This is another on those cumulative biography/lists featuring obscure people aimed at middle school students. The biographies are short - one page, sometimes two - and give just enough information to intrigue. The idea here is to pique enough interest that the reader does further research. Given that aim this book is not a good resource for book reports, but does have reference pages that will lead students to further books or sources of information about the featured people. What does set this book apart is the illustrations and graphic text. The illustrator uses both to great effect. The book is going to attract attention if it is featured face front because of the coloration and design of the portraits. The illustrator also uses graphic text to attract attention. The size and style of the font is varied throughout the book, but still adheres to a basic kind of style that makes it easy for readers to see and decipher. Page color is also varied and the colors are clearly meant to symbolize different people. There is great contrast between the edge of text so even poor readers will be able to make out the words and individual lettering. This is a good choice for Middle School libraries or teachers who want short read-alouds for classroom use. ( )