This would be a great resource for a research project about any of the people featured in the book. It is written in a way that is interesting to read and would be easy to gather information from. Also it is a Magic Tree House book so kids might be more inclined to read it. ( )

While all six of these heroes featured were familiar to me, I still learned something about each of them that I did not previously know. I was particularly interested in it because the three male heroes are all personal heroes of mine. I think it is important that there are an equal number of men and women, as when I was growing up, we were taught about many more men from history than women.

What is particularly interesting about this book is all of the information that encourages further inquiry. Not only are there lists of books, museums/parks, DVDs and websites listed for further exploration about the heroes in this book, there are guidelines on how to get the most out of each experience. The series also has its own website, www.MagicTreeHouse.com, which has a lot of interactive resources for kids, parents and teachers. One needs to join to access all of the features, but it appears to be free.

I think this entire series of books would be a wonderful addition to any elementary school library. There are about 50 titles on a broad variety of topics, plus about 30 titles in the companion “Fact Checker” series. I would incorporate these into a unit on heroes. I would assign for each student to report on a personal hero, as well as one of a different ethnicity from themselves, and one of the opposite gender from their self. ( )