(3) 4-6 American Space Missions--Astronauts, Exploration, and Discovery series. From Gemini 4's twenty-three-minute spacewalk in 1965 to the International Space Station's future potential, these revised, redesigned, and re-titled books each focus on a specific mission, its crew, and its accomplishments and costs. Archival photographs and diagrams support the accessible texts, providing a basic overview of the triumphs and tragedies of U.S. space exploration to date. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these American Space Missions--Astronauts, Exploration, and Discovery titles: Eye on the Universe, Spacewalk, Walking on the Moon, The Coolest Job in the Universe, Danger in Space, and Space Shuttle Disaster.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Disasters--People in Peril series. The story of the Titanic's tragic 1912 journey and its legacy gets a straightforward, somewhat formulaic treatment here. Touching on early-twentieth-century travel and the ill-fated steamship's celebrated design, Cole goes on to provide a readable hour-by-hour account of events. Archival photographs and drawings enhance the overview. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. This revised edition adds a chapter about the explosion of Columbia in 2003. The first four brief chapters, accompanied by color and black-and-white photos, are well written and detailed. The new fifth chapter conveys the drama of Columbia's end, though no mention is made of the controversy surrounding the cause of the explosion. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. This book offers up-to-date and accessible descriptions of comets and asteroids, as well as better than average evaluations of the chances and consequences of such an object's striking Earth. The accompanying illustrations, photographs, and diagrams are well chosen and captioned. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(3) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. The books in this series provide history of what's known about these planets including near-current interpretations of spacecraft data. Physical characteristics (size, orbit, composition, satellite systems) are well covered. Color photographs and diagrams accompany the text. Lists of Internet sites and suggested reading are appended. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Countdown to Space titles: Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, and Uranus.]

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(3) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. Using information provided by recent (and less recent) space expeditions, this is a good, current description of the planet. Photographs and diagrams are carefully chosen and clearly captioned. Physical phenomena such as temperature and changes in ice caps are well covered. A list of related websites is appended. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(3) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. The books in this series provide history of what's known about these planets including near-current interpretations of spacecraft data. Physical characteristics (size, orbit, composition, satellite systems) are well covered. Color photographs and diagrams accompany the text. Lists of Internet sites and suggested reading are appended. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Countdown to Space titles: Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, and Uranus.]

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(3) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. The books in this series provide history of what's known about these planets including near-current interpretations of spacecraft data. Physical characteristics (size, orbit, composition, satellite systems) are well covered. Color photographs and diagrams accompany the text. Lists of Internet sites and suggested reading are appended. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Countdown to Space titles: Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, and Uranus.]

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(3) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. The books in this series provide history of what's known about these planets including near-current interpretations of spacecraft data. Physical characteristics (size, orbit, composition, satellite systems) are well covered. Color photographs and diagrams accompany the text. Lists of Internet sites and suggested reading are appended. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Countdown to Space titles: Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, and Uranus.]

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(4) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. These are detailed descriptions of our current understandings and beliefs about these objects in the solar system. The accessible texts, which are illustrated with plenty of well-captioned photographs, include a fair amount of information about how scientists developed various astronomical theories and conclusions. Each book contains a few relatively minor errors. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(4) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. These are detailed descriptions of our current understandings and beliefs about these objects in the solar system. The accessible texts, which are illustrated with plenty of well-captioned photographs, include a fair amount of information about how scientists developed various astronomical theories and conclusions. Each book contains a few relatively minor errors. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(4) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. These are detailed descriptions of our current understandings and beliefs about these objects in the solar system. The accessible texts, which are illustrated with plenty of well-captioned photographs, include a fair amount of information about how scientists developed various astronomical theories and conclusions. Each book contains a few relatively minor errors. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(4) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. This book is full of excellent, well-documented information about Mercury from authoritative sources including the NASA probes. Illustrated with color photos, digitally generated mosaics, and graphics comparing Mercury to other planets, the book also has a double-page list of facts. However, the monotonous and choppy sentences, presumably intended to be helpful to reluctant readers, make the material difficult to assimilate. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. These are detailed descriptions of our current understandings and beliefs about these objects in the solar system. The accessible texts, which are illustrated with plenty of well-captioned photographs, include a fair amount of information about how scientists developed various astronomical theories and conclusions. Each book contains a few relatively minor errors. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(4) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. These are detailed descriptions of our current understandings and beliefs about these objects in the solar system. The accessible texts, which are illustrated with plenty of well-captioned photographs, include a fair amount of information about how scientists developed various astronomical theories and conclusions. Each book contains a few relatively minor errors. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(4) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. These are detailed, readable histories of the U.S. space program. The purposes and personal aspects of the missions are thoroughly covered, and the rewards and the dangers of space exploration are recounted. (Spacechimp contains a few misleading statements). The accessible texts are accompanied by plenty of well-captioned photos and diagrams, though the book design is busy. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(4) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. These are detailed, readable histories of the U.S. space program. The purposes and personal aspects of the missions are thoroughly covered, and the rewards and the dangers of space exploration are recounted. (Spacechimp contains a few misleading statements). The accessible texts are accompanied by plenty of well-captioned photos and diagrams, though the book design is busy. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(4) YA People to Know series. This biography is revised to include Glenn's return to space--at age seventy-seven--as a payload specialist on the Discovery space shuttle and his later retirement from Congress. The pedestrian prose is accompanied by sometimes dark black-and-white photographs. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Countdown to Space series. These are detailed, readable histories of the U.S. space program. The purposes and personal aspects of the missions are thoroughly covered, and the rewards and the dangers of space exploration are recounted. (Spacechimp contains a few misleading statements). The accessible texts are accompanied by plenty of well-captioned photos and diagrams, though the book design is busy. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Harry Clement Stubbs

(4) 4-6 American Disasters series. Concise volumes describe recent American disasters that resulted in loss of life and had far-reaching social ramifications. Though well-documented, the texts are sometimes incomplete and contain minor errors. The accompanying color photographs are emotionally affecting but occasionally lack clarity. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta