From School Library Journal
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Booklist
Gr. 5-8. These biographies in the new Great Life Stories series, one about a contemporary political leader, the other about an enduring literary giant, tell of blazing success, without a hint of criticism or failure. The drama is in the struggle, and both books do a good job of relating the personal life story to the history of the times. Ditchfield describes Rice from her childhood in segregated Birmingham, Alabama, to her role as the first woman to be national security advisor in the White House, counseling President Bush on international affairs. Lynch's biography may surprise even ardent Tolkien fans, who will learn how much the famous writer's stories draw on his personal experience, including his childhood in the English countryside (which became Hobbit land) and his trauma in World War I. The books have an open design, with lots of photos and boxed insets, and a detailed chronology of the life and times of the subjects. Rice includes only a vague note about sources; Tolkien is better documented, with some sources given for direct quotes. Hazel Rochman
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