Whoa! Catherine De' Medici certainly fits right into The Thinking Girls Treasury of Dastardly Dames series. This was a very bad lady. She did, however, have quite an exciting life. As a child, she was held hostage after her family was forced from power in Italy. By 14, she was married to the eventual king of France, whom she loved very much; he loved his mistress, but grew to respect Catherine, especially after she gave him children. After Henry II died, Catherine spent her time trying to keep her family on the throne and was not above poisoning people to make sure that happened. Perhaps her most horrendous crime occurred when she murdered a number of Huguenots staying at her castle and delivered the head of one to the pope. That said . . . well, she also invented side-saddle riding and pantaloons. The breathless but never sensational text will certainly hold readers, and the artwork is a satisfying mix of reproduced paintings and artifacts. The Thinking Girls of the series title will have plenty to ponder after reading this.

Profiling some of history's most notorious women rulers, this series employs crisp writing along with an appealing mix of dramatic paintings and photographs (mainly of places and items). The main texts deliver plenty of gory details; most volumes include sidebars highlighting cultural specifics. It's a little all over the place, but the series, with its sharp hook, should appeal to a diverse readership.

HOCKINSON, Liz . Marie Antoinette: "Madame Deficit." ISBN 978-0-9834256-4-9 . LC 2011924356. MAURER, Gretchen . Mary Tudor: "Bloody Mary." ISBN 978-0-9834256-2-5 . LC 2011924354. PACK, Mary Fisk . Cleopatra: "Serpent of the Nile." ISBN 978-0-9834256-0-1 . LC 2011924335. ea vol: illus. by Peter Malone. 28p. (The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames Series). maps. photos. reprods. chron. Goosebottom Bks . 2011. Tr $18.95. Gr 4-8 One of the most unique offerings this season, this series presents tales of women throughout history who have not followed societal conventions. Spanning various centuries and continents, the books outline the lives, actions, and misdeeds of women who held positions of great power. The pages have a collagelike appearance, with blocks of texts and captioned photos and reproductions. Sidebars give contextual information, such as "What she played," "What she wore," "What she ate," etc. Readers will find the information engrossing, with stories of dastardly deeds such as poisoning, religious persecution, and outright murder. However, it should be noted that these books have no index, table of contents, or bibliography, so they might be better suited for browsing than for research. Students will question whether or not these women were really inherently evil, or just acting in response to their dysfunctional childhoods and the turbulent times in which they lived.