Anna Crowley Redding

Elon Musk "light" this is a good intro to the genius of Mr. Musk. His inner drive, ethics, feelings, and motivations remain guarded. His playboy ways (handsome, hetero, rich...) are downplayed. Still, it is inspiring to anyone who wants to change the world and has the intelligence / money / means to do so. Those looking for a deeper study, should read elsewhere.

Today the Declaration of Independence is one of the United States’ most heavily guarded treasures, but during the War of 1812 it would have been destroyed if not for one man whose story has nearly been forgotten by time. Come along on this historic adventure and learn how one ordinary clerk did a truly extraordinary thing.

As a clerk for the State Department, Stephen Pleasonton spent his days quietly immersed in paperwork. He never expected to receive an urgent message telling him that the show more British army was on its way to the capital. And that the documents that Stephen was entrusted with—such as the original Declaration of Independence and the original Constitution—were all in danger!

It fell on Stephen to get our nation’s most cherished and priceless artifacts safely out of Washington!

I love reading these types of stories where everyday Americans make a huge impact. Without the efforts of Stephen and his crew, many of the historical documents that we treasure today would have been lost in the fires that burned in the capital during the War of 1812. This story was well written and would make a great addition to the classroom library. The story is written in a thrilling fashion and the illustration and hand lettering add a "colonial feel" to the book. show less

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: N/A
Recommend: YES
Grades: 6-12

This is a brief and easy to access history of Google. This follows the path from the inception of simplifying web searches to the behemoth web-based company Google is today. I found this to be such a fascinating read - I learned so much and got a glimpse of what's to come from Google. We find out the original name of the company, the many offices that the company out-grew throughout it's journey, how different ideas are show more generated and spawn either under or outside of the Google Umbrella, and how many of the Google tools we enjoy today came from basic needs that have arisen from real world problems.

I especially like that way the author started most of the chapters by introducing what life and the search for information was like before the days of Google -- this will really amaze teens today who have never lived in a Google-less world. I would highly recommend this book to all teen readers (and adults!), especially those that have any technological inclinations! show less

An attractive review of Google's accomplishments and how they revolutionized various fields, but acknowledging the company's flaws could have gone deeper than flatly citing "controversy" and moving on to more gee-wiz praise. Segments written in blue-on-blue text add a challenge for the eyes. Here's a shortcut: Larry and Sergey are dreamers who don't believe in limits, which is why Google changes the world and we peons simply read about it.