(3) 4-6 Skurzynski outlines the history of rocketry, covering its origins in Chinese uses of gunpowder, the advances of the "Fathers of Modern Rocketry," the mid-twentieth-century war research of German, Soviet, and American scientists, and current and future private and government-funded rocket research. Crisp color and black-and-white illustrations include both historical and contemporary space shuttle/rocket images and future space vehicles. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) YA People's History series. This is a scrupulously researched look at the history of labor unions in the United States, beginning with 1619's first documented strike. Skurzynski keeps readers attuned to the public's evolving view of unions and to the particular experiences of African American, female, and child workers. Black-and-white reproductions shed additional light on groundbreaking struggles for justice. Reading list, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) 4-6 The author thoroughly describes the work of the well-known SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute, but it is her discussion of scientists and their research in the fields of planetary geology, astronomy, exobiology, and mathematics that makes the book unique. Well-placed color photos and illustrations accompany the clear text. Websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2005

(4) YA Corgan had hopes for a peaceful island life after winning the "Virtual War," but fate--in the personages of two clones of Corgan himself--intervenes. The loyalty of the clones is uncertain, as are the affections of Sharla, whose vixenish tendencies come fully to the fore. There's plenty of action in this capably scripted sequel, but the arc of the storytelling remains suspended, depending too much on Virtual War and on the book to come.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) 4-6 Skurzynski presents an engaging account of the history of keeping track of time. Beginning with natural rhythms and patterns (sun and moon cycles, seasons) and progressing through human-constructed divisions, the book focuses on the technological and theoretical advances that prompted new conventions for timekeeping, even tackling relativity. Color photographs and illustrations are helpful and well integrated. Ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) 4-6 National Parks Mystery series. In this sixth installment in the series, the mild mystery (why a herd of wild mustangs in Utah's Zion National Park is behaving strangely) takes a back seat to siblings Jack and Ashley's interactions with Ethan and Summer, two Shoshone foster children. The novel's portrayal of Ethan as a hostile Native American and Jack as an unsympathetic Anglo sets the boys up for a somewhat contrived conflict.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 4-6 National Parks Mystery series. Set in Montana's Glacier National Park, this fifth installment in the series packs quite a punch: siblings Jack and Ashley befriend a Mexican runaway, unearth a poaching scheme, and survive a grizzly bear attack--all in less than twenty-four hours, making for an implausible but engrossing story. Both the narrative and afterword dispel misconceptions about grizzlies, and four pages inside contain crisp color photos.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) YA In this story of the legendary Héloïse and Abelard, Abelard chooses twelve-year-old Aran to be his personal servant because he is mute and will not be able to speak of the lovers' trysts. But their secret brings them all into danger. Aran, called Spider, relates their story, as well as his own. The setting in twelfth-century France provides a rich backdrop for an unusual coming-of-age novel.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) YA National Parks Mystery series. Accompanying their veterinarian mother on her latest case, Jack, Ashley, and Bridger--a short-term foster child--link the poisoning of manatees in Everglades National Park to a toxic waste cover-up. A heavy-handed subplot has Bridger rethinking his sexist attitude toward women. As in earlier books in the series, facts about the park's wildlife and ecology are woven smoothly into the mystery.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) YA National Parks Mystery series. In a set-up too reminiscent of Wolf Stalker (the series opener), Jack and Ashley, along with Lucky, a teenage foster child, accompany their veterinarian mother on her latest mission: to investigate cougar attacks in Mesa Verde National Park. Anthropological details about the ancient cliff dwellers are woven into the narrative, and Jack's showdowns with a cougar and with Lucky--whom he both likes and mistrusts--make for a riveting read.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) YA National Parks Mystery series. On a family trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Jack and Ashley Landon meet nine-year-old Danny Tran. While Jack is flattered by the younger boy's eager admiration, talkative Ashley is annoyed by the chatty know-it-all. The youngsters' realistic interactions and the text's interesting cultural and scientific facts counterbalance the feeble mystery plot. An insert of color photos of Hawaiian animals, vegetation, and volcanoes is included.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.