From School Library Journal
Grade 6–8—This adaptation of Mendell's adult book Obama: From Promise to Power (HarperCollins, 2007) summarizes the life of Obama through March 2008, describing his upbringing, changing family, education, and political work. The text is accurate and well researched, with endnotes providing citations for each chapter. Captioned black-and-white photographs appear in a centerfold. Though the lack of an index makes this title more appropriate for reading from cover to cover than for research projects, the table of contents does allow youngsters to locate specific times in Obama's life by topic. Brief chapters and accessible vocabulary are appropriate for the intended audience, although adult assistance might be needed for total comprehension of the discussions of how politicians operate in party politics, run campaigns, and hire image-builders. These ideas may be unfamiliar to younger kids, and may need some explanation.—Sara Rofofsky Marcus, Yeshiva Har Torah, Little Neck, NY
Copyright В© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Rendered down from Mendell’s 400-plus-page Obama: From Promise to Power (2007), this profile will acquaint younger readers with the candidate’s family background, youth, early work as a community organizer, 2006 trip to Africa, and rise to visibility in both Illinois and in national politics. A journalist who has been covering Obama for several years, Mendell paints a positive but not entirely glowing picture, focusing (here, at least) less on Obama’s specific opinions and accomplishments than on his general outlook and his developing skills in the political arena. Though illustrated with an insignificant selection of small black-and-white photos, and—aside from a terse reference to the March 2008 primary results—ending with his presidential candidacy announcement in February 2007, this still may have some value for its generally evenhanded view of Obama’s career and character. Grades 5-8. --John Peters