Laurie Calkhoven

I have to admit that until this year I was very skeptical about easy reader biographies. Do the kids who are still learning to read have the context to understand what they're reading? Why would they even be interested in low-level biographies of famous people?

I stand corrected. Two of the kids in my beginning reader's book club, Bookaneers, are absolutely obsessed with biographies - and they are both stellar readers that can easily devour a stack of whatever I hand them but especially love show more biographies. Do the kids really grasp the context and character of the personalities they're learning about? Eh, probably not - but it introduces them to historical figures they'll later learn more about.

So, naturally, I am finding as many biographies about overlooked people in history as possible! This new biography in the You Should Meet... series profiles six women who were the first computer programmers.

The story begins in World War II, when a group of six women were hired to program (even though nobody used that language yet) the first computer. The story is interspersed with information on the development of computers and computer languages. It ends with the recognition of male scientists and the six women being lost to history until 1985 when Kathy Kleiman discovered their important contributions. The book ends with a brief history of programming, more notes of women in computer technology, and discussion questions. The illustrations are cheerful, but not too cartoonish.

Although this is promoted as a level three easy reader, I would actually call it a beginning chapter book. It is primarily text, sometimes full pages, and paragraphs. While the font is larger than the typical chapter book, the density of the text and more complex sentence structure make this best for intermediate readers who can handle a challenge.

Verdict: If you are looking for more beginning chapter nonfiction and high level easy readers, this is a good series to consider. I am eager to introduce more diversity to my nonfiction, especially now that I am getting a lot of school requests for nonfiction for a new curriculum, so this one is definitely going on my list.

ISBN: 9781481470476; Published 2016 by Simon Spotlight: Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

These three titles are part of a new series on American history for young readers. Each title explores some little-known aspects of history in simple language with some mild humor.

The Founding Fathers were spies! has four chapters focused on intelligence work during the American Revolution. The introductory chapter talks about George Washington's use of spies and how they helped in the American Revolution, ending with the story of spy Lydia Darragh. The second chapter talks about codes and show more secret messages, focusing on George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. The third chapter tells a story about Hercules Mulligan and his friend, Alexander Hamilton and their use of secret ink. The fourth chapter is an overview of the Culper Spy Ring.

The book is illustrated with humorous cartoons, including one African-American (noted as "a man he trusted" whom Hercules Mulligan uses to pass a message). The people are pictured in trench coats and sunglasses, with mischievous smiles on their faces. Back matter includes a mask letter, used by the British, including an explanation of symmetry. There's also instructions for making invisible ink and a secret message to decode. The final page includes a quiz on the book.

The second title, Heroes who risked everything for freedom, focuses on the Civil War. Like the revolutionary war title, it focuses mainly on intelligence work. It includes a general chapter on spies, a chapter on Harriet Tubman, and a general chapter on "Secrets, disguises, and signals!" The final chapter covers an interesting event in history, which was new to me, about how slaves managed to commandeer a Confederate ship and took it to freedom in the North. Some named and unnamed people are included in the third chapter, with an explanation that not all names were recorded.

The cartoons have a more heroic mold, most of them featuring African-Americans, as most of the stories feature African-Americans fighting for their freedom. There is only one brief mention of Confederate spy methods. Unfortunately, there's a typo on page 23 "We don't alwhays know the full names..." which for me is a big problem in easy readers. Back matter includes stories of white women who fought in the Civil War for the Union and an explanation of the changes in the US flag through history and during the Civil War. There is also a secret message to decode and a quiz on the content.

The final title I looked at, Secret Agents! Sharks! Ghost Armies! presents secret stories of World War II. This title is prefaced by a note to parents, warning them that there may be some reference to "atrocities committed during that time period". The first chapter gives a general overview of World War II, briefly mentioning the persecution of Jewish people and the death of millions of people in the Holocaust. The first chapter talks about Julia Child's experiments in creating a shark repellent (which might or might not have worked). The second chapter discusses the activities of the "ghost army" which conducted secret warfare through disguise and delaying tactics. The third chapter tells about the life of Virginia Hall, who was one of the most wanted spies in World War II.

