Both amusing and fairly edifying.
A new atlas for a new generation.
Trivia and cartography lovers should prepare for an explosion of facts and geography as they armchair-travel through 50 different countries. Sprinkled liberally across each page is a plethora of notable moments, monuments, people who lived in that region, and key facts. The opening pages remind readers that borders are intangible and can also be ephemeral—countries have expanded, disappeared, and changed throughout history—and trivia in the book is based on geography rather than country name. For example, the remains of humankind’s evolutionary ancestor “Lucy” were found in Ethiopia—but she wasn’t an Ethiopian. It’s a subtle but important point. Snippets of text printed in a small font pack in a lot of information, and a world map on each spread helps situate geographic locations. The diversity of noteworthy people overall is wonderful, but while the occasional White person appears in some African, Asian, and South American countries, the all-White cast of Europeans does not reflect that continent’s diversity. Indigenous nations in the United States and Canada are represented by Sacagawea. Those disappointments aside, the book is an engaging read for nonfiction fans. A final game challenges readers to find various symbols, inspiring a second read (and a second chance to learn a little more). (This book was reviewed digitally with 13.4-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 81.4 % of actual size.)
Both amusing and fairly edifying. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-78603-640-7
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
This is the first in a series that will look at the important cases of the FBI, and it’s a highly auspicious opener.
A female FBI agent is at the center of the search for the bomber who evaded capture for almost two decades.
Beginning in 1978, a series of serious bombings around the United States thwarted the FBI’s ability to apprehend the persons responsible. By the time special agent Kathleen M. Puckett was recruited, the FBI had been working for years to achieve that goal. Puckett had a positive reputation, and her background in the Air Force and her work in counterintelligence made her a sought-after prospect—but that didn’t save her from sexist microaggressions. “Puckett didn’t want to be respected as a female agent. She wanted respect as an agent. Her day would come.” In fast-paced prose, Denson recounts how Puckett, a white woman, was determined to learn all she could about the case, diligently studying the old files and visiting the scenes of the attacks before the publication of the Unabomber’s manifesto in the New York Times and the Washington Post helped break the case. This page-turning true-crime narrative takes readers behind the scenes of the detailed work, decision-making, and sometimes luck that go into solving difficult cases. The writing is lively, and the principal players are fully dimensional. The author’s note gives insight into his own intriguing process.
This is the first in a series that will look at the important cases of the FBI, and it’s a highly auspicious opener. (timeline, additional facts, sources) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: June 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-19913-3
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A fascinating subject and good storytelling combine for a winning text.
The “Princess of the Press” gets carefully researched treatment in this narrative biography.
Born in 1862 to enslaved parents, Ida B. Wells became a teacher, a journalist, an activist, and a speaker, and her words carried far and influenced and educated many about the evils of racism. The book’s opening scene throws readers into Wells’ decision, at the age of 16, to brave travel from her grandmother’s home where she was staying back to her hometown of Holly Springs, Mississippi, to take care of her younger siblings, newly orphaned by yellow fever. As her determination to fulfill her duty to her family is illustrated in this scene, so her other character traits are illustrated throughout the book in detailed, well-written scenes: her outrage at being treated unjustly when a train conductor and bystanders forcibly removed her from a railroad car; her determination to speak the truth in the face of injustice even though it might be dangerous or alienate others, as when she publicly criticized Booker T. Washington; her stage fright when speaking to a crowd about lynching. Extensive use of Wells' diaries allows an intimate look at her feelings and experiences, and other primary sources offer humanizing peeks at her faults and quirks. Despite some abrupt transitions throughout, the text moves forward quickly and sustains interest. Potentially new vocabulary words are set off in bold and defined in a glossary.
A fascinating subject and good storytelling combine for a winning text. (glossary, endnotes, bibliography) (Biography. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-2485-2
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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