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Alexander Graham Bell, (1999) Leonard Everett Fisher. Atheneum, ISBN 0-689-81607-3. Fisher does a nice job with humanizing Aleck Bell. Throughout the book he intertwines facts and events with anecdotes about Bell's family and friends. The illustrations in black and white are effective in portraying this energetic scientist.
Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Making of a Champion, (1999) Russell Freedman. Clarion Books, ISBN 0-395-63367-2. This is such a wonderful book! Perhaps the last paragraph in Freedman's book sums it up. "I discovered something that I wasn't completely aware of back then: Babe Didrikson Zaharias broke barriers as well as records. She struggled to transcend stereotypes of how a woman should behave and what a woman athlete should be. She turned out to be a far more complex, contradictory, courageous and endearing character than I imagined when I wrote about her as a beginning author back in 1961." (p. 166)
Einstein: Visionary Scientist, (1999) John B. Severance. Clarion Books, ISBN 0-395-93100-2. This book is a nice tribute to Einstein, who many believe to be the greatest scientists of this century. His accomplishments speak for themselves. He was a dedicated and humble scientist right to the end. He died with questions yet unanswered. In his will, Einstein requested a cremation leaving only his brain and work for further study. As a connecting side note, a recent study concluded that Einstein's brain was larger in size.
Joan of Arc, (1999) Michael Morpurgo, Illus. by Michael Foreman. Harcourt Brace, ISBN 0-15-201736-4. Morpurgo has this wonderful way of writing a story that makes you feel like you are there, like you are the heroine/hero. This story of Joan of Arc, a heroine, is timely for today's adolescents who have to search for the real heroes through the simulated role-models found in rock stars, modeling, sports, and cinema.
Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries, (1999) Don Brown. Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0-395-92286-0. Mary Anning and her brother began hunting fossils with their father at a young age. Their father was a carpenter and they would sell the fossils to tourists for extra money. As Mary got older she turned fossil hunting into a lifetime occupation. She became world renowned and was responsible for many of the world's first complete fossil specimens. A good picture book biography with a female paleontologist that can be used for older readers.
Sebastian: A Book About Bach, (1999) Jeanette Winter, Browndeer Press, ISBN 0-15-200629-X. This is another great addition to Jeanette Winter's ever growing picture book biographies for primary audiences. Students are afforded a nice overview of Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the great composers of all times.
Through My Eyes, (1999) Ruby Bridges. Scholastic, ISBN 0-590-18923-9. There are times that I am so moved by books that I wish for all to read them. This is one of those powerful books. This book is about Ruby's experience as a child in New Orleans. She received national attention for breaking the segregation barrier at school. Along with photos supporting her story are several timely quotes, news stories, passages, and narratives from her first grade teacher.
Wild Heart: The Story of Joy Adamson, Author of Born Free, (1999) Anne E. Neimark. Harcourt Brace, ISBN 0-15-201368-7. The story of Joy Adamson's adventures in the wild and her contributions to the conservation movement is intriguing from her beginnings to her sudden tragic death.