George Crum and the Saratoga Chip, by Gaylia Taylor.

Illus. by Frank Morrison.

Part Native American and part African American, George Crum lived at a time when it was difficult for people of color to be taken seriously in school or the workplace. His skills at preparing the fresh fish and game he catches lands him a job in a fancy restaurant where his sister is a waitress. Easily frustrated by the wealthy, fussy customers, one day George responds to a complaint that his french fries are too thick by slicing them very thinly. Soon everyone wants his "Saratoga chips." An author's note situates the story within the known and debated facts. The illustrations are lively and expressive. This would be a fun addition to units on inventors or food.

Grades 1-5

Dizzy, by Jonah Winters

Credited with inventing "bebop," Dizzy Gillespie started out poor, with an abusive father, and in trouble for fighting. In a jazzy, poetic text, the author shows how his trumpet became an outlet for anger and trouble, and how Dizzy took fun and laughs and turned them into something new and creative. An author's note fills out the biography of this musical great.

Grades 2-5

Adventures of Marco Polo by Russell Freedman

This is a superior piece of bookmaking and a story well worth reading. Freedman's account of Marco Polo's daring adventures should hold the attention of even the most reluctant readers of non fiction. He writes simply but never condescendingly. The book's pages look like parchment paper and every double page spread contains at least one illustration. There are lush paintings by the illustrator and many colorful images from historical illuminated manuscripts. Perhaps the most valuable chapter is the last, titled "Did Maro Polo Go to China?" In it the author discusses current scholarly theories about the Polos and whether they ever actually made it all the way to China. This could engender a lively discussion about how we decide what to believe about the past. The topic fits well into both 6th and 7th grade social studies curricula. Starred reviews in Booklist and SLJ.

Escape! : The Story of the Great Houdini

This is a great account of the life of Erich Weiss, alias Harry Houdini. In clear, often cleverly worded prose Fleischman conveys a sense of what made this average magician so famous. Told with a heaping dose of skepticism, the story of Houdini's life emerges as the tale of a self-made man with a tremendous ego and a penchant for stretching the truth. Several long-standing myths are dispelled here. Fleischman himself had a brief career in his younger years as a magician, so he has considerable knowledge of the world of magic. As a biography for reluctant (but not slow) readers, this title fills a great need at the middle school level. The design of the book is very reader friendly, with double spaced text and a lot of spectacular pictures. The front and back covers feature actual advertising posters for Houdini's performances. A bibliography and an index are included.

Alexander the Great Rocks the World by Vicky Alvear Shecter

This biography details the life and times (or escapades) of Alexander the Great.

Peppered with casual comments directed toward the reader, it offers both an intimate and a broad view of Alexander's upbringing, education, military campaigns and leadership as ruler of Macedonia, Greece, Persia, Egypt, etc, etc, etc. The author is able to imbue a sense of Alexander's power, charisma, and progressive thinking.
Humorous text and the common threads of adolescence (pre-and early adolescents being the target audience) are employed to draw in the reader. Of course, the subject matter is pretty interesting, too.

Shecter includes a timeline, a bibliography, chapter end notes, and a decent index. Illustrations, photographs of artifacts, maps and other visual aids, and quotes from famous dead guys help make the book a breezy read.

My favorite quote, from pages 51-52, "After uniting Greece, he had a new obsession-Perisa. He wasn't alone. The Greeks, in general, shivered in ther tunics whenever the subject of Persian aggression came up. They especially feared the powerful Persian ruler, King Darius III. Why? Because King Darius served the Dark Lord Sauron and sought the One Ring that would give him power over the hobbits and Middle Earth. Oh, wait. Wrong story."

4th grade - 8th grade

Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter, by Susan Goldman Rubin

In a format befitting his pop-art style, the early life and work of Andy Warhol is presented against large blocks of bright color. Photographs and reproductions of his work fill the pages along with numerous quotes many from this nephew, James Warhol who authored Uncle Andy's (2003) a great companion to this work. The timeline is a particularly creative example of the form employing bold patterns and colors and filling in the later years of his life and work. The "back" material in this book: glossary, source notes, bibliography, illustration credits, and a list of museums where one can view his work including the Ackland in Chapel Hill are particularly strong. While this book is suitable for elementary school readers, it's hard to put an upper limit on its appeal.

Grades 4 - up.

Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became An Inventor, by Emily Arnold McCully

As a child, Mattie Knight loved to play with tools and invent toys and other useful devices for her brothers and widowed mother. Her mechanical abilities and perseverance also led to other inventions most notably a machine to produce square-bottomed paper bags. The story underscores the difficulties the inventor faced as a woman as well as her ingenuity and perseverance. Watercolor illustrations and small sketches of many of the inventions further illuminate the text.