Bette Davis: Film Star

Author: Gene Brown

Title: Bette Davis: Film Star

Book Genre: Biography

Publishing Info: Blackbirch Press, 64 pp

Summary: Bette Davis was the most famous female actress in the mid-1940s – she was also the most unusual. Bette got her strong-will from her mother, Ruthie Davis. She was born in 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts as Ruth Elizabeth Davis. Her professional acting career began in Rochester, New York in the year of 1928 where she played in a play called Broadway. Her director, George Cukor, loved her work and said that she had a type of “white heat”. She went from there to doing major Broadway plays. One of her cameramen (while shooting a very unimportant, forgettable movie) noticed that she had gorgeous eyes. From there, Bette’s career took off with a quick pace.

Personal rating: ****

Rationale: Young girls love to read about famous movie stars. This is a great book that would grab their interest. Highly recommend this book!

Reading level: 7.5

Interest level: 2nd-8th

Thematic Areas: love; family; friends; courage; movies

Content Areas: art; history

Potential Problems or Difficulties: No potential problems or difficulties.

Possible use in classroom: Children could make a class list/graph of their own favorite movies and actors/actresses. This would be a great book to read while doing a “career” unit. The children could write a story about what job they would like to have when they grow up.