Xerxes

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up These books offer a large amount of detail about the lives of Caesar and Persian King Xerxes, whose battle losses to the Greeks changed the balance of power in the ancient world, but they are short on analysis and overall historical perspective. They do not provide the background most young readers need or tell them why these leaders are still studied today. Black-and-white reproductions and drawings give a sense of the times, but maps and charts are few and are of an inferior quality. Both books place much emphasis on battles but do not include good battle maps. Xerxes has a great deal of fictionalizing, including what the king was thinking. However, this book could be considered for collections that need books on the period. Caesar has very little fictionalizing, and while it is better than older titles such as Julius Caesar (Messner, 1955; o.p.) by Komroff, librarians should examine their collections to see if their biographies of Caesar need updating before they order this one. Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, Mo.