(4) YA Issues in Focus Today series. Seven concise chapters cover the history of the internet, offering information about various types of web-based communication tools and stressing the importance of critical thinking in both searching for and evaluating information. Tips and techniques for online safety and sample screenshots are included. Staged stock photographs of smiling teens using computers don't add much to the presentation. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) YA Life: A How-To Guide series. These volumes teach teens about how common human experiences--making friends and dealing with stress--affect their age group in particular. The information is more a general overview than something that provides a cohesive thread. Personal stories interspersed throughout add a human face but often sound canned; stock photos are similarly hit-or-miss. Stress includes hotlines to contact. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Life: A How-To Guide titles: Friendship and Dealing with Stress.

Reviewer: Brittany Schlorff

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. These books present descriptions, histories, and anecdotes of eerie occurrences. Alternative explanations addressed in the text and sidebars will satisfy skeptics and scientists alike. Though the stock photos and illustrations can be awkward, they break up the texts nicely. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Crop Circles, UFOs, and The Bermuda Triangle.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. These books present descriptions, histories, and anecdotes of eerie occurrences. Alternative explanations addressed in the text and sidebars will satisfy skeptics and scientists alike. Though the stock photos and illustrations can be awkward, they break up the texts nicely. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Crop Circles, UFOs, and The Bermuda Triangle.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) YA Crime Scene Investigations series. Emphasizing the collaborative efforts of science and law enforcement, this series examines the skills, resources, and emerging technologies used to solve crimes. Sidebars and photographs combine with an attention-grabbing text to highlight evidence gathering and interpretation, notable cases, career information, and statistics. Readers with an interest in criminal justice will appreciate the level of detail. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Crime Scene Investigations titles: Kidnapping, Surveillance, Fingerprints and Impression Evidence, and DNA Evidence.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. Not for the easily spooked, these clearly written books present descriptions, histories, and captivating personal anecdotes of peculiar creatures and eerie occurrences. Sidebars addressing alternative explanations may satisfy skeptics, though the text does tend to present the supernatural as fact. The stock photos and illustrations can be cheesy, but they break up the text nicely. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Fairies, Poltergeists, The Afterlife, Witches, and Leprechauns.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi