Extraordinary Young People (Extraordinary People) - Softcover

Marlene Targ-Brill is the author of several nonfiction books for children.

Grade 7 Up?In the pages of this fine collective biography, readers meet over 50 children and adolescents who made a mark on the world while very young. Historically, warriors, heroines, and prodigies such as Genghis Khan, Joan of Arc, John Stuart Mill, Phillis Wheatley, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are profiled. Chronologically, the panorama of youthful heroes moves forward to examine the considerable accomplishments of earlier 20th-century subjects like Rachel Carson, Maria Callas, Pele, and Maria Tallchief. Even more recent artists, athletes, performers, chess masters, and leaders such as Wang Yani, Tiger Woods, Midori, Nawrose Nur, and Ryan White are also profiled. Coverage is brief but highly informative and lively. Also included are fascinating essays about little known or forgotten youth, such as drummer boys, the Quiz kids, and the Little Rock Nine. Excellent-quality black-and-white photographs enhance the text. This is the kind of first-rate reference resource that is difficult to put down. Readers may open the pages to learn about how S. E. Hinton came to write The Outsiders and before long get hooked on learning about how Wayne Gretzky began playing hockey at age 3 or how the brilliant tap dancer Savion Glover became a star when he was 12. An entertaining and inspiring book that deserves to be in every collection.?Jerry D. Flack, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.