Great Reading: Bookmark It!

Volume 31, Number 5, June 2004

Deborah Taylor

Lives that matter
Grades 7-12

Bill Clinton. Michael Schuman. Enslow, 2003 (rev. ed.). $20.95. 0-7660-2032-0. Political success and scandal are both explored in this second look at the two terms served by the US’s first “baby boomer” president. Includes a look at President Clinton’s life beyond the White House.

Enrico Fermi: Trailblazer in nuclear physics. Erica Stux. Enslow, 2004. $20.95. 0-7660-2177-7. Despite growing up poor in his native Italy, Fermi turned his natural curiosity and love of science into an illustrious career that earned him the Nobel Prize and an important role in the history of nuclear physics.

George Washington, the writer: A treasury of letters, diaries, and public documents. Carolyn Yoder. Boyds Mills, 2003. $16.95. 1-56397-199-2. These writings provide unique insights into a well-known historical figure. Washington’s own words shed new light on his roles as soldier, leader and politician.

Powerful words: More than 200 years of extraordinary writing by African Americans. Wade Hudson. Ill. by Sean Qualls. Scholastic, 2004. $19.95. 0-439-40969-1. This wide-ranging collection of writings by prominent African Americans gives a unique view of the history and struggles of all Americans. In addition to a biographical sketch of each writer, author Wade Hudson provides information on how the writing or the event was received.

The road to there: Mapmakers and their stories. Val Ross. Tundra, 2003. $19.99. 0-88776-621-8. The stories of mapmakers throughout history and all over the world, from the earliest years to the present, from Ptolemy in 150 AD to those working for NASA, provide a fascinating addition to our understanding of history.

Deborah Taylor: Coordinator, School and Student Services, Enoch Pratt Free Library,
Baltimore, MD. dtaylor@epfl.net