Columbus

Demi turns her biographical and artistic skills to Christopher Columbus in this balanced recounting of his life, from a youth who felt "the call of sea" to the man who helped establish a European foothold in the Americas. The author doesn't underplay the difficulties of Columbus's multiple journeys to the New World: one characteristically detailed scene shows the bloody massacre of Spaniards by Taino Indians who were "angered by the way the Spanish had mistreated them." Writing that Columbus died "a magnificent failure," Demi's thorough account fully demonstrates how Columbus changed the world, both for good and ill. Ages 8%E2%80%9312. (Sept.)