This article offers a savvy guide to the best graphic nonfiction books for middle schoolers. These include: "Ronald Reagan: A Graphic Biography" by Andrew Hefler; "Clan Apis" by Jay Hosler; and "Corpses and Skeletons: The Science of Forensic Anthropology" by Rob Shone.

Discusses biographies written for young adults and describes problems with inferior writing in many of them. Examples of both good and bad biographies are given, and problems highlighted include unimportant details, a failure to make facts interesting, an absence of personal information, and an emphasis on neutrality from fear of bias. (LRW)

Examines biographies of Marie Curie written for children and discusses two types of distortions: simple misrepresentations of fact and selective retelling of the past. It is concluded that biographies of minority or female success should deal specifically with strategies used by the hero or heroine to combat prejudice. (EM)