What kind of recommendation do you give the children's series Wicked History?

The Amazon blurb on The Wicked History of the World:
*******************************
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 4–7–A gruesome look at history from prehistoric times through World War II. Bad puns and illustrated facts abound, with the text ranging from discussions of laws including the Ten Commandments, laws of ancient Kings such as Sennacherib and Ashurbanipal of Assyria, Hammurabi’s code, and Roman and Greek law. The section on Rotten Rulers includes information on the Shang dynasty in China, Roman Emperor Claudius, Attila the Hun, Countess Elizabeth Bathory of Transylvania, and Josef Stalin, among others. Several pages are dedicated to ancient Rome, with another section on Beastly Barbarians. A spread is devoted to the rules of war over the ages. Human sacrifices are covered in all their gory detail. Slavery, as well as the poor working conditions of the lower classes during the Industrial Revolution, is examined. Wars and massacres make up the last chapter, with an illustrated fold-out section at the end of Vicious Villains. There is a European slant to the coverage, but the ancient Middle East, Egypt, Asia, and the Americas are touched upon. While the scope is necessarily cursory given the limited number of pages, and therefore not useful for reports, readers are likely to be fascinated, and there is enough here to whet their appetite for more research. A great choice for reluctant readers.–Nancy Silverrod, San Francisco Public Library

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
In the best book ever written to prove history teachers wrong, pester parents and disgust grandmothers, you will find out the truth about the Rules of War and meet fifty of the most vicious villains of all time in a bonus feature pull-out.
Want to know…

—The ghastly fate of Captain Cook?

—What smelly sport was played by Samurai warriors?

—Who tried to kill her enemies with a cake made from poisoned bath water?

…then let The Wicked History of the World be your guide.

History with the nasty bits left in!
*******************************

This sounds like a great idea to get kids interested in history. I’m thinking of getting it for myself now.

I’m sure (assuming) that it’s written in an age-appropriate way so that kids don’t get too many nightmares, but I think it’s better for them to know rather than not-know how bad things can be. As much as we bitch about Obama-this and W-that… we live in pretty easy times. No one’s going to sack my town and kill us all. Yours, either.

Sorry @liminal, I am not familiar with the series.

@CyanoticWasp I was planning to sack your town this weekend. You gonna be around?

Hey, @janbb I was hoping to get some sack time this weekend, so I’ll be at home.

Seriously, @liminal , why not get one of the titles in the series and take a look at it for yourself? It could be great as CW suggests or it could be a bust.

@CyanoticWasp We are waiting for that book to come in at the library. I am imaging some fun re-enactments ahead! Maybe while janbb is distracting you we will loot your garage.

@janbb I have looked over a couple books. I like them. I am mostly pondering over how much of the series to get into. I think the World history one will help me towards figuring out which biographies to focus in on. In particular, I am hoping to hear from some people familiar with the series and how they balance out the information.

@janbb, out of curiosity, what is your specialty in the library and teaching world?

@liminal I had worked in a public library years ago. For the past 13 years, I have worked at a community college library as a reference librarian and collection development specialist in the arts and communication division. My undegraduate background was in literature, sociology and medieval studies and I teach non-credit courses that I design in literature at the college.

….

@Ria777 Aw, I liked what you originally wrote. I am drawn to these books for similar reasons. What you said was insightful.

@janbb I am impressed. Sounds like you have found your proper fit. Thank you for sharing.

I don’t know…I’d really have to read it to form an opinion. On the face of it I’m not real thrilled.

Thanks everybody for taking time to consider my question. It has helped me hone my thinking!