This volume in the Entertainment Encyclopedias series (4 titles) focuses on superheroes and is sure to be a kid magnet. The bright, enticing cover, graphics-rich pages filled with accessible snippets of text, and breezy tone effortlessly combine to introduce 45 super-beings, covering origin stories, alter egos, special powers, and nemeses. There’s also information regarding who created them and when, their various iterations (comic books, movies, TV shows, cartoons), and mentions of conflicting story lines within a character’s arc. The four-page entries are arranged alphabetically and feature classic characters (Batman, Wonder Woman), slightly less-known individuals (She-Hulk, Jean Grey), and new members of the always-evolving X-Men and Marvel Universe. There’s an introductory overview plus back-matter support, including a brief list of references. This should prove quite popular.

Geared toward young readers who love popular culture, these encyclopedias cover the entertainment industry from superheroes to video games. Each title starts with a table of contents and brief history of the media type. Every encyclopedia entry is marked by a different color throughout and is two to four pages long. The entries provide quick, pertinent information containing a brief description or history, photos with captions, and “at a glance” facts such as: “Batgirl appeared in Batman: The Animated Series, which ran from 1992 to 1995,” (Superhero). Back matter includes a glossary, additional information, and an index. While the order of entries varies from chronological (release) to alphabetical (name), the encyclopedias are easy to understand. VERDICT Enjoyable for readers who love entertainment media.