Read about contemporary celebrities! Actor Brad Pitt once had a job wearing a chicken suit for the El Pollo Loco fast-food restaurant. The Patriot’s Heath Ledger was named for Heathcliff in the book Wuthering Heights. And, one of Jim Carrey’s teachers got him to behave in class by letting him do 15 minutes of comedy.

This is just a taste of the information found in the 14 mini-biographies featured in this Reader. Each spotlights one of Hollywood’s hottest male stars. Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Will Smith, and Matt Damon are among the actors featured. Since most people enjoy reading about celebrities, even reluctant readers will be eager to take on these interesting one-page articles. A photo accompanies each bio to assist with visual recognition.

Learning activities follow each reading to test comprehension, enrich vocabulary, and enhance following-directions skills. Relevant questions, word/definition matching, crossword puzzles, and fill-in-the-blanks are among of the activities featured. Finally, there is a related research project for each story.