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.

This article presents a brief review of James Cross Giblin's "The Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin" (Scholastic, 2000). This book provides a real look at the life of one of America's most famous statesmen who was also a printer, inventor, and writer. The book additionally includes a chronology of Franklin's life, information about his many…

Focuses on the philosophical leanings and humanist and spiritual qualities of five Black-American scientists--Banneker, Carver, Just, Latimer, and Julian--for whom there seemed no conflict between science and the humanities. Their writings are commended to contemporary readers for this reason. (DM)

Reviews Martin Duberman's Paul Robeson (Knopf, 1988). Commends its quality and coverage, but questions whether the book meets the challenges of Robeson's opponents. Concludes that Robeson is an American hero. (DM)

Tom Peters packs 36 hours of work into the confines of a 24-hour day. Without breaking a sweat, he juggles multiple collaborative projects, which currently include an Illinois academic library shared storage facility; a multistate virtual reference and instruction service for blind and visually impaired individuals (InfoEyes); a virtual meeting…

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)

Presents biographies of four leaders in public library service to young adults: Mabel Williams, Margaret Scoggin, Jean Roos, and Margaret Edwards. They are described as pioneers who worked to obtain recognition for and establish young adult work and who can serve as inspirations for librarians today. (EM)

Troy Johnson was a devoted reader and library user even as a teen living in Alaska. His experiences with librarians there and at the University of Nebraska College of Law made law librarianship an appealing career choice when he received his law degree and realized he had no idea what he wanted to do with it. Now, as Electronic Services and…

This sourcebook provides brief biographies of 65 popular children's nonfiction authors. Each profile focuses on how authors go about writing information books by giving a firsthand account of the challenges and rewards of nonfiction writing. Each biography provides a selected bibliography of the author's work, a photo, and a message to the student…

Twenty-two books are listed in this bibliography--all biographies suitable for readers in grades two through twelve. Full bibliographic data, a grade level indication, and annotations are supplied for each entry. The names and addresses of the publishers are also provided. Biographies of women, children, authors, actors, and political leaders are…

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)

This guide provides a representative selection of biographical dictionaries and related works useful to the reference and collection development processes in all types of libraries. Three criteria were used in selection: (1) each item included was published within the past 12 years; (2) each item has been included in American Reference Books…

Qualitative reviews of 56 biographies appropriate for readers in grades two through twelve are provided. Full bibliographic data is given, including the price, as well as a grade level indication. Reviews are also offered for nine biography series. The list includes biographies of Blacks, women, political leaders, handicapped people, authors,…

Describes four types of book talks based on the aspect of the book that is the most important--plot summary, character description, short story or excerpts, and mood-based. (Author/EM)

Provides an example of a course integrated library instruction assignment in biographical research for undergraduate journalism students. The assignment is shown to accomplish three goals: development of library skills, knowledge of important living journalists, and a review of interviewing techniques. (EM)