Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can

Chronicling the life of the notoriously impenetrable Clinton has challenged many biographers; writing a version for middle-grade readers that describes and interprets the moments that led to her becoming the First Lady, a U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State is even tougher, because so much of Clinton’s story is about her troubled marriage, thwarted ambitions, and political infighting with Republicans. Levinson (Watch Out for Flying Kids!), a classmate at Wellesley, succeeds in being even-handed while taking a mile-wide, inch-deep approach. She briefly recapitulates some of the scandals (Whitewater, Monica Lewinsky, Benghazi) that have made Clinton a polarizing figure in American politics, but the unifying theme is the presidential hopeful’s life of service: the subtitle refers to a Methodist ethos that Clinton has subscribed to her entire life, beginning with buying a first communion dress for a migrant worker’s daughter and continuing to the gauntlet she threw down in China in 1995, when she declared that “Women’s rights are human rights.” A time line, source notes, and an eight-page photo insert are included. Ages 8–12. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. [em](Jan.) [/em]