Irving Independent School District, MLK (D. Parham)

The Miz is a title in the Pro Wrestling Champions series by Bellwether Media. These titles are high-low biographies. The Miz recounts the life thus far of Michael Mizanan (“The Miz”), his career, and his signature wrestling moves. The book has all of the usual nonfiction text features: bold print, table of contents, glossary, a short bibliography, an index, and some photo captions. On every two to three pages appears a “Quick Hit”, which is a brief trivia feature or factoid. The final two to three pages describe The Miz’s signature wrestling moves and show photos of the same. The text is full of facts but stays light and entertaining. Photographs dominate the pages and give the book a high-energy feel, as do the graphics and the typeface of the chapter titles and labels. One disappointing omission is any mention of the fact that these wrestlers moves should not be practiced by the reader. Otherwise, “The Miz” is sure to be a popular title with 3rd-8th graders needing a lower level nonfiction selection.

An excellent book for any student who likes WWE wrestling. This will be hot on the shelves as this is a popular topic for many elementary schools. There are several other wrestlers who have books dedicated to them as well. The only negative is if a parent or administrator will have an issue with the subject of wrestling. The book does show pictures of several “signature moves”.