Friday, December 19, 2014

I am Cleopatra by Grace Norwich –ADVISABLE

Norwich, Grace I am Cleopatra 128 pgs, Scholastic Inc., 2014. $4.99 Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G Violence: G
The biography of Cleopatra starts off with the author setting the historical stage, then moving into Cleopatra’s affluent childhood, women’s rights of the time period, and the tumultuous politics of her teen years. Cleopatra’s adult years and rise to power are detailed as well as her downfall.
Cleopatra’s story is quite complex, requiring a ton of foundation knowledge of history, world events, and politics. The author does a great job of bringing this down to a 5-6th grade level. An effort is made to include pictures or illustrations of anything that will help to make more sense of the story, such as maps, jewelry, statues, and hieroglyphics. The author also does a great job of navigating all the romance and bloodshed to make the read more wholesome for this young student audience. I think students will be interested in this biography and it has cover appeal.
EL –ADVISABLE  Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.

No comments: