Library Witch

Bibliographic- Fleming, Candace. The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia. Schwartz & Wade, 2014. ISBN 978-0-375-86782-8 Summary / Critical analysis- Candace Fleming brings this already fascinating story to life in a simple but captivating format for young readers. The history of the Romanov family is told in appropriate detail and creates the perfect amount of background information leading to their ultimate deaths, and the mystery surrounding their burials. Anyone who has seen the animated movie Anastasia will be surprised at the even more exciting true story behind it. The absurd wealth of Imperial Russia is set against primary-source material from the poor, working class that also existed at the time. This juxtaposition shows the tensions that were building at the time, and serve as a reminder that not all history is the flashy dramatic kind. Fleming draws readers into the story from page one, and explains things that ma...

Bibliographic- Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan. Andy Warhol: Prince of Pop. Delacorte Press, 2004. ISBN 0-385-73056-X Summary/ Critical analysis- Andy Warhol lived a fascinating life and created lasting art that “is for everyone”(p.43). All of this is captured by Greenberg and Jordan and told without judgement, and without excluding his more controversial lifestyle. The book chronicles Andy Warhol’s life from childhood through death, and how that life influenced his art. There is a helpful timeline, and glossary of art terms to guide readers who may be unfamiliar with the technical terms of the art world. The included artwork is printed full-page, but all images are condensed to a section in the center of the book. I found this an odd choice in a biography of a visual artist. The text is modern (Helvetica) with lots of white space that also conveys a pop-art feel while making it easy to read. Each chapter begins with a quote from Andy Warhol relating...

Bibliographic- Stone, Tanya Lee. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream. Candlewick Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-7636-3611-1 Summary/ Critical analysis- Almost Astronauts chronicles the tale of 13 women who attempted to break into the space program and were blocked multiple times by rules and prejudice despite showing the required skills in a battery of tests. Stone weaves together personal information about the women with photos, cartoons, ads, and letters to create a photo-essay that reads like a novel. Clever chapter headings (“T Minus Thirty-Eight Years”, “Mommy’s Going to the Moon!”), along with subtitles and dates guide readers through a timeline of events, while source notes, a “further reading” list, and references allow for fact-checking, dialogue sources, and more research opportunities. The layout balances texts and images nicely to break up the information into more manageable pieces. This is not a book to fact-pick from, but one that invite...