I like the Wicked History biography series. The books are a decent length for upper elementary. The language gets as close to narration as it can without becoming historical fiction. There are lots of pictures, as well as a timeline at the end and a web of supporting characters at the beginning. The negative is obviously that all of the people in the series are the ones you can't admire. All of them served their own self interests and as a result innocent people died.

All of this pertains to the Hitler book as well. It gives just the right amount of detail for a kid to be knowledgable on the subject. The Holocaust is pure terror for those who lived it and it comes across in the book. You can't read about Hitler and not read about what went on in the concentration camps. For that reason, I would say that judgement should be used to decide when your child is old enough to tackle these dark people of the past. ( )

The book opens with a short description by Edward R. Murrow, a famous reporter, of what he viewed as he toured Buchenwald, a concentration camp, and ends with Hitler’s suicide in a bunker under Berlin during the last days of World War II. In between there is a complete, if brief, history of Hitler’s life, his incredible rise to power and the atrocities committed while he was the dictator of Germany. He is responsible for the deaths of an estimated 60 million people as a result of World War II including the genocide of 11 million people in concentration camps, 6 million of them Jews. His charismatic personality and strong will convinced the people of Germany that they were the chosen race. It was their duty to serve the state and their individual rights were unimportant. What happened in Germany and in the world as a result of Hitler’s ideologies is described in detail with maps and photographs.
Well written and very complete in a form accessible to middle school students, Hitler is one of several titles in the “A Wicked History: 20th Century” biography series. The Timeline of Terror and the Wicked Web, a look at his allies and enemies, are especially effective for helping teen readers understand what happened. The biography also includes a glossary, an index, and a bibliography. This title and others in the series would be good additions for the general reader and as high interest titles for reluctant readers. Other subjects include diverse historical figures Henry VIII, Torquemada, Catherine the Great and Idi Amin. Grades 5-8 ( )