Xi Jinping

April 1, 2018

Gr 6 Up-Designed for students seeking substantial information in an understandable format, this series focuses on prominent world leaders and gives a complete but condensed overview of their respective countries' recent politics and history. Each volume highlights key events that led to the titular figure's rise to leadership and the most current newsworthy information involving them. Captioned color photographs and maps appear on each spread. Readers will gain a sense of these dignitaries' lives before they entered the public eye through a few surprising anecdotes. However, the bulk of the content is dedicated to describing the complexities of various governments and global relationships. Unfortunately, the included critical thinking questions in each volume fail to dig deeply enough into many of the issues raised. VERDICT Recommended high-interest reading for light research and budding political scientists.

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2018
Grades 5-8 As the names of world leaders flit through the daily news, middle-grade readers might be curious about who these important and influential people are. These titles in the World Leaders series offer accessible introductions to key figures, along with helpful background about their countries' history and government structure. Each volume highlights the leader's childhood, education, and burgeoning interest in politics before getting into specifics of major policy decisions, potential controversies, and challenges faced in office. In Xi Jinping, readers will learn about the titular president's rise within China's government and on the wider global stage, as he strives to work more closely with other countries. Photos and maps help enliven the pages, and though these slim accounts occasionally gloss over historical and political context, the tight focus on the lives and careers of individual leaders is very approachable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)