A shoddily constructed, clumsily written biography that does a disservice to its audience.
Kicking off a new series about History’s Worst, a middle-grade survey of Adolf Hitler and World War II.
Buckley covers Hitler’s childhood, youth, service during World War I, takeover of the German Workers’ Party and subsequent transformation to the Nazi Party, seizure of power, World War II, and the Holocaust. Buckley’s overuse of adverbs and reliance on clichés results in such trite statements as “Measuring his failure against his friend’s success, Hitler basically fell off the map” and “World War I had begun and, believe it or not, Hitler was overjoyed.” Discussing the purge known as the “Night of the Long Knives,” Buckley writes, “If people had not been scared of Hitler before, these actions pushed their fear level off the charts.” His descriptions of historical, ideological, and political complexities are vague and frequently misleading. Readers may well end up believing the Freikorps was a single unit when, in fact, they were multiple, autonomous anti-communist paramilitary units organized during the Weimar Republic. Mein Kampf is characterized as “like a to-do list for taking and holding power but with an awful, racist twist.” The Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact is described “as if dogs and cats had signed an agreement saying they would never fight again.” Compared to such exemplars as James Cross Giblin’s The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler, this biography, even though for a younger audience, falls far short.
A shoddily constructed, clumsily written biography that does a disservice to its audience. (timeline, source notes) (Biography. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7941-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
At its best when the emphasis is on the skill and artistry of Mime’s most accomplished practitioner—alas, too much of the...
The legendary mime is introduced to a new generation, though not entirely successfully.
As a child, Marceau loved to silently entertain his friends, like his idol, Charlie Chaplin. During the Nazi occupation of France, Marcel and his brother took on new identities in the French Underground, where they forged documents for Jewish children and helped many to escape to Switzerland. Spielman assumes that her young audience will understand references to deportation and concentration camps; unfortunately for those that don't, her matter-of-fact tone speaks more of adventure than deadly peril. Her tone subtly changes when she lovingly describes Marceau’s training and development as a mime and his stage persona of Bip the clown, admiring his skills in the “art of silence” that won him international renown. But here too, comparisons to the Little Tramp and Pierrot may be outside readers’ frame of reference. Though the illustrations carefully complement the textual content with period details, Gauthier’s cartoon faces are all nearly identical, with only the screen image of Chaplin and Marceau’s Bip having distinctive features. A double-page spread at the conclusion provides photographs of Bip in action and is the only clear indication of Marceau’s stagecraft.
At its best when the emphasis is on the skill and artistry of Mime’s most accomplished practitioner—alas, too much of the book looks elsewhere. (Picture book/biography. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7613-3961-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
This “little history of hair” entertains largely with hair-brained ideas about how humans tame their tresses.
From the grooming habits of our ape ancestors to current-day hair care, the anecdotal format moves chronologically through time. In between, readers learn various ways of keeping locks free of bugs, soft and styled in the current fashion. How about a bird cage on your head? Maybe lilac dye is more your style? Despite many tries (including pigeon poop and camel pee), no one seems to have come up with the perfect cure for baldness. From the beehive to the moptop to the comeback of the Mohawk, it appears that history and hair weave together even as fashions pervade popular culture. Gouache illustrations border on the surreal, often highlighting the comedy that is described in the text. The paintings also accurately display the time periods, settings and techniques for each vignette. Cleverly named “Hair Extensions” do exactly that, extend each snippet with just a little more story. The author’s note explains a lifelong fascination with hair; Krull produced her first book about hairdos at age 10. Includes a list of sources that note those titles especially for young readers and those best for picture research.
This braiding of history, humor and hair positively poufs. (Informational picture book. 8-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-439-67640-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2011
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