Editorial Review
SLJ Review of War Histories
This series covers past and more recent wars in American history. The expected names, dates, political figures, and weapons are included. They discuss the conflicts that led to the declaration of war and what happened after these wars ended.
The Gulf War, Korean War, and War on Terror are sometimes missed or rushed through in classrooms, especially for younger grades, and these titles offer and introduction to these conflicts. Although there are glossaries at the end of the text, some terms would have benefited from in-text explanations.
Readers are not given context for terms like “Communists” or “Islamists” unless they read the glossary. Anti-war protests are only lightly touched on in the section concerning the homefront of the wars. Written at a third-grade reading level, the publisher recommends this series for grades three to seven.
VERDICT: An additional purchase where hi-lo historical information is needed.