Roe V. Wade: The Right to Choose

School Library Journal

Gr 6-8-Introducing Supreme Court cases that changed the course of American legal history, these volumes present information without miring readers in legalese. That the books manage to utilize and attractively display primary documents to support the more kid-friendly text is an added bonus. Donnelly covers the gut-wrenching, right-to-die trials of the Cruzan family, whose adult daughter lingered in a vegetative state for many years before she was taken off life support. Hulm retells the fascinating story of the Amistad rebellion of 1839. Payment's Roe v. Wade tracks the more contemporary and familiar abortion debate. Told with different voices (an advantage in an otherwise templatelike series) and illustrated with pertinent photos and reproductions, these titles provide students with solid overviews supported visually and textually through primary sources that will enhance reports. For the most part, the writing is clear and easy to understand. Unfortunately, there are no time lines. All in all, three well-documented and attractive additions.-Mary R. Hofmann, Rivera Middle School, Merced, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.