The History of Gospel Music.

Woog, Adam.  The History of Gospel Music.  Gale/Lucent      2014  136p  $35.95  ISBN 978-1-4205-0945-8  ms/hs     series: Music Library  Nonfiction  E-BNS   

Gospel music is at the center of African-American religious worship, from its history in slave songs to pop and current artists.  This volume, The History of Gospel Music, is part of the History of Music series.  Featuring the music and musicians who have innovated, fostered and developed gospel music, this title provides a very complete look at the full range of gospel music from slave songs to today’s artists like Lecrae.  The information is presented through text, photographs with detailed captions, and sidebars.  The text is very readable, yet it includes great detail in telling the story of gospel music.

Additional material includes detailed notes for each chapter, an annotated listening list of recommended CD’s, a glossary, a four-page annotated bibliography for further information, an extensive index and a list of picture credits.  This title is a complete research tool for students.  The level of detail and length of the text make this title perfect for older middle-school students and high-school students.

The Music Library includes 13 titles discussing the innovators who have shaped each style of music from jazz to classical to rock and roll.  The series is excellent for research.

Summary: This book focuses on the music, musicians, instruments and cultural significance of gospel music.  High school, maybe middle.    

Gospel music                                                --Joan Theal

Beechen, Adam. Divide and Conquer.

Beechen, Adam.  Divide and Conquer.  Capstone/Stone Arch    2013  32p   ISBN 978-1-4342-4713-1    series: Justice League Unlimited  elem (Grades 3-5)  Hardback    VG  Science fiction   

With crisp, colorful illustrations and conversations that have plays on words, including a nod to the Star Wars “May the force be with you,” this book will appeal to fans of superheroes.  The Justice League is required to battle an intergalactic force that hopes to control the most powerful superheroes on Earth.  The seemingly less powerful female superheroes show that they are a force to be reckoned with when the male superheroes become incapacitated.  An addendum includes information on the creators of the graphic novel and a glossary.  A two-page spread encourages readers to go beyond just reading the graphic novel and to look carefully at the illustrations, their impact on the story, and how they enhance the text, and provides writing prompts that reflect reader opinions about the story.  Justice League Unlimited contains four titles about the adventures of this group of friends in fighting crime, and it is recommended as needed for elementary-school library collections.     

Summary: Crisp colorful illustrations and sometimes humorous text will entertain readers in grades 3-5 who love a superhero graphic novel. The Justice League finds itself incapacitated by intergalactic forces.  This book will appeal to fans of superheroes.     

Science fiction, Crime-Fiction, Adventure                   --Lois McNicol

Bolte, Mari. Girly Girl Style: Fun Fashions You Can Sketch.

Bolte, Mari.  Girly Girl Style: Fun Fashions You Can Sketch.      Capstone Publishers     2013  32p   ISBN 978-1-62065-035-6      series: Drawing Fun Fashions elem/ms (Grades 4-10)   Hardback    E-BN  Nonfiction 

This book will please girls seeking to understand what makes for feminine fashion, from the colors to the styles and accessories that proclaim femininity. Starting with line drawings that morph into the final product in a four-step process, novices will come to understand how body poses are created and how brushes, pens and other drawing materials can accentuate fashion drawings. Artists will learn the specific concepts used to pull together a feminine wardrobe and be able to experiment with using their own colors and patterns on their own finished product and contrast that with the clothing presented by the author.  This is a perfect book for aspiring illustrators, fashion designers and art students.  

Buyers of this title should be aware that it is a reprise of one chapter of Capstone’s Fashion Drawing Studio, which contains additional chapters on other fashion styles.  The other chapters in the larger book are the basis for the remaining titles in the Drawing Fun Fashions series.  Drawing Fun Fashions looks at six fashion styles.  It provides tips on drawing the human form wearing the fashions.  The core concepts of the elements needed to create a particular kind of fashion, and the use of brushes, markers, and crayon, are covered in these excellent books.  They are strongly recommended for all library collections, whether for browsing or for information on fashion trends and the art of creating fashion. They are perfect for fashionistas or art students.

Summary: For future fashion designers, art students, or those who wish to illustrate books, this book provides contemplative tips on the components of girly-girl fashion, tips on coloring drawings, and the way that line drawings morph into a finished product.

Fashion drawing                                                   --Lois McNicol

Warsh, Sylvia Maultash. Best Girl.

Warsh, Sylvia Maultash.  Best Girl.  Orca/Raven  121p  $9.95      978-1-55469-897-4 hs    Series: Rapid Reads(Orca/Raven)      VG    Realistic fiction

Amanda Moss feels her whole life has been a lie.  Her parents did not die in a car crash, but her mother has died in prison, where she was living since being sentenced for killing Amanda’s father.  But did she do it?  Amanda must find out the truth.

