Benjamin Franklin

School Library Journal

Gr 6-12-- An honest, well-researched biography covering Franklin's multitude of talents and accomplishments, but also showing his human side, including his indulgence in some of the more earthly pleasures. As with other books in this series, this one is liberally illustrated with reproductions of period paintings and cartoons, all with informative captions. Quotes of Franklin and of others about him are sprinkled throughout, and there is no fictionalized dialogue. The variety and complexity of sentence structure, vocabulary, and emphasis on historical background beams this biography to an older age level than Cass Sandak's Benjamin Franklin (Watts, 1986), which is organized by topics within chapters. However, Looby omits Franklin's participation in the Junto Club and his invention of bifocals, devoting more pages to his important electrical experiments and his diplomatic triumphs. His objective and unbiased account also states that Franklin was not without critics among his contemporaries. It's unfortunate that there aren't more reprints of documents or letters to give added primary-source credibility. This biography covers Franklin's many contributions to his country while introducing young readers to the kind of unvarnished truths found in adult biographies, thus providing an interesting account of Franklin's life as well as valuable research material about the historical period. --Phyllis Graves, Creekwood Middle School, Kingwood, TX