Review by Booklist Review
Based on the premise that history is a pretty awful place, and thus awfully awesome to read about, the You Wouldn't Want To . . . series expands with four new hazard-strewn entries. You Wouldn't Want to Be a Ninja Warrior! gamely attempts to show how tough life could be for the masters of stealth in feudal Japan, where constantly warring factions and plenty of sharp swords abound, but then pretty much gives up and sends you on an exciting, covert mission to steal an enemy warlord's plans. Obviously, any kid reading this one would just about kill to be a ninja. As fun as these books are, loaded with cartoony illustrations and scads of comical Handy Hints, they really do present history in the freshest possible way: from the inside out.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-The building of the Hoover Dam was an engineering feat that involved 21,000 people: surveyors, bosses, truck drivers, carpenters, electricians, miners, mechanics, crane operators, muckers, and the workers dangling from the canyon walls-the high-scalers. Plenty of statistics, diagrams, and trivia (including the origin of the term "hard hats"), and the usual cartoon visages of workers shown in their most hazardous duties, fill the pages in yet another humorous glance at history that addresses readers in a personal way with facts and thoughts. Ninja Warrior! looks at feudal Japan c.1550-the Warring States Period. Perhaps the time period may be a bit distant for young readers, but mention the word "ninja," and martial-arts enthusiasts relate to the invisibility, secrecy, and weaponry of this group. Through customary short entries and inviting visuals; a "recipe" for stealthy attack; descriptions of Japanese feudal classes, clothes, training, ninjutsu (skills), and the lifestyle of the ninja, this volume brings an impression of the era to life. Text features in both books include speech bubbles, a large font, and sidebars that emphasize danger or highlight little-known facts. Welcome buys for fans of the series.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
