Taylor Swift. (Superstars!). Lynn Peppas. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2011. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-7261-3 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-7252-1 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Swift, Taylor, 1989-Juvenile literature. Country musicians-United States-Biography-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-12. Review by Suzanne Pierson. *** /4

Taylor started writing songs soon after starting Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School. She didn�t have many friends at the school and felt like an �outsider� partly because she spent a lot of her time performing in karaoke bars. She called it a �very lonely time in my life.� She used the emotions she felt to write the song �Lucky You,� about a girl who is different and doesn�t fit in.

     Like the other books in the �Superstars!� series, the strength of Taylor Swift is the fact that this biography is about a well-known living person. The weakness of the book is that the information is going to go out of date very quickly.

     Taylor Swift is a country pop singer and song writer and also a budding actor. The information in this book is well laid out in clear text with many colourful photos showing Taylor as a very young girl, a teen and a young adult.

     Taylor Swift, like the other books in the �Superstars!� series, tells readers the basic biographical information and how she got started in show business. The rest of the book goes through her accomplishments on her way to becoming a superstar.

The book ends with a look ahead to what may be in Taylor�s future. The final section is a timeline starting at birth and listing highlights and accomplishments up to 2010.

     Also included is a table of contents, simple glossary, a list of books and websites for those who want to find out more, and an index. One feature that I like is the explanation on the Contents page that �[w]ords that are defined in the glossary are in bold type the first time they appear in the text.� For young readers not yet familiar with this convention, this is a clear explanation; for others, it is a good reminder.

     More than Taylor Swift from the �Remarkable People� series, which is reviewed elsewhere in this issue of CM, the biographical information in the book from the �Superstars!� series emphasizes the many steps that Taylor and her family took on her rise to stardom. At three-years-old, Taylor was singing the words to The Little Mermaid songs she had just heard. At nine, she starred as Sandy in the local theatre�s production of Grease. Young readers who have an interest in a music or acting career may be inspired by the details of Taylor Swift�s early life.

     If you are looking for a biography of Taylor Swift at a slightly lower reading level than the �Remarkable People� series, you may want to consider this book � in paperback.

Recommended.

Suzanne Pierson is a retired teacher-librarian, currently instructing Librarianship courses at Queen�s University in Kingston, ON.

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