Each title contains three fictionalized personal narratives offering contrasting perspectives on a major event or sequence in U.S. history. Oregon Trail includes a young white woman traveling with her family from Missouri, a Shoshone friend of the Lewis and Clark translator Sacagawea, and a U.S. cavalry commander. Recurring features encourage students to reflect on reading. For example, “Second Source” notes ask students to find another source about, in one instance, the moment when the Titanic struck the iceberg, and compare the information given in the two sources. “Think About It” boxes ask students to identify the main idea in a paragraph and offer evidence. Illustrations from historical sources are common, though they are frequently small, uncolored, and bounded by heavy borders. No sources are cited for the narratives. ­VERDICT Recommended for background reading for stronger readers and for active reading exercises, but questionable for ­formal research.