(4) 4-6 On the Radar: Street Style series. Edgy topics with "pros and cons" will provoke discussion. The daring art represents whimsical self-expression in a variety of wacky forms. The chaotic page design may challenge some readers. The many flavors of hip "street style" include branding (like Coke and Apple), street art, tattoos, piercings, and spray paintings. Is it attractive? Is it legal? Readers can judge for themselves. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these On the Radar: Street Style titles: Cool Brands, Graffiti Culture, Body Decoration, and Street Art.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) 4-6 On the Radar: Street Style series. Edgy topics with "pros and cons" will provoke discussion. The daring art represents whimsical self-expression in a variety of wacky forms. The chaotic page design may challenge some readers. The many flavors of hip "street style" include branding (like Coke and Apple), street art, tattoos, piercings, and spray paintings. Is it attractive? Is it legal? Readers can judge for themselves. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these On the Radar: Street Style titles: Cool Brands, Graffiti Culture, Body Decoration, and Street Art.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) YA Charities in Action series. This overview of various animal-related charities, their missions, animal rescue stories, and case studies, as well as different volunteer opportunities open to individuals, could benefit from tighter organization--the information, while inspiring and engaging, bounces from topic to topic, and the many colorful sidebars do little to augment the main text. Photographs of animals in need add context. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(4) 4-6 On the Radar: Dance series. This series provides engaging introductions to dance forms. The texts cover background and historical influences, dance-specific lingo and gear, influence on popular culture, and step-by-step dance-move instructions. Profiles of several real-life dancers, presented in various formats (interview, week-in-the-life blog, etc.), offer aspiring dancers inspiration and insight. The busy format, with lots of bold colors and photographs, can be hard to follow. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these On the Radar: Dance titles Capoeira, Latin Dance, and Street Dance.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) 4-6 On the Radar: Dance series. This series provides engaging introductions to dance forms. The texts cover background and historical influences, dance-specific lingo and gear, influence on popular culture, and step-by-step dance-move instructions. Profiles of several real-life dancers, presented in various formats (interview, week-in-the-life blog, etc.), offer aspiring dancers inspiration and insight. The busy format, with lots of bold colors and photographs, can be hard to follow. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these On the Radar: Dance titles Capoeira, Latin Dance, and Street Dance.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) 4-6 Great Journeys Across Earth series. Each series volume details a historically important expedition. The circumstances leading up to the journey as well as the aftermath are also discussed. Also included is information about who accompanied the explorers and the experiences they all had. Numerous sidebars, maps, and illustrations provide additional information (though the crowded pages divide attention). Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Journeys across Earth titles: Captain Cook's Pacific Explorations, Burton and Speke's Source of the Nile Quest, Amundsen and Scott's Race to the South Pole, Hillary and Norgay's Mount Everest Adventure, Lewis and Clark's Continental Journey, Magellan's Voyage around the World, and Marco Polo's Travels on Asia's Silk Road.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 Time Travel Guides series. These leveled-text editions are written as travel guides to ancient civilizations. This approach makes accessible the cultural and historical details. Occasional inaccuracies are the result of long spans of history condensed for the target audience. While the books do tend to oversimplify, they're a good way to encourage interest. There are four other new books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Time Travel Guides titles: The Aztec Empire, The Inca Empire, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, and Ancient China.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(4) 4-6 Time Travel Guides series. These books are written as travel guides to ancient civilizations ("...a trip to the Inca Empire is the vacation for you"). This approach makes accessible the cultural and historical details. Occasional inaccuracies are the result of long spans of history condensed for the target audience. While the books do tend to oversimplify information, they're a good way to encourage interest. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Time Travel Guides titles: The Aztec Empire, The Inca Empire, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, and Ancient China.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(4) 4-6 When Disaster Struck series. This volume begins with a brief account of the space shuttle explosion. Color photographs, diagrams, sidebars, and primary sources on busy pages combine with a chronological discussion of space travel, the events leading to the accident, the human loss, and the impact on future shuttle launches. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Days That Shook the World series. From circumstances leading up to Mandela's imprisonment to becoming South Africa's first black president, this well-researched title presents a comprehensive account of Mandela's struggle for equal rights under apartheid rule. Despite the tight design, the accessible text, supported by archival material, photos, maps, and notable quotes, brings history to life. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Famous Lives series. These informative biographies focus on the people, events, and artistic movements that shaped the two painters, but the books lack visual panache. Claybourne emphasizes van Gogh's relationship with his brother Theo, and Gogerly concentrates on Picasso's artistic innovations. Both volumes are generously illustrated with photos but are surprisingly thin on reproductions. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Famous Lives titles: Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) 4-6 Days That Shook the World series. From circumstances preceding each featured incident to its aftermath, the books in this well-researched series present accounts of these historical events. The accessible text is enhanced by archival material and quotes from prominent individuals. A final chapter briefly looks at the possiblities had the event not occurred. The tight design is somewhat off-putting. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind [Review covers these Days That Shook the World titles: The Kennedy Assassination and The Wall Street Crash.]

