, though clearly written, texts. The books could spark readers' interest in innovation. ROBISON, Ken. Apolo Ohno. map. ISBN 978-1-59935-186-5; ISBN 978-1-59935-209-1. LC 2011014476. SAVAGE, Jeff. Brock Lesnar. ISBN 978-1-59935-185-8; ISBN 978-1-59935-211-4. LC 2011024365. ----. Tito Ortiz. ISBN 978-1-59935-184-1; ISBN 978-1-59935-210-7. LC 2011019145. YOUNG, Jeff C. Michelle Wie. ISBN 978-1-59935-187-2; ISBN 978-1-59935-212-1. LC 2011020799. ea vol: 112p. (Xtreme Athletes Series). photos. bibliog. chron. index. notes. Websites. CIP. Morgan Reynolds. 2011. PLB $28.95; ebook $28.95. Gr 6 Up-This series profiles four athletes who have made marks in their various sports. The books provide chronological accounts of their subjects' lives-including their childhoods, early years in competitions, and recent achievements-as well as factual information about the athletics. Brightly colored photographs punctuate the pages and supplement the texts. Although the sports discussed may have high appeal, the writing is choppy in places. Not essential purchases. For collections that have gaps in the sports biographies section, the best bet is to skip the extreme sports and go for Capstone's more child-friendly "Sports Illustrated Kids: Superstar Athletes." Rich with information and great for research, "Trailblazers in Science and Technology" from Chelsea House is ideal for teens. The sparkling "Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames" from Goosebottom Books is like a history lesson with a twist of sensationalism (and a welcome change from the many male-focused offerings this season). Gareth Stevens's "Civil Rights Crusaders" provides solid, clear information about important historical figures. Last but not least, PowerKids Press's "Jr. Graphic American Legends" should be considered because of its appeal and accessibility.