Lady Gaga was born Stefani Germanotta in New York City in 1986, and Heos' biography examines the singer-songwriter's meteoric rise to pop-icon status under her stage name. Illustrated with full-color photos, the book begins with Gaga's surprisingly conventional upbringing in a wealthy Italian American family on the Upper West Side; her time in a Catholic girls' school; and her later education at the Tisch School of the Arts. In spite of the curious absence of family photos or interviews, young readers will be interested to learn many lesser-known facts about the singer that are presented here (many in sidebars), including her early promise as a piano prodigy. Some of the content is serious ga worked as a burlesque dancer and dabbled in drugs before her big break in 2008. Yet her story is not without a moral, and Heos uses Gaga's experiences to show how innovation and hard work are essential to success. Fans will be taken with this volume in the Megastars series, and researchers will appreciate the discography and further reading suggestions.

CEFREY, Holly . Taylor Swift . ISBN 978-1-4358-3575-7 ; ISBN 978-1-4488-2937-8 . LC 2010026866. HEOS, Bridget . Lady Gaga . ISBN 978-1-4358-3574-0 ; ISBN 978-1-4488-2373-4 . LC 2010024138. HEOS, Bridget . Rihanna . ISBN 978-1-4358-3576-4 ; ISBN 978-1-4488-2375-8 . LC 2010021321. ORR, Tamra . The Jonas Brothers . ISBN 978-1-4358-3572-6 ; ISBN 978-1-4488-2371-0 . LC 2010026864. SIROTA, Lyn . Pink . ISBN 978-1-4358-3577-1 ; ISBN 978-1-4488-2376-5 . LC 2010026865. ea vol: 48p. (Megastars Series). photos. bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. index. discography. Web sites. CIP. Rosen Central . 2011. PLB $26.50; ebook $26.50. Gr 5-8 Though these books provide more information about their subjects than the other celebrity biography series on this list (there is a discussion of each star's childhood, rise to fame, and accomplishments), the information is not always conveyed clearly, and can sometimes be too casuala discussion of pop music in Miley Cyrus , for example, statesj , "&30;when it's hot, it's HOT!" Also, quotes from sources such as the Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal are used and there is a bibliography, but citations are not given. Sidebars and color photos provide a further glimpse into the lives and careers of these singers. However, the interest level of the books doesn't compensate for the weak, unfocused, and often inappropriately casual writing found in most of them.