(4) 1-3 Greetings from Somewhere series. Illustrated by Marcos Calo. Twins Ethan and Ella discover a pair of symbols at an archaeological excavation site in Athens, Greece. The two symbols match the designs on a special gold coin gifted to Ethan in the series' first book. This tenth installment sheds light on the coin's significance and hints at future cases for the jet-setting siblings to tackle. Black-and-white illustrations accompany the slight mystery.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) YA History's Great Structures series. In these volumes, ancient architectural wonders are detailed, from the background behind their construction to how they were used to their subsequent decline and eventual conservation and restoration. Illustrations, modern photographs, maps, diagrams, sidebars, and definitions supplement the rich, detailed, but still easy-to-read text. Numerous quotations from primary and secondary sources add academic weight. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these History's Great Structures titles: The Medieval Castle, The Parthenon of Ancient Greece, and The Roman Colosseum.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(2) 4-6 Curlee's stylized art suits his subject in the latest of his picture book presentations of architectural wonders. Against a background palette of Grecian blues, Curlee dramatizes the marble elegance and purity of the Parthenon. The text details the construction with a clarity and precision that matches the clean, readable diagrams and crisp illustrations. Judiciously incorporated statistics underscore our sense of this marvel of antiquity. Bib.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2004

(4) YA Phano is a fourteen-year-old Athenian whose future as a citizen and a wife is threatened because of her questionable birth. Pursued by a man who claims she is his slave, Phano makes one escape after another in this overlong novel. The details of everyday life in ancient Greece and the Athenians' justice system, however, are interesting.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 Journey to the Past series. Each of the historical locales featured in this series is given a guidebook-like treatment, with preliminary pages providing basic information on topics such as where to sleep at night and what type of currency to use. Illustrated with mediocre art, double-page spreads introduce various neighborhoods, workplaces, and festivals. The final section includes photographs of some of these areas today. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Journey to the Past titles: Classical Athens, Imperial Rome, Ancient Egypt, Mayan Tikal, Medieval Paris, Florence in the 1400s.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta