Teri Kanefield does an excellent job of giving us a well rounded view of Andrew Jackson. As a teacher I know that a lot of what is taught in our history classes is a glorified view of men and their actions. We don’t always get the whole picture. We see him in one case going against the supreme court because he thought that his opinion and his decisions as the president were worth more than the judgement of the supreme court. He managed to create an environment in Georgia whereby their actions eventually drove the Cherokee people out of Georgia. He is presented as a passionate family man. He definitely had trust issues when it came to government. However, the author provided a lot of information to entice you to do further research. This is a book that should be in every school library. ( )

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Great
Recommend: Yes
Level: Middle School

This biography series for middle grade readers is popular at my library so I wanted to try them for myself. I think the writing style and content are perfect for this targeted age of readers. The authors does a great job of weaving in context about the social situations at the time while telling the story of Jackson's life. Readers not only learn about Jackson but also how the newly formed America was still struggling to figure out issues such as slavery, westward expansion, government, and the constitution. The additional context helps frame his life and decisions with the ideas and practices of that day in time. The book has several images and short chapters which will help readers interested in nonfiction transition to reading a longer chapter book like this one. Not as detailed as adult biographies I've read, but the stories told about him are informative and interesting. ( )

My full review will be available soon from AudioFile Magazine, however, in the interim, I would like to comment that it is enlightening and even a bit startling to read Jackson's biography in the midst of the Trump presidency. The similarities between the two men are striking. History truly does repeat itself.

Although this is a book for young readers, it's interesting for teens and adults as well!

https://shelf-employed.blogspot.com ( )

Andrew Jackson, the second book in The Making of America series from Teri Kanefield, is an important work both for helping middle school children understand the development of the country and for offering some insight into the kinds of people some of today's politicians admire.

While I find Jackson to be anything but a man worthy of much admiration in 21st century America he played a large role in the shaping of the country. Because of that his story is indeed an important part of history. Kanefield does a remarkable job of presenting the man in a fair and accurate way (something I would have struggled to do without pointing out the obvious negative implications for our current predicament). By doing so students can question during classroom discussion how or why some things were accepted and even encouraged. A slanted presentation would have caused lock step reactions on all sides and would not have helped to either promote debate or actually teach the nuances of history.

Like the previous volume (on Alexander Hamilton) this book will be a valuable addition to both home and school libraries as well as a wonderful addition to the classroom itself. In addition to Jackson's story there are plenty of sidebars with ideas, incidents, and terms that will allow this book to serve as more than simply a biography of Jackson.

Kanefield tells his story in a coherent narrative that leads from important historical event to important historical event while also showing how Jackson's personal life and psychological makeup contributed to his actions during those events. When too much importance is given to a charismatic person then that person's personal strengths and flaws become ever more important because we are giving them so much power. There is a warning here even if it is not made explicit (as expected from a good history book) about personal vindictiveness and pettiness when given power. Combined with a less than astute ability to pay attention to details (sounds like right now) and long lasting harm can result.

I would recommend this to both schools and parents. While the book itself is balanced it certainly invites discussion about both history and government, so where one might sit on the political spectrum won't matter. Kanefield does not judge Jackson here, she tells his story,often in his own uneducated words. ( )