The Beatles and the Sixties (W5 Series) - Hardcover

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Grade 6 Up. The publisher claims that this series "can cause the reader to develop increased awareness and an uncontrollable enthusiasm for the subject matter." While the aim is lofty, it is difficult to see how it could be achieved by this muddled presentation. Part of the problem is the book's format and design. Each double-page spread consists mainly of large photographs or collages and short essays on different aspects of the Beatle phenomenon. There is no real focus to these vignettes, and together they leave no coherent impression. Some are just plain bad, such as the map of Liverpool with 13 pins marking sites where major events relating to the Beatles took place. Each pin has a string attached that leads to a pin outside the map and a brief explanation of the site. Unfortunately, the map is so full of unrelated pins that it's almost impossible to tell where the actual events took place. YA readers will be much better served by Marvin Martin's The Beatles (Watts, 1996).?Tim Wadham, Dallas Public Library, TX
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.