This series takes various historical events and tells each story through three different perspectives. By the end of these slim volumes, readers will have acquired well-rounded knowledge of the specific event. While these books could be used for pleasure or report reading, there are features that lend themselves well to classroom use. Sidebars call on readers to “think about it” or “analyze this,” urging students to go out and find other points of view, which aligns nicely to the Common Core standards. Depending on the topic, some volumes will be more popular than others, but all are very successful at conveying information on their respective topics. Each volume has several chapters from different viewpoints, suggestions for further reading, and an activity that has readers looking at a photo from different perspectives. Glossary. Index. Timeline. Recommended.

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.