There are a few African-Americans and people with slightly darker skin color pictured. Virginia Hall is shown as a cute, young woman, whose wooden leg is hardly noticeable. There are several more contemporary pictures of kids playing a game with toy soldiers and tanks and a child talking to his grandfather about the war. Back matter includes an informative section on sharks and apex predators, a geometry problem for figuring out area, and brief biographies of celebrity spies Roald Dahl and Josephine Baker. There is also a final quiz.

It's pushing it a little to describe these as "easy readers." Simon Spotlight tends to have very high-level easy readers and these are no exception. The books include lengthy paragraphs of text with more complex vocabulary and, despite the cute cartoons, more complex concepts as well. They're definitely intermediate and would probably be in juvenile in my library, aimed at 3rd grade and up.

I have mixed feelings about the content. On the one hand, they've done a good job recognizing some of the lesser-known people, including women and minorities, involved in these historical events. On the other hand, I feel that the cartoons trivialize the experiences and real tragedies and struggles these people faced. I also find it very troubling that a note to parents is included in World War II but not in the Civil War title - as though slavery and the deaths of millions in the slave trade was less of an atrocity than the Holocaust. Still, it's not often that I find decent material for readers at an intermediate level which includes any diversity at all. The books are briskly written in a manner that will attract children's interest and the cartoons add humor to what might otherwise be a slow reading experience.

Verdict: Not perfect, but pretty good. I won't feel bad about adding these to my nonfiction collection and promoting them in book clubs. I will, however, skip the title with a typo until there's a new edition.

Revolutionary war: The founding fathers were spies!
ISBN: 9781481499705

Civil War: Heroes who risked everything for freedom
ISBN: 9781481499736

World War II: Secret agents! Sharks! Ghost armies!
ISBN: 9781481499491

Published 2017 by Simon Spotlight; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

A fun levelled-reader biography, targetted to younger readers. It's got a cool factor to it, has lots of informational callouts, it addresses the injustices experienced with a light touch, but is matter-of-fact. The book flirts with talking down to the audience at a couple of points but mostly is just good clean fun and celebrates a life well-lived. I'd recommend to readers who have a hard time finding something interesting, who are interested in athletic endeavor and the Olympics, who like show more swimming and the ocean, and who are on the cusp of wanting to learn about real people. show less

Will at the Battle of Gettysburg is an exciting, suspenseful historical fiction. Laurie Calkhoven writes this story with an exciting point of view from a young child named Will during the Civil War. In addition to Will's first person perspective, this story is jam packed with engaging diction that describes the many intense moments experienced by this young boy. Will is brought in to this story daydreaming of himself performing heroic acts against the enemy confederate soldiers, little does show more he know that the Confederate soldiers are marching in to his town of Gettysburg and he may have to make these day dreams of his a reality. The reader is brought in to frightening scenarios as Calkhoven describes moments like the one where the Rebels invade Will's town and nearly kill Will, "The next thing I knew I was flat on my back with a Rebel boot on my chest. There was a hole in the shoe, and I could see Joe's crusty, dirty toes. I tried to lift my head, but he held it down with the business end of his musket". As the story progresses Will is doing everything he can to help the scrambling union soldiers during the intense battle taking place in his town of Gettysburg. Will is along for the fight doing anything he can as cannons blast through neighboring streets, "I closed my eyes and slumped against the wall, this was not the battle of my daydreams". Will recalls the smell of "hot blood mixed with saltpeter" and Calkhoven further describes instances of Will's heroism as he cares for wounded soldiers during the midst of gun and cannon fire. Will at the Battle of Gettysburg is an action packed story of a young boy who desperately does anything he can to help the Union army as the confederates raid Gettysburg. show less