Catherine? Great! History? Wicked!

Catherine the Great: empress of Russia by Zu Vincent
New York : Franklin Watts, c2009.
128 p. : ill., maps ; 19 cm.

Recently, a coworker was telling me about a book he was reading, a new, thorough biography of Catherine the Great.  He was telling me that he was really enjoying it, and was finding her to be an amazing and interesting historical figure.  This was just the excuse I was looking for to read one of the "Wicked History" biographies. 

Our library has over a dozen of these "Wicked History" books and they offer a compelling and unintimidating entry into the world of biography and history for  young people and reluctant readers, too. I, of course, chose the entry in the series on Catherine the Great.

I found this book to be refreshingly interesting.  It is short; not only just 128 pages, but 128 small pages at that.  Like other books in the series, this one has nice graphics and is designed to appeal to young readers.  In spite of its visual appeal, it is substantive in its information and provides sidebars and timelines that are useful for review.  I would definitely recommend this book.