VOYA - Mary Ellen Snodgrass
Indovino's introduction of the EU and its benefits to citizens clarifies for young readers the governmental and economic improvements to a major land mass. Mapping informs the reader of country placement, but color choices are too close in tone for clear differentiation. Choice of issues—dating systems, Roma, terrorism, nuclear power—moves quickly to the heart of international controversies. The exception—"Italy," a poorly written, poorly edited volume—opens with an inane comment and relies on repetition and the nebulous terms "many" and "most." In a few volumes, the compression of history into short paragraphs confuses more than it enlightens, as with summaries on Italian suffrage and Czech Hussites. Glossaries—entrepreneurial, fief, serf, propaganda, infrastructure, Marshall Plan—encourage in-depth reading and perception of themes. Negative aspects and inconsistencies devalue the set. Time lines contain inexplicable gaps, as with 1526-1914 in the Czech Republic. Indexing is unusually limited for a reference set. Some photos are blurry, shadowed, and ill-chosen—for example, handgun and tall buildings in Germany and Czech Republic, and a forbidding Mulderslot Castle and unidentified concentration camp in Netherlands, while Poland and Portugal depict more rounded views of age, gender, and culture. (Major European Union Nations) Reviewer: Mary Ellen Snodgrass
United Kingdom
Hardcover
$22.95
- ISBN-13: 9781422222614
- Publisher: Mason Crest Publishers
- Publication date: 01/28/2012
- Series: Officer Gunnhildur Mysteries
- Pages: 64
- Product dimensions: 8.25(w) x 8.26(h) x 0.37(d)
- Age Range: 10 - 14 Years
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A member of the EU since 1973, the United Kingdom is made up mostly of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The UK has long been one of the most powerful countries in the world. Today, the UK Struggles with issues like immigration and the global financial crisis, but it continues to have a lot of influence around the globe.
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Children's Literature - Judy DaPolito
Because this short history is focused not only on the United Kingdom (UK) itself, but also on its place in the European Union, colored maps of both areas as well an introductory overview of the European Union provide orientation for the reader. The first chapter of the book discusses some of the issues that currently affect the countries of the UK: England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. Two of these issues are immigration and the treatment of the Roma, also known as Travelers or Gypsies. The Roma are discriminated against because they prefer to move from place to place instead of living in houses. Immigrants from poorer countries often feel unwelcome in the UK, too. A third problem is financial, since the worldwide recession in 2008 has caused inflation to rise and wages to remain low. Next, readers are given a history of Britain from prehistoric times to the present as well as a description of the UK’s government structure, which is based on common law and can be changed by acts of Parliament, by acceptance of new practices, or by judicial precedents (the monarchy’s powers are nominal). The third chapter discusses the UK’s current economy, which is reducing public ownership of business and growth of social welfare programs. Large reserves of coal, natural gas, and oil provide a strong foundation for the economy, and service industries make up the greatest part of the gross domestic product. The UK has kept the pound as its currency even though most of the European Union uses the euro. The people and culture of the UK are also discussed. Its 2012 population was about 63 million, with a third of the people living in the southeastern part of England. Much of the population originated with the groups that settled in the UK before the eleventh century, but the many recent immigrants have created a country of mixed cultures. The class system, once based on heredity, is moving toward a basis in occupation. The fifth chapter completes the book by identifying the UK’s twenty-first century challenges: the future of Northern Ireland, realization of the UK’s environmental and energy goals, the problems of sustaining and aging population, and the UK’s relationship with the European Union. A time line, a list of books and websites, a glossary, and an index follow the text. The book is part of the “Major European Union Nations” series. Reviewer: Judy DaPolito; Ages 10 up.