One thing that a reader of biography should be aware of is the difference between authentic biography and fictionalized biography. An authentic biography is a well-documented and carefully researched account of a person's life. In addition to this, authentic biography will contain actual statements from the subject when any dialogue is used and it will be true in absolutely every detail. Fictionalized biography is still well-documented and carefully researched, however, it has some freedom in terms of what the author wants to do with the subject. For example, instead of using actual statements from the subject, the author may invent the subject's statements based on the ideas the subject had. Overall, fictionalized biography tries to personalize the subject more so that readers can easily identify with him/her.
Mauriel Harris Weinstein; Illustrated by Frank Morrison
Publisher: Bloomsbury, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59990-375-0
Grades: 3-6
Awards/Reviews: N/A
Play, Louis, Play tells the story of famed Jazz musician Louis Armstrong. The novel's narrator is Louis' first trumpet and he recollects the ups and downs in Louis' life. His cornet also shows how Louis had musical vision that no other people had at the time. This caused other musicians to imitate him and led him to becoming one of the most beloved and famed musicians of all time.*
Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator*
Shelley Tanaka; Illustrate by David Craig
Publisher: Abram's Books, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-8109-7095-3
Grades: 3-6
Awards/Reviews: Horn Book 2009
In this biography of the world's most famous female pilot, Amelia Earhart, readers will learn about her first flight and many others. In addition to this, readers will see that flying for Amelia was more than just being in the air--it was also about proving that women can do what men believed they couldn't do. Readers of this work will experience the life of Earhart--from the first time she saw a plane to her final transmissions before going missing--and discover exactly what made this woman so great.
Bonnie Christensen
Publisher: Flash Point/Roaring Brook, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-59643-696-1
Grades: K-3
Awards/Reviews: Horn Book 2010
A world famous Jazz guitarist, Django was not always fortunate. This biography of the guitar genius is short and simple, yet discusses his rise from poverty in a gypsy encampment. Readers will learn how Django once suffered burns that almost made it so he would never play guitar again. However, this unfortunate accident led to his development of a new and unique style of play that many will never be able to achieve.
Robert Burleigh, Illustrated by Barry Blitt
Publisher: Atheneum, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-689-83041-9
Grades: 3-6
Awards/Reviews: Publisher's Weekly Starred 2011, School Library Journal Starred 2011
In this biography of Mark Twain, roles are reversed as Twain's story is told from the perspective of one of Twain's most famous characters--Huck Finn. All main points of the author's life are covered from his growing up on the Mississippi to his life as a writer and public speaker. Alongside Huck's narrative are colorful pictures that are "cartoony" and made from pen and watercolor. Fans of Twain's work and those learning about this legendary American author will find this biography enjoyable.
Kathleen Krull, Illustrated by Borris Kulikov
Publisher: Viking, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-670-06332-1
Grades: 5-8
Awards/Reviews: Horn Book 2009, Kirkus Review Starred 2009, School Library Journal Starred 2009
Scientist Alber Einstein had some of the world's most outrageous ideas and many believed he was "slow." In this work, however, Krull explains Einstein's life to readers, as well as several of his theories. This is a definite must read for the young and budding scientist or for those who are interested in the Nobel Prize winning man but desire some light reading.
Jim Murphy
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-439-69186-4
Grades: 5-8
Awards/Reviews: Horn Book 2011, Kirkus Review 2010, Bulletin or the Center for Children’s Books 2011
While this work isn’t a complete biography on George Washinton’s life, it does cover his first experiences as commander in chief of the Continental Army. Readers will learn how he took undisciplined men and trained them for war against British troops. The book also includes battle maps that highlight many of the tactics taken by Washington against the British.
Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature*
George Sullivan
Publisher: Clarion, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-18203-2
Grades: 5-8
Awards/Reviews: Horn Book 2011, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books 2011, Kirkus Review 2011
When Tom Thumb miraculously stopped growing about six months after his birth in 1838, he quickly became an oddity. While he was robbed of a normal childhood, Tom became somewhat of a celebrity, toured the world, hung out with kings and presidents, and made a large sum of money. This selection not only has an engaging text, but it also has interesting black and white photos that follow Tom throughout his life.
