The Conquests of Alexander the Great (Pivotal Moments in History)

Grade 6 Up—In this very thorough account, Behnke chronicles Alexander's successes and failures as a commander. Assuming power at the age of 20, after the assassination of his father, the young man continued King Philip's ambition of conquering Asia and expanding the empire, and so he rallied support from the various city-states throughout Macedonia and Greece, and began his long march. With occasionally exhaustive detail, the many battles and sieges are described, as are the various enemies that Alexander and his conquering army faced. His strength as a strategist in battle as well as his ability to assimilate new cultures into his growing empire made him one of the greatest leaders the ancient world had known. Behnke gives enough background information about Greece and the world in which Alexander was raised to bring him to life for readers, making him more than just another historical figure. Helpful maps of the route through the Middle East and Asia and interesting sidebars and illustrations of Alexander and his contemporaries appear throughout. Detailed source notes, a thorough time line, a who's who of the major players, and an explanation of the differences between primary and secondary sources are all provided, making this a solid choice for any biography collection.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA
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