A World War II Timeline.

Raum, Elizabeth.  A World War II Timeline.  Capstone Publishers  2014   48p  $25.49  ISBN 978-1-4765-4158-7  ms/hs  series: War Timelines  Nonfiction  E-BN

This book is highly recommended for any middle- or high-school World War II collection.  The comprehensive timeline includes all of the major events before, during and after the war, many of which include pictures or maps.  The visualization of the events that occurred across the globe aid the reader in understanding the complexities of the war.  A glossary, additional readings, internet sites and an index are included.  

Summary: This book provides a comprehensive timeline of the events of World War II.      

World War Two                                   --Stephanie Pennucci

Raum, Elizabeth. Helping Others.

Raum, Elizabeth.  Helping Others.  Capstone/Heinemann  48p  $32.00      978-1-4329-6501-3  2013  elm/ms  VG-BN    series: Kids Making A Difference           

The enthusiasm and determination of individual children are evident in the testaments of young people who found a way to make a difference in their local communities or in the lives of people in far removed countries. Helping others can be as individual and spontaneous as saving a life, made possible by having learned lifesaving skills and acting when the situation presents itself.  Some students dream bigger and set up foundations that bring in huge sums of money to aid those less fortunate.  The book shows that one individual acting on one thought can make a difference.  The colorful photos of things that were accomplished after someone put just one thought into action are powerful.  Examples of successful projects include volunteering for a known charity or starting a charity of one’s own.  Other examples include providing toys to children who have lost theirs in a disaster, or using photographs to document deficiencies in local communities and then presenting these photos to local government.  The last chapter offers tips on how to volunteer, including how to choose a charity and how to start a new project in your local community.  A glossary, lists of resources for further reading, and an index complete this excellent book on volunteerism.   

Kids Making a Difference includes four books with inspirational quotes and personal stories of young people who are inspiring others and making a difference in the lives of others.  They are colorfully illustrated and each has a glossary, list of resources for further reading and an index. Grades 3-10. 

Volunteerism                                                --Lois McNicol

Raum, Elizabeth. True Stories of the Revolutionary War.

Raum, Elizabeth.  True Stories of the Revolutionary War.   Capstone Publishers    32p  $29.99 978-1-4296-8674-7  2013  ms      VG-BNS  series: Stories of War   History

This graphic nonfiction book provides brief information and key dates at the beginning of the book as an introduction.  The subsequent chapters provide true stories from actual people that were involved, or directly affected by, the American Revolution.  Written as a graphic nonfiction book, these stories come to life because of captions and illustrations that make the accounts interesting and easy to follow.  The format, text, and illustrations encourage a unique understanding of this war and allow readers to make distinctive connections with individuals and their involvement in the Revolutionary War.

All the accounts are brief but thorough, and key points and definitions are enhanced in text boxes that are sprinkled throughout the stories. The colors depict the settings and time of the accounts and provide clarity to the text.

The short but detailed stories and accounts of important battles and events provide a concise history and relativity to the Revolutionary War for young and reluctant readers.  The graphic nonfiction format will excite and engage young readers and whet their appetites for other historical graphic nonfiction books.

This is one book in the Stories of War series.  There are many titles in the Graphic Library series; however, this is one of the first published in the Stories of War Graphic Library series.

American Revolution                                   --Virginia McGarvey

Raum, Elizabeth Orphan Trains: An Interactive History Adventure

Raum, Elizabeth        Orphan Trains: An Interactive History Adventure           

Capstone Publishers 2011   107p   30.65  978-1-4296-5479-1           

elm/ms           Historical        You Choose: History (Capstone)     VG-BNS          

In this ╥You Choose╙ adventure, readers can

become a newsboy in New York City in 1866, go west with three younger siblings

in 1904, or be left alone with a baby sister in 1919.  As the reader progresses

through each story, further choices are offered that change the final outcome.           

During the mid-nineteenth to the early part of the twentieth century, there were

immense numbers of homeless children to be found in New York and other large

Eastern cities.  Many of these children were orphans, had families that could

not feed them, or were runaways from desperate situations.  Charles Brace

founded the Children╒s Aid Society and was instrumental in creating the Orphan

Trains to take these children west to a better life.  This book offers a peek

into the societal mores of the time.  In this ╥You Choose╙ adventure, readers

can become a newsboy in New York City in 1866, go west with three younger

siblings in 1904, or be left alone with a baby sister in 1919.  As the reader

progresses through each story, further choices are offered that will change the

final outcome.  

 The book is arranged with an introduction, the three stories and afterwords

that place the adventures in historical context, timelines, a bibliography of

books and Internet sites, a glossary, and an index.  It provides an exciting way

to personalize this era and help the young readers relate to the events of the

times.  It will be of great value to teachers of social studies and certainly

lead to further historical research.

            This series includes books that support the early civilizations of world

history, the major events of American history, life-changing events like the

sinking of the Titanic and fascinating topics like pirates.  ╥You Choose╙ which

topic you will study as you navigate the pages of this creative series.