Doreen Rappaport, Illustrated by Matt Traveres
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-7636-2530-6
Grades: 3-6
Awards/Reviews: Horn Book Starred 2008, Kirkus Review Starred 2008, School Library Journal Starred 2008
While not a biography of an actual historical individual, Rappaport provides a nice biography of an architectural structure that is an essential symbol of American society. Readers will learn who designed this great structure and why, who gave it to the United States, and how Lady Liberty has come to mean so much to so many. Her story is told in a series of free verse poems recited from the perspectives of individuals who were key to her creation.
Peter Sis
Publisher: Frances Foster Books, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-374-34701-7
Grades: 3-6
Awards/Reviews: Caldecott Medal Honor 2008, Horn Book Starred 2008, ALA's Noteable Best Books 2008
Artist Peter Sis documents his life and experiences growing up in a Communist Czechoslovakia and how Western culture has come to influence his life. The work illustrates the conflict between conformity and artistic freedom and Sis beautifully illustrates his own life from infancy to young adulthood. Readers of this work will also learn to understand the limitations that a Communist form of government places on its constituents compared to other forms of government.
Buzz Aldrin
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2005
ISBN: 978-0-06-055445-3
Grades: K-3
Awards/Reviews: Horn Book 2005, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 2005, Library Media Connection Starred 2005
Buzz Aldrin discusses the life events that led him to becoming a part of the Apollo 11 team and eventually being one of the first men to walk on the moon. He recounts his boyhood, his college days at West Point, early flight training, and his admittance into the space program. Placed between the facts are little details that hint to readers what space travel is really like. Those who are interested in worlds beyond our own and potentially becoming an astronaut will be sucked right into the life of Aldrin in this book.
Tonya Bolden
Publisher: Abrams Books, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-8109-9366-2
Grades: 3-6
Awards/Reviews: Book Links Starred 2008, Booklist Starred 2008, Horn Book 2008
This biography covers the life of George Washington Carver, a botanist who's work on alternative crops helped to revolutionize the way farming was done in the post-war South. Readers will learn about Carver's early and tragic separation from his mother, his careers and his kind master's "waste-not" values. Includes photos and reproductions of many of Carver's own paintings.
Patricia Reilly Giff
Publisher: Holiday House, 2005
ISBN: 978-0-8234-1813-8
Grades: 5-8
Awards/Reviews: Horn Book 2006, Kirkus Review 2005
In this biography, Giff sets out in exploration of her own family's roots. She focuses on her connection to her grandmothers and eventually delves into newspapers on microfilm to piece together her family's history and discover the small village they are from in Ireland. This work is great for those who are interested in a great family story and in learning the basics of tracing their own family's genealogy so that they can discover their own biographical pasts.
Jim Murphy
Publisher: Clairon, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-395-77609-4
Grades: 5-8
Awards/Reviews: Horn Book Starred 2008, Booklist Starred 2007, School Library Journal Starred 2007
The author uses Arnold's military journals and political documents to contrast what is known as fact about Benedict Arnold and what is myth. This work exposes many of the man's heroic deeds and contributions to the Revolutionary cause prior to switching sides. While readers may never have the chance to know the real Arnold because so little exists about him, this work will give them a pretty clear picture based on the documents that have survived and made it into the hands of historians.
Jeannette Winter
Publisher: Harcourt, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-15-206545-4
Grades: K-3
Awards/Reviews: Horn Book 2009, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 2007
Tells the story of Wangari Maathai, an award-winning environmentalist, whose planting of nine trees in her own back yard led to environmental awareness in her home country of Kenya. Readers will discover how Maathai went on to create Kenya's Green Belt Movement, which improved her country's health and economy. The acrylic paintings will delight readers and the simple prose will easily communicate the details of this incredible person.
Marc Tyler Nobleman, Illustrated by Ross MacDonald
Publisher: Knopf, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-375-93802-3
Grades: 5-8
Awards/Reviews: Horn Book 2009, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 2008, Book Links Starred 2008
Tells the story of Jerry Seigel and Joe Schuster, the creator's of Superman. Enamored by the pulp fiction of the Depression Era, these two Cleveland boys took to writing their own brand of fiction in order to escape real life tragedies, like Jerry's father who died in a bank robbery. Readers will learn how the imagination is a powerful tool and just how this writer/illustrator duo teamed up to make comic history.