School Library Journal Review

Gr 6-8-Serviceable options for those who need biographies of famous women. Anderson's well-written and fast-paced account is very similar to Catherine A. Welch's Margaret Bourke-White (Carolrhoda, 1998) and recounts many of the same anecdotes. Binns covers the essential facts and emphasizes Blackwell's role in promoting good hygiene practices and health education for women, but the writing is not as fluid as in the other titles. Deborah Kent's Elizabeth Blackwell (The Child's World, 2003) is a much shorter account of the woman's life that only sketches her accomplishments. Ditchfield focuses on Alcott's younger years, with much attention given to her relationships with her family and with famous figures such as Emerson, Thoreau, and Dorothea Dix. Karen Clemens Warwick's Louisa May Alcott (Enslow, 2000) also does a good job of covering the author's life and is more carefully documented. All three "Great Life Stories" contain informative sidebars that add interesting historical perspective. They are amply illustrated with good-quality photos and reproductions, and have an attractive, open format. Unfortunately, they also attribute thoughts and feelings to their subjects and include quotes without referencing their sources.-Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.