Nonfiction Monday: Who is Sonia Sotomayor? by Megan Stine, illustrated by Dede Putra

Have I ever actually read one of these? Hmm, I think I did skim through one, once upon a time. However, since I got this one sent to me for review and the they are super popular, I thought I'd take a look.

This latest title features Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. It covers her early life in the Bronx, her struggles to overcome prejudice due to her race and sex, her personal life, and the many other obstacles she overcame to be named the first Latina Supreme Court Justice.

Simple line drawings add interest and a light touch of humor to this informative, upbeat biography. These titles focus on the positive aspects of the various personalities and generally gloss over controversy or negative aspects of their character (although Sotomayor is pretty controversy-free!)

These biographies have endless appeal to kids, usually 3rd to 5th grade, who will devour them in large stacks. While they do include a lot of traditional biographical subjects (i.e. dead white males) they also include more diverse characters as well.

Verdict: These are a must-have for any library and this latest title is a strong addition to the series. I generally purchase them in paperback and our long-suffering processing staff vistafoils them.

ISBN: 9780451533654; Published 2017 by Grosset & Dunlap; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library