Examines the characterization of heroes in science fiction, focusing on young males. Nine books are reviewed to describe various types of heroes, from common ordinary characters to those with exceptional skills and intelligence, including nonhuman characters such as cyborgs. (LRW)

Discusses stereotypes of prevalent social attitudes in juvenile historical fiction. Examples of stereotyping of Blacks and native Americans in several well-known children's books are described. (MES)

Provides a sampling of new writers and titles that are representative of "nineties publishing" for young adults. Themes include the rebellious sixties; family life and racism; urban teens and father/son conflicts; adventure and sports stories; African-American experiences; sexual abuse; and homosexual parents. (AEF)

Mark Baker in "NAM: The Vietnam War in the Words of the Men and Women Who Fought There" (1981) tells a war story, and war stories tend to elevate the masculine combat adventure as inherently more profound, and therefore more valuable, than other experiences. However, now that the emotional considerations of war are no longer being…

For educators' summer reading enjoyment, "Kappan" editors recommend three books on nature (Robert Richardson's biography "Emerson: The Mind on Fire, William Cronin's edited book "Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature," and Gary Snyder's poetry volume "Mountain and Rivers Without End"). Also…

Summarizes 10 books recommended for young adult readers in the genres of fantasy, supernatural phenomenon, and science fiction. (MM)

This supplement/newsletter contains booktalks, news, and other information of interest to librarians and adult readers. This issue includes reviews of fiction and nonfiction books for adults; an article, "How I Turned into a Booktalker--Overnight!" by Kaite Mediatore; and a new feature, "Talking with the Talkers," which focuses…

Summarizes and reviews newer works of nine writers and illustrators for children. Describes the writing as fresh, innovative, and addressing interests and concerns of today's children. Praises the illustrations, which represent a wide variety of styles, techniques, and subject matter, as among the best to ever appear in children's books.…

Annotates 112 children's books selected by children as the best of those published in 1989. (MM)

Recommends many books for summer reading enjoyment, concentrating on historical and contemporary fiction. Different cultures clash in William T. Vollman's "Fathers and Crows" and John Demos's adventuresome "Unredeemed Captive." Other suggestions: "Snow Falling on Cedar Mountain" (David Gutterman) and "Foxfire" (Joyce Carol Oates). For professional…

Discusses reasons for the popularity of "Star Trek" as a television show and cultural phenomenon, considers the success of formulaic plots, and provides an annotated list of 10 of the best episodes out of all 79 that are available on videocassettes for possible purchase by librarians. (LRW)

Explores the "escape" genre of children's literature, and recommends and describes several books that deal with such topics as escape from prison camps, from slavery, from the Holocaust, from war, and from Utopian societies. These books should provoke meaningful classroom discussions and allow children to view their own world from different…

Asserts that picture books offer a unique opportunity for children to develop visual literacy because they are able to return to the visual images in books to explore, reflect, and critique those images. Reviews 71 works of children's fiction in which the main characters engage in meaning making through art. (PRA)

This collaborative review finds much to criticize in this fictional portrayal of the experiences of a young girl at the Carlisle Indian School, including a lack of clarity about the fictional nature of the story. Stereotyping and historical inaccuracies make this book add to the great body of misinformation about Native-American life in the United…

Teachers and education professors suggest various nonfiction and fiction books for summer reading enjoyment, from Robert Putnam's "Bowling Alone," C.A. Bowers's "Let Them Eat Data," and Larry McMurtry's "Roads: Driving America's Great Highways" to Kent Hauf's "Plainsong, J.M. Coetzee's "Disgrace," and Michael Cunningham's "The Hours." (MLH)