School Library Journal

11/01/2015
Gr 6–8—Through a six-chapter format, this set offers readers largely positive overviews, covering history, family and social relationships, food, school and work, art and recreation, and major cities and regions. The history chapters are abbreviated, relegating important topics, such as Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, to one or two paragraphs. Content is standard fare for country books aimed at middle school readers, but the vocabulary is stilted and too advanced for the intended audience; students may be unfamiliar with words such as verdant and purloined. The photos that appear on every page appear to be stock images, and they are not well coordinated with the texts. There are no maps. VERDICT Readers are likely to find these titles difficult to read, and they don't improve on extant materials. At best, supplemental report choices.