From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-This guide to genealogy and family history covers the basics, such as oral interviews and courthouse records, but emphasizes online sources and activities. There are chapters on Internet searching, e-mail and message boards, and creating a family-history home page. However, the presentation is visually unappealing, wordy, and often too vague and impractical for beginners. Shepherdson doesn't spend enough time on laying the groundwork and creating a plan before branching off into "fun," sometimes extraneous or highly complex material. There's no mention of such fundamentals as primary and secondary sources, maternal and paternal lines, gazetteers, city directories, or including a SASE with mail queries. The text is also written in an annoyingly cute style. Younger readers can use Ira Wolfman's outstanding Climbing Your Family Tree (Workman, 2002), which is colorful, concise, clear, and enthusiastic without being affected. Older readers can turn directly to Ellen Galford's The Genealogy Handbook (Reader's Digest, 2001) and Barbara Renick's Genealogy 101 (Rutledge Hill, 2003), while Pat Richley's The Everything Online Genealogy Book (Adams Media, 2000) and Matthew Helm and April Leigh Helm's Genealogy Online for Dummies (IDG, 2001) specialize in family history on the Web.
Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
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