(3) 4-6 Alternator Books: STEM Smackdown series. These lively narratives investigate controversies surrounding who actually developed widely used STEM advances. Each text traces an invention's history, technology, and development by following the contest between two people, each of whom have claimed to be the true inventor. Well-designed with captioned color and black-and-white photographs, paintings, and diagrams, the books should intrigue readers and encourage further research. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Alternator Books: STEM Smackdown titles: Who Invented the Light Bulb?, Who Invented the Radio?, Who Invented the Telephone?, Who Invented the Airplane?, Who Invented the Movie Camera?, and Who Invented the Television?

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Genius Inventors and Their Great Ideas series. This series offers biographical sketches plus information about groundbreaking inventions and innovations in various disciplines. Each inventor is depicted as having genius along with curiosity, patience, dedication, ingenuity, and perseverance. "Real fact" inserts and archival photographs accompany the readable texts; the design suffers from garish graphics and borders. Generic suggestions to encourage young inventors are appended. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Genius Inventors and Their Great Ideas titles: The Man Who Invented the Ferris Wheel, The African-American Heart Surgery Pioneer, The Man Who Invented Television, The Man Who Invented the Electric Guitar, The Man Who Invented the Laser, and The Woman Who Invented the Thread that Stops Bullets.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 I Like Inventors! series. These introductions to the people who came up with innovations we take for granted provide very basic information about their lives, such as their upbringing and motivations, as well as their inventions; there's little about processes, giving readers no sense of the magnitude of their achievements. Photos, many archival, are included in every spread. A related activity ends each title. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these I Like Inventors! titles: Who Invented Home Video Games?, Who Invented Television?, Who Was the Hair-Care Millionaire?, Who Fixed Babies' Hearts?, and Who Invented the Ferris Wheel?.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Greg Couch. Krull asks her audience to imagine life in 1906 (the year of Farnsworth's birth): "No refrigerators...few phones...And there was no television." She continues in this engaging, easygoing tone as she describes Farnsworth's early life. The book ends with Philo, age twenty-two, reading an article about his "revolutionary light machine." Couch's muted mixed-media illustrations are illuminated with splashes of light. Reading list, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(4) 4-6 Inventors Who Changed the World series. This series provides a basic overview of each subject's life and career, including successes as well as mistakes and controversies. The series' design features generally well-reproduced archival photos, stock images of varying usefulness, and distracting, cluttered screen shots. Some less-motivated readers will appreciate the publisher's enhanced website. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Inventors Who Changed the World titles: Alexander Graham Bell, Louis Pasteur, Marconi and Tesla, and Philo T. Farnsworth.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) K-3 Genius at Work! Great Inventor Biographies series. This series profiles the achievements of less well-known inventors; the clear writing can be overly simplistic. Readers will appreciate the books' attention to childhood influences and lifelong perseverance. Most of the archival photos are portraits; the few sidebars, photos of the inventions, and diagrams add interest. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Genius at Work! Great Inventor Biographies titles: Heart Man, Laser Man, and The Teen Who Invented Television.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi