Elvis Presley (The importance of)

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-While thorough in scope, Woog's book does not present any new insights on the rock-and-roll legend. It is replete with details about the development of Presley's career from his poverty and early shyness to the attainment of superstardom. The dull style, however, will not hold readers or spark any new interest in the King. Quotes from critics and excerpts from other writings about the singer are featured to illustrate or underscore a point in the text. At least one quote appears in two different places. A list of important dates, extensive endnotes, a list of further readings, descriptive citations of other sources, and an index make this adequate for reports. Surprisingly, there is no discography. Tony Gentry's Elvis Presley (Chelsea, 1994) and Katherine E. Krohn's Elvis Presley, the King (Lerner, 1993) are livelier choices to help YAs view reading biographies as less of a chore.-Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