Everything You Need to Ace American History in One Big Fat Notebook

June 1, 2016

Gr 5-8-Billing itself as a comprehensive study guide, this book has the appearance and content of a good set of student notes. Pages are ruled like notebook paper, and the font looks like hand printing. Chronological "units," divided into shorter chapters, closely follow the content arrangement of many American history texts, from the earliest human inhabitants of North America to the Iraq War and Obama's election. Rothman summarizes the main concepts and details of the themes, events, and important people and dates of U.S. history, devoting about a paragraph to each topic. The limited interpretation and analysis are consistent with mainstream historical thought and scholarship. Organization is student-friendly, with headings in green type, key history information in blue, and yellow-highlighted general vocabulary terms that are defined in adjacent boxes. Sidebars provide limited supplemental information, and there are numerous maps but no index. The few illustrations look like student doodles and usually have a humorous take on history. "Check Your Knowledge" questions end each chapter and are answered on following pages. More textbook content-oriented than various editions of Kenneth C. Davis's "Don't Know Much" series overviews of American history, this book is exactly what it claims to be-a study guide. More volumes, covering science, world history, and other subjects, are publishing simultaneously-all titles meet Common Core State Standards. VERDICT Best suited for students looking to sharpen history skills and bolster their confidence.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2016
Grades 6-8 From the creators of the popular Brain Quest trivia games comes a study manual that is both appealing and complete. Readers are encouraged to imagine that they have borrowed the notebook of the smartest kid in their social studies class. Replete with explanatory doodles, sidebars, and highlighting, the book is truly comprehensive, beginning with a thorough look at the ancient tribes of Native Americans and covering all the most significant events through the modern era. The notebook is divided up into 10 chronological units, and a quiz follows each to check for understanding. The manual has all the trappings of an actual student notebook, and the illustrations and mnemonic devices are perfectly in tune with a middle-school reader's needs. Vetted by teachers, aligned with Common Core Standards, and appealing to students, this study guide provides a complement to a textbook or teacher notes for any student who is looking for a big fat reinforcement.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)