Best Girl is an adoption story, a murder mystery, and a book about the road to self-discovery.  What Amanda’s adoptive mother Shelley wanted was her career as a hairdresser.  But Amanda yearns for a career in music.  When a stranger appears with a guitar, and the story that her dead birth mother was unjustly imprisoned for killing her father, Amanda’s view of the world abruptly changes.  In her search to find the truth, she encounters new friends, frightening circumstances, and the stunning truth.  This novel is well written, even with the controlled vocabulary, and it features believable characters, a taut plot, and a satisfying ending.  It is a quick read and a book the reader will not be able to put down.  

This volume is part of the Rapid Reads series.  There are 25 volumes in the series at this time.  The series serves to provide short, easy-to-read novels for adults and young adults with literacy and/or reading difficulties.  Best Girl is recommended for high-school students with reading difficulties.  These high-interest, very low-reading-level titles will appeal to challenged readers.

Mystery, Murder-Fiction, Suspense, Hi-lo books              -- Pat Naismith  

Wade, Mary Dodson. Deadly Waves: Tsunamis.

Wade, Mary Dodson.  Deadly Waves: Tsunamis.     Enslow  48p $23.93     978-0-7660-4018-2 elm/ms  Series: Disasters - People in Peril (Enslow) E-BNS

The causes and results of tsunamis are explained, citing three major tsunamis as examples.  On April 1, 1946, there was an earthquake off the coast of Alaska, causing a tsunami that destroyed a lighthouse on Unimak Island.  At the same time the wave moved toward Hawaii.  Many details from eyewitness accounts are included.  The second tsunami cited occurred on December 26, 2004, in the Indian Ocean.  It decimated Sumatra, Sri Lanka, and surrounding areas, killing 280,000 people.  There are now early-warning devises in the Indian Ocean, in addition to the ones in the Pacific Ocean.  The third tsunami detailed happened on March 11, 2011, in Japan.  Besides the loss of life, the text explains the destruction to the fishing industry, farmlands polluted by salt water, and the nuclear-power-plant damage.

The use of first-person reports and photographs both modern and old bring an intimacy and immediacy to the text.  The science is clearly explained.  With the inclusion of the most recent major tsunami in the world, this text is up-to-the-minute, yet very accessible for young students.

This book is very highly recommended for grades 4-9.  There are four titles in the Disasters - People in Peril series.  Each one addresses a different kind of disaster: tsunamis, terrorism, school shootings, and deadly storms. All are up-to-date and highly recommended for grades 4-9.                -- Joan Theal

Thorburn, Mark. The President and the Executive Branch.

Thorburn, Mark.   The President and the Executive Branch.  Enslow 104p  $31.93  978-0-7660-4063-2     jr/sr   Series: Constitution and US Government (Enslow)  VG-BNS      

This book covers the working of the executive branch, that is, the president of the United States and all his duties.  Under the presidency one finds that sixteen departments and the vice president’s office.  The departments include Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, Defense, and Agriculture.  Then you have the other departments: Justice, Labor, the Treasury, State, Interior, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs.  The last one on the list is Independent Agencies and Government Corporations.

The book goes on to illustrate examples of situations the president has had to deal with, and basically explains the job of the president of the United States.

The book includes an index, photographs, illustrations, historical facts, internet addresses, a bibliography, a glossary and a list of the men who have been the president of the United States.    

other titles in the series are The United States Constitution, The Supreme Court and the Judicial Branch, The United States Congress and the Legislative Branch, and The Security Agencies of the United States.                     -- Magna Diaz

Streissguth, Tom. Security Agencies of the United States.

Streissguth, Tom.  Security Agencies of the United States.  Enslow      104p  $31.93  978-0-7660-4064-9  ms/hs  Series: Constitution and US Government (Enslow)   VG-BN

     

The federal governmental organizations that are responsible for the safety and security of the United States are the topics of this book.  Presented are the Department of Homeland Security, OSS & Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).      Well written and documented, the book puts together a very interesting history of the major federal organizations responsible for the security of this nation. Beginning with the history of each organization, the author then talks about how each one is structured and functions, and the importance of the individuals within each one.  Interspersed are the key events that were the impetus for the creation of each organization, and the role that it played in investigating some of the most pivotal events in 20th-century America.  Well-captioned photographs are found throughout the book, adjacent to the text to which they relate.  A timeline, glossary, chapter notes, a list of references for further reading, internet addresses and an index conclude the book.

The series Constitution and US Government is an excellent collection of five titles addressing the U.S. Constitution and the various branches and organizations of the U.S. government: The President and the Executive Branch, The Security Agencies of the United States, The Supreme Court and the Judicial Branch, The United States Congress and the Legislative Branch, and The United States Constitution.  This series is well written and thoroughly documented, as each book contains extensive chapter notes, as well as print and web resources.

This book is a highly-recommended addition for any middle-school and high-school library collection, as well as public-library collections.    -- Lynn Fisher