The Jonas Brothers. (Superstars!). Robin Johnson. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2011. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-7256-9 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-7247-7 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Jonas Brothers-Juvenile literature. Rock musicians-United States-Biography-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. *** /4
	Kristen Stewart. (Superstars!). Robin Johnson. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2011. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-7257-6 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-7248-4 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Stewart, Kristen, 1990-Juvenile literature. Actors-United States-Biography-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. *** /4
	M.I.A. (Superstars!). Lynn Peppas. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2011. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-7258-3 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-7249-1 (RLB.). Subject Headings: M.I.A. (Musician)-Juvenile literature. Singers-Biography-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. *** /4
	Miley Cyrus. (Superstars!). Lynn Peppas. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2011. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-7259-0 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-7250-7 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Cyrus, Miley, 1992-Juvenile literature. Singers-United States-Biography-Juvenile literature. Television actors and actresses-United States-Biography-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. *** /4
	Robert Pattinson. (Superstars!). Robin Johnson. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2011. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-7260-6 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-7251-4 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Pattinson, Robert, 1986-Juvenile literature. Actors-Great Britain-Biography-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. *** /4
	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 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. *** /4
	Vanessa Hudgens. (Superstars!). Valerie Sherrard. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2011. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-7262-0(pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-7253-8 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Hudgens, Vanessa, 1988-Juvenile literature. Singers-United States-Biography-Juvenile literature. Actors-United States-Biography-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. *** /4
	Zac Efron. (Superstars!). Lynn Peppas. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2011. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-7263-7 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-7254-5 (RLB.). Subject Headings: Efron, Zac-Juvenile literature. Actors-United States-Biography-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Suzanne Pierson. *** /4

excerpt:

Guitar Heroine
Vanessa recently learned to play the guitar. She used her new guitar skills while performing the song "Everything I Own" in the 2009 movie Bandslam. Vanessa says she thinks it would also be fun to learn to play the drums. (From Vanessa Hudgens.)

The biggest strength of the "Superstar!" series is its high interest appeal to young readers of information about these superstars of today. Each book is about a young person who has made it big in the entertainment business while still very young. The timelines at the back of each book clearly identify the first steps that each person took to start them on their career path. None of these superstars was born famous, but, at a young age (about the same age as the books' intended readers), these soon-to-be superstars were performing in school plays or entertaining the patrons at a hair salon. I can imagine young readers putting themselves in the same spot and dreaming big.

      The biggest weakness of this series, besides the lack of Canadian superstars, is the speed at which this content will be out of date. All of the books are written to be read now. Even if the superstar is still famous, these books are going to seem dated once the stars age a couple of years. The way around this transitory interest is to buy the books in paperback, let them circulate as much as possible before they wear out, and then dispose of them so that you can make room for the next bunch of superstars. Let them have their 15 minutes of fame, but don't invest too much of your budget in this series.

      The "Superstar!" series is made up of eight books, each one telling about the life of a different young celebrity. The series has three different authors, but they all follow the same content organization. The superstar is introduced, readers learn about where and when they were born, their early life, and how they got started in show business. The rest of the book goes through the accomplishments of the rising star on their way to becoming a superstar. The books end with a look ahead to what may be in the superstar's near future. The final section is a timeline starting at birth and listing highlights and accomplishments up to 2010.

      Each book also includes 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.

      The Jonas Brothers looks at the lives of boy group phenoms, Kevin, Joe and Nick. Even though Kevin broke all the girls' hearts when he got married in 2009, it isn"t all over. There's still Joe and Nick.

      Kristen Stewart is best known for her role as vampire-loving Bella Swan in the Twilight movie series. Young fans of that series will probably keep this book in circulation for quite a while.

      M.I.A. (pronounced Maya) is the stage name for musician and artist Mathangi Arulpragasam. She was born in England but grew up in Sri Lanka, her parents' homeland, during the civil war there. Her early experiences of living in a war zone and then being a refugee have influenced her art and her music. M.I.A. is not linked to any movie or TV series and is the only superstar not immediately recognized by my grandchildren.

      Miley Cyrus plays Hannah Montana in the TV series by the same name. As long as the TV series and movies remain popular, this book will probably circulate well.

      Robert Pattinson is the other half of the Twilight duo. Robert plays the heart-throb vampire Edward Cullen. This book will probably circulate even faster than Kristen Stewart.

      Taylor Swift is a country pop singer and song writer and also a budding actor. For a closer look at this book, see my review of this book and Remarkable People: Taylor Swift.

      Vanessa Hudgens has won awards for her work as both an actress and a singer. She is probably best known to the younger set for her role in High School Musical.

      Zac Efron is probably best known as Troy Bolton, from High School Musical. He has appeared in many movies and has started his own production company.

      This series is filled with high interest, up-to-date information, supported by a generous quantity of photographs. The books are created with about a 50/50 split between text and full colour photos. Because the text size is large, these books will appeal to young readers learning to read for information in nonfiction books. However, buy them in paperback.

Highly Recommended.

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

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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