"Each volume does a solid job in describing a particular health concern and its symptoms, explaining its impact on individuals (personal case studies are included) and society as a whole, and outlining various forms of treatment. Depression focuses specifically on teens dealing with that disorder. Tuberculosis is addressed as a contemporary, escalating concern. Unexceptional black-and-white photographs are included." --The Horn Book Guide

"Each volume does a solid job in describing a particular health concern and its symptoms, explaining its impact on individuals (personal case studies are included) and society as a whole, and outlining various forms of treatment. Depression focuses specifically on teens dealing with that disorder. Tuberculosis is addressed as a contemporary, escalating concern. Unexceptional black-and-white photographs are included." --The Horn Book Guide

"Each volume does a solid job in describing a particular health concern and its symptoms, explaining its impact on individuals (personal case studies are included) and society as a whole, and outlining various forms of treatment. Depression focuses specifically on teens dealing with that disorder. Tuberculosis is addressed as a contemporary, escalating concern. Unexceptional black-and-white photographs are included." --The Horn Book Guide

"The USA TODAY Health Reports: Diseases and Disorders series adds five new titles to bring its offerings to a total of sixteen. One of the new volumes, Diabetes, provides an up-to-date overview of a disease that is reaching epidemic proportions among young people. From how it is detected to how people control their blood sugar on a day-to-day basis, Brill is practical but friendly in her presentation of information and advice, noting that 'in the end, the patient is the most important person on the [diabetes] care team. . . . It's up to you to take charge of your treatment.' She also interviews several teens diagnosed with diabetes, and their input enlivens the text. New developments, such as the use of an infrared thermometer to detect possible infection in the feet, will be of interest to teens researching the disease on behalf of themselves, a loved one, or a school project. In STDs, Yancey writes in a straightforward manner about sexually transmitted diseases, opening with the profiles of several teens coping with an STD. With no interviews cited in the back matter, it is assumed that these are fictional teens. Quotes from actual young people (including middle schoolers and more than one LGBTQ teen) would increase the book's teen appeal and lighten its sometimes formal tone. The causes, symptoms, and treatments of the main STDs, however, are thoroughly covered, from the emotional side effects of genital herpes to the dangers of ordering an HIV home sample collection kit online (there is only one FDA-approved kit). Both books prominently feature the USA TODAY brand on the page footers, graphs and charts, and articles pulled 'From the pages of USA TODAY.' Though a reader may benefit from seeing these articles in the subject context, some date as far back as 2000 and interrupt the flow and layout of the text. Teen readers seeking health information on their own may find more appeal in a book such as Sex: A Book for Teens: An Uncensored Guide to Your Body, Sex, and Safety, by Nikol Hasler, but students, teachers, and librarians looking to supplement health textbooks with current information will find this series valuable. Other new titles in this series include Leukemia, Allergies, and Obesity." --VOYA

"This book provides fundamental information about the history, types, available treatments, and complications of diabetes. This is an important endeavor from the author will be very helpful for patients and others who are looking for basic information about diabetes. The author has done a good job of helping readers understand how their bodies function and the underlying mechanism of diabetes. It is a brief book, but it covers diverse aspects of the disease in its eight chapters. Each chapter opens with a story related to the main theme of the chapter, which places the topic in a personal perspective and is a good way to hold the reader’s interest. One highlight of the book is the inclusion of graphs from 'USA Today Snapshots' which provide factual information in an easy-to-understand format. However, some snapshots provide old information which may have changed since their original publication. For example, on page 106 the information about surgery provided through 2004 has significantly changed. There are several useful information boxes. However some of these information boxes feature black background which are hard to read. The publisher should consider changing this in the next edition. The book ends with a glossary, resources for more information, source notes, a selected bibliography, and an index. This is a very useful book, which is highly recommended for school and public libraries." --Science Books & Films

"The USA TODAY Health Reports: Diseases and Disorders series adds five new titles to bring its offerings to a total of sixteen. One of the new volumes, Diabetes, provides an up-to-date overview of a disease that is reaching epidemic proportions among young people. From how it is detected to how people control their blood sugar on a day-to-day basis, Brill is practical but friendly in her presentation of information and advice, noting that 'in the end, the patient is the most important person on the [diabetes] care team. . . . It's up to you to take charge of your treatment.' She also interviews several teens diagnosed with diabetes, and their input enlivens the text. New developments, such as the use of an infrared thermometer to detect possible infection in the feet, will be of interest to teens researching the disease on behalf of themselves, a loved one, or a school project. In STDs, Yancey writes in a straightforward manner about sexually transmitted diseases, opening with the profiles of several teens coping with an STD. With no interviews cited in the back matter, it is assumed that these are fictional teens. Quotes from actual young people (including middle schoolers and more than one LGBTQ teen) would increase the book's teen appeal and lighten its sometimes formal tone. The causes, symptoms, and treatments of the main STDs, however, are thoroughly covered, from the emotional side effects of genital herpes to the dangers of ordering an HIV home sample collection kit online (there is only one FDA-approved kit). Both books prominently feature the USA TODAY brand on the page footers, graphs and charts, and articles pulled 'From the pages of USA TODAY.' Though a reader may benefit from seeing these articles in the subject context, some date as far back as 2000 and interrupt the flow and layout of the text. Teen readers seeking health information on their own may find more appeal in a book such as Sex: A Book for Teens: An Uncensored Guide to Your Body, Sex, and Safety, by Nikol Hasler, but students, teachers, and librarians looking to supplement health textbooks with current information will find this series valuable. Other new titles in this series include Leukemia, Allergies, and Obesity." --VOYA

"These books serve as solid report fodder, with some interesting sidelights from the USA Today team. Each volume has an introduction, a description of the condition, chapters on what it is like to live with it, and material on research and treatments. A healthy smattering of statistics and personal stories appear throughout, as well as some fictionalized scenarios that are a bit less helpful. The volumes are colorful with shaded sidebars and a few well-chosen photos. Even though they are similar to other health series, such as the 'Science of Health: Youth and Well-Being' (Mason Crest), these titles are not an exact match. Solid additions for libraries in need of fresh looks at these diseases and disorders." --School Library Journal

"These books serve as solid report fodder, with some interesting sidelights from the USA Today team. Each volume has an introduction, a description of the condition, chapters on what it is like to live with it, and material on research and treatments. A healthy smattering of statistics and personal stories appear throughout, as well as some fictionalized scenarios that are a bit less helpful. The volumes are colorful with shaded sidebars and a few well-chosen photos. Even though they are similar to other health series, such as the 'Science of Health: Youth and Well-Being' (Mason Crest), these titles are not an exact match. Solid additions for libraries in need of fresh looks at these diseases and disorders." --School Library Journal