(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Adam J.B. Lane. At Mt. Olympus Middle School, hapless Oddonis lives in the shadow of his perfect twin, Adonis, until he competes against Adonis for class president, aided by oddball friends. Humorous cartoon sketches decorate every page, breaking up the accessible slapstick text and adding to the fun. Despite casual treatment of the source mythologies, Slavin and Weitzman's over-the-top comedy truly captures the angst of middle school.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) 4-6 Mohawks have been in high steel for more than a hundred years, since construction of the first railroad bridge over the St. Lawrence in 1886. Throughout this useful book, Weitzman effectively mingles social and industrial history to tell the mens' story. Ironworker testimony, along with other eyewitness reports, gives the volume a documentary, you-are-there feel. Historical photographs appear throughout. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Barbara Bader | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2010

(2) 4-6 This handsome casebook on constructing (and, more than four thousand years later, reconstructing) the boat Pharaoh Cheops would ride into the afterlife focuses on intricacies of design and creation. Clear schematic drawings of the boat's parts and assemblage are effectively, dramatically set against plenty of white space. A valedictory double-gatefold spread shows the reconstructed vessel manned by ancient oarsmen. A map is appended.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2009

(3) K-3 A concise text recounts Robert Stevens's 1830 quest to acquire a steam locomotive; the resulting design and construction of the John Bull in England; its arrival and reassembly on American shores; and its role in popularizing train travel in the United States. The detailed black-and-white art will delight railroad enthusiasts and perhaps even lure the as-yet unconverted.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 A brief text describes how Ford revolutionized the auto industry by using interchangeable parts and assembly-line production to create an inexpensive car for the masses. Detailed black-and-white illustrations that follow a Model T through production, as well as a cutaway identifying engine components, will draw classic car fans. Occasional quotes from those who worked on the Ford assembly line add further interest.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 Detailed instructions in pen-and-ink and pencil highlight this volume, which follows the 1870 construction of a locomotive from design to completion. The perfunctory text explains the overall process, as well as the specific tasks performed by certain workers, but the book is most interesting for the well-rendered drawings that are displayed against an uncluttered white background.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta