Descripciones mejoradas de Syndetics:

Up-to-the-minute information explains the stories behind today's news headlines, along with background detail that is so rarely provided in the media.

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-8‘Ricchiardi tries not only to present both background information and explanation for the recent strife in the region, but also to convey a sense of the war's impact and the current efforts to enforce some sort of peace. There is an excellent chronology, but it is unfortunate that the text does not flow chronologically. It is confusing to read about things happening in 1993 and 1994 and then to turn the page and be back in 1990 or 1991. There are only two maps, neither of which appears at the beginning of the book. Scattered randomly throughout are half or full pages of "side" information, such as "Memories of My Childhood" (art therapy and writings dealing with post-traumatic stress syndrome); "Dateline: Sniper Alley" (the efforts of Sarajevo's leading daily newspaper to stay in print); "Who are the Key Players in the Balkan Conflict?" (photos and a list of the presidents of the four areas most involved in the conflict); and "Two of the Most Wanted" (for war crimes in the Balkans). While interesting, these inserts contribute to the disjointedness of the book. Clear, full-color photographs illustrate the text. Diane Yancey's Life in War-Torn Bosnia (Lucent, 1996) is better organized and more detailed, but is not as accessible. Readers might want to try Valerie Tekavec's Teenage Refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina Speak Out (Rosen, 1994) and Zlata Filipovic's Zlata's Diary (Puffin, 1996) for a fuller understanding of the war's impact on young people living there.‘Peg Glisson, Dewitt Road School, Webster, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 5^-8. The author details recent events in this troubled Balkan country, explaining why the major parties have been at war since 1991 and what each hopes to achieve. She describes the various ethnic groups that live in the former Yugoslavia, offers a brief history of the region, and discusses why the Serbs, Croats, and Bosnians mistrust one another. Although Ricchiardi concedes that all groups share some blame for the incidents of ethnic cleansing, she views the Serbs as most responsible. Short chapters, frequent color illustrations and maps, and a series of shorter inset articles (including one about U.S. Captain O'Grady, who survived six days in the woods before being rescued) make for an attractive, nonthreatening format. An appended chronology (through December 1995) and a bibliography further clarify this difficult topic for young report writers. --Kay Weisman