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Scientists Who Made History series. The books in this series capably introduce their subjects, including Marconi's experiments with wireless communication and Franklin's discovery of the structure of DNA. Short subdivisions are illustrated with photos--most relevant and some gratuitous--and other art; sidebars offer direct quotations and expanded explanations, many clear and a few insufficient. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Scientists Who Made History titles: Dian Fossey, Guglielmo Marconi, John Logie Baird, Leonardo da Vinci, Michael Faraday, and Rosalind Franklin.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Famous Lives series. Effectively integrating historical context into the discussion, these biographies present an overview of each subject's life and notable contributions. The large format includes photos, archival reproductions, and a spacious layout, making the books accessible and easy to read. The quality of the writing is uneven, but readers will gain a basic appreciation of these important figures in history. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Famous Lives titles: Florence Nightingale, Gandhi, The Dalai Lama, and John Lennon.]

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Leading Lives series. With outlined but fluid texts, these books follow the lives of famous political leaders from childhood. Focus is placed on the lasting legacies of the figures, and each book includes a descriptive list of "key people," or important historical figures in each subject's life. Photographs and quotes add interest to the texts. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Leading Lives titles: Golda Meir, Che Guevara, Malcolm X, Indira Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Ho Chi Minh.]

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(3) YA Twentieth-Century History Makers series. These books profile six influential figures of the last century and their accomplishments. Little attention is paid to their personal lives, but the authors adequately detail the history of the times and their subjects' particular influences on it. Captioned black-and-white and color photos illustrate the books. There are six other spring 2003 books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Twentieth-Century History Makers titles: Winston Churchill; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Sigmund Freud; Anne Frank; Albert Einstein; and Fidel Castro.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) 4-6 Days That Shook the World series. From circumstances preceding the March on Washington to its aftermath, this well-researched title presents a comprehensive account of the historical event. The accessible text is enhanced by archival material, maps, diagrams, and quotes from prominent individuals. Though the design is tight, research-driven readers will find the bounty of information useful. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Scientists Who Made History series. Each formulaic book in this series begins with a defining moment in the life of its subject, from Pasteur's impromptu use of his rabies vaccine on a young boy to Bell's first successful telephone call. The following chapters briefly chronicle the lives of these scientists. Illustrated with photos, reproductions, and maps, each book includes diagrams, boxed quotes, and a timeline. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these titles: Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Thomas A. Edison, Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 Scientists Who Made History series. Each formulaic book in this series begins with a defining moment in the life of its subject, from Pasteur's impromptu use of his rabies vaccine on a young boy to Bell's first successful telephone call. The following chapters briefly chronicle the lives of these scientists. Illustrated with photos, reproductions, and maps, each book includes diagrams, boxed quotes, and a timeline. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these titles: Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Thomas A. Edison, Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman