These new biographies in the Leading Women series focus on the background and political achievements of twentieth-century women, including those well known in America and those lesser known, too. Each woman's story is told in a narrative, chronological style, illustrated by photographs. Overall, the books lean toward valorizing their subjects, with some occasionally awkward attempts at nuance. The good news is that middle-school readers may not have previous knowledge of these women, and their stories are consistently engaging and age-appropriate. The author's depiction of the interplay between Jeannette Rankin's family background, idealism, and political action makes her biography a real standout, fascinating to both younger readers and adults. All the books also include helpful sidebars that provide context on related people, organizations, and events mentioned in the text. Unfortunately, a few sidebars contain proofreading errors, but generally the information adds to each woman's story. These biographies will doubtless prove useful for student research, and readers will enjoy them as well.

DE CAPUA, Sarah . Sandra Day O'Connor . 96p. ISBN 978-0-7614-4961-4 ; ISBN 978-1-60870-716-4 . LC 2011009225. DELL, Pamela . Queen Noor . 128p. ISBN 978-0-7614-4958-4 ; ISBN 978-1-60870-348-7 . LC 2010042006. NADEN, Corinne J. Jeannette Rankin . 96p. ISBN 978-0-7614-4963-8 ; ISBN 978-1-60870-717-1 . LC 2010047559. RAATMA, Lucia . Barbara Jordan . 96p. ISBN 978-0-7614-4956-0 ; ISBN 978-1-60870-713-3 . LC 2011003470. SCHUPACK, Sara . Indira Gandhi . 96p. ISBN 978-0-7614-4955-3 ; ISBN 978-1-60870-712-6 . LC 2011009224. ea vol: (Leading Women Series). bibliog. chron. further reading. index. notes. photos. reprods. websites. Cavendish Square . 2013. lib. ed. $39.93; ebk. $39.93. Gr 7 Up This information-rich series profiles women of cultural importance in a clear and engaging manner. Shining a light on a diverse group of history makers who do not necessarily get a lot of mainstream attention, the books detail their subjects' childhoods, education, accomplishments, honors, etc., while also giving historical context. The titles ultimately underscore the power that women can have in the world. The narratives, which are broken down into chapters and subheadings, flow well. Text boxes with pull quotations, sidebars, and captioned photos-some color, some black and white-supplement the books. While the text-dense series might not be ideal for reluctant readers, students who doing reports will benefit from having access to it.