(3) 4-6 True Stories, Real People series. Each short, inspiring biography is divided into four or five chapters written in an objective, unpretentious manner. Quotation sources are fastidiously footnoted and listed in the back matter. Navigation is easy thanks to clean layouts and a simple color scheme (orange photo captions, navy call-out boxes). Great for school assignments and engaging enough for pleasure reading. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following True Stories, Real People titles: Alia Muhammad Baker, Aron Ralston, Malala Yousafzai, Abby Sunderland, and Bethany Hamilton.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) 4-6 Geology Rocks! series. These books present fourth graders with basic information about rocks in rather choppy texts; Cycle focuses mainly on processes, while the others include details on classification, chemistry, and examples of familiar sites such as the Grand Canyon. Photographs of rock samples and land formations clearly illustrate their important features, and helpful diagrams illustrate geological concepts. There are four other fall 2016 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Geology Rocks! titles: Sedimentary Rocks, Metamorphic Rocks, The Rock Cycle, and Igneous Rocks.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) YA History of Science series. Both books trace the history of their respective earth-science fields, examining the ideas about earth processes or atmospheric chemistry that built over time to produce current theories within each field, and ending with contemporary challenges and predictions for the future. The sophisticated concepts are illustrated with diagrams, photographs, and sidebars that add case detail and profile key scientific contributors. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these History of Science titles: Seismology and Climate Change.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) 4-6 Searchlight Books: Do You Know the Continents? series. This boilerplate series provides basic information about the continent it covers in serviceable but generic prose. Europe's scope of diversity and history feels constrained by the formula of the series. Brief chapters provide information on countries and cities, climate, landforms, natural resources, people, cultures, and economics. Colorful stock photos, maps, and sidebars appear throughout. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) YA Profiles in Science series. The life of the Nobel Prize–winning scientist, whose major contributions include characterization of radioactive elements and the structure of the atom, is described through detailed descriptions of his early life in New Zealand to his schooling in England, his professorships and scientific research, and the relationships among famous turn-of-the-twentieth-century scientists. Archival photographs and diagrams supplement the dry text. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Devon Johnson

(4) YA Profiles in Science series. This profile of Dalton, an impoverished Quaker, provides a detailed account of his experimental and observational work in many sciences; especially highlighted are his principles of atomic theory, an important development in physical science, as well as insights into the scientific community at the turn of the nineteenth century. Photographs and diagrams supplement the dry text. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Devon Johnson

(4) 4-6 History's Greatest Disasters series. In recounting events surrounding the tragic Challenger disaster (including how officials ignored warnings about mechanical problems), this book gives readers a brief history of America's space program and technical details of the space shuttle and its operation. The matter-of-fact text is supplemented by photos, clear diagrams, and information sidebars. Writing exercises and a prompt to visit the publisher's website are intrusive. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) YA Profiles in Science series. Besides noting personal and public milestones, these biographies clearly explain both men's significant scientific contributions: Lavoisier's work with oxygen and chemical nomenclature and Darwin's painstaking, lengthy, and controversial development of the theories of natural selection and evolution. Well-chosen photographs and diagrams illustrate the scrupulously documented texts, which offer good historical context. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Profiles in Science titles: Fire, Water, and Air and Origin.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) YA Profiles in Science series. These well-documented biographies examine the lives of two important scientific thinkers. Though lacking formal education, both had curiosity and dedication, which led the religious Faraday to discover electromagnetic induction and the freethinking Edison to develop new electrical devices, among many other contributions by both. Period photos and some diagrams illustrate the accurate but sometimes abrupt narratives. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Profiles in Science titles: Illuminated Progress: The Story of Thomas Edison and Michael Faraday and the Nature of Electricity.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) YA Profiles in Science series. These well-documented biographies examine the lives of two important scientific thinkers. Though lacking formal education, both had curiosity and dedication, which led the religious Faraday to discover electromagnetic induction and the freethinking Edison to develop new electrical devices, among many other contributions by both. Period photos and some diagrams illustrate the accurate but sometimes abrupt narratives. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Profiles in Science titles: Illuminated Progress: The Story of Thomas Edison and Michael Faraday and the Nature of Electricity.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) YA These biographies focus on pioneering scientists in the fields of early chemistry (Boyle), the discovery of radioactive elements (Curie), and understanding of DNA (Franklin). The books are enhanced by careful documentation, understanding of their subjects' work, and balanced presentations of personal lives, along with historical context. Photographs, some maps and diagrams, and historical drawings and documents illustrate the sophisticated texts. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these titles: Skeptical Chemist: The Story of Robert Boyle, Rosalind Franklin and the Structure of Life, and New Elements: The Story of Marie Curie.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian