(3) YA This adaptation of the author's adult book chronicles Ferdinand Magellan's historic, globe-circumnavigating search for the Spice Islands. The conflict between Portugal and Spain and suspicion of Magellan's loyalty to the Spanish crown are skillfully related, as are accounts of storms, mutinies, deprivation, illness, Native hostilities, and Magellan's murder. Readers will be intrigued and informed by this meticulously researched, spellbinding adventure. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 Dog Chronicles series. Illustrated by Michael G. Montgomery. Leo, a tough ratting dog aboard Magellan's ship Trinidad, tells the harrowing tale of the quest to sail around the world. Details of the filth, hunger, vermin, mutinies, cruelty, and death that plague the expedition create a vivid picture of Magellan's voyage. Human characters include scribe Antonio Pigafetta, whose scrupulously recorded notes remain today. End notes add context. Reading list. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(3) 4-6 Explorers series. Illustrated by David Antram. The travels and travails of explorers from different centuries are detailed in clear prose accompanied by attractive color drawings. Italian Marco Polo and Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan both ventured to the Far East, while Lewis and Clark trekked through the uncharted North American West. All three titles humanize their subjects, describe interactions with Native Peoples, and summarize the impact of their expeditions. Glos., ind. Review covers these Explorers titles: The Story of Lewis and Clark, The Story of Magellan, and The Story of Marco Polo.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) K-3 Zoom In on Pioneering Explorers series. These three biographies highlight international exploration (Ferdinand Magellan; Marco Polo) and exploration of the American West (Lewis and Clark). The scant introductory volumes, which align to Common Core Standards, raise more questions than answers, but they may spark interest in further research. Paintings, drawings, and stock photographs accompany the mundane texts. Lists of quick stats and key dates are appended. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Zoom In on Pioneering Explorers titles: Ferdinand Magellan, Lewis and Clark, and Marco Polo.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Great Explorers series. Each title successfully establishes historical setting, current knowledge, and unanswered questions, setting the stage for profiling the featured explorer. Stock photographs, maps, and archival images combine with dry texts to provide adequate, straightforward biographies of these men and the legacies that defined their work, whether it was trading with the East, mapping the world, or studying the depths of the ocean. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Explorers titles: Captain Cook, Ferdinand Magellan, Christopher Columbus, and Jacques Cousteau.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) YA History of Exploration series. In these information-rich volumes, each double-page spread contains one short paragraph of text on the title subject and several illustrations with extensive captions. Pictures range from historical paintings to maps and geographical sites to photographs of artifacts. The format is eye-catching, but the small font and crowded pages are challenging to navigate. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these History of Exploration titles: Captain Cook & His Exploration of the Pacific, Columbus & the Renaissance Explorers, Drake & the Elizabethan Explorers, Exploration of Africa, Exploration of North America, and Magellan & the Americas.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) YA Great Explorers of the World series. These accounts of the lives of La Salle, Magellan, or De Soto, valiant but often cruel explorers of the new world, make interesting reading as well as solid report material. The books are accessibly written and supported with maps (just one in La Salle), photos, and archival pictures. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Explorers of the World titles: La Salle, Magellan, and Hernando de Soto.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(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

(3) 4-6 Who Was...? series. Illustrated by Elizabeth Wolf. A lively biography of the explorer who was the first to sail around the globe, this book not only tells Magellan's life story but details his accomplishments and his failure. Historical notes are interspersed with the accessible narrative, which is illustrated with black-and-white line drawings. Reading list, timelines.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) K-3 Explorers! series. Each of the books in this series provides some biographical information, but the focus is on the exploration, the time period, and the geography. The choppy text is illustrated with archival pictures and maps. The illustrations make the fairly dry texts somewhat more inviting, but their captions are sometimes confusing. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Explorers! titles: Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Hernán Cortés, and Lewis and Clark.]

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) YA Recently orphaned, Mateo signs on to be a cabin boy on the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan. In a somewhat overwritten first-person narrative, Mateo describes daily life at sea, his love affair with a native girl, and witnessing both a mutiny and the murder of the captain. An afterword places events in historical perspective. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(2) 4-6 A businesslike biography of the great explorer, navigator, and adventurer presents him as a man of action who overcame political, social, and financial obstacles to sail around the globe. Levinson draws on a plethora of primary and secondary sources; the clarity with which she presents the facts is one of the book's strengths. Charts, maps, reproductions, and photos illustrate the book. Appended are a chronology and source notes. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2002

(4) YA Great Explorations series. The well-researched books in this series will be useful to students writing reports. Maps and archival reproductions in both black and white and color extend the text, but the illustrations aren't always captioned and maps from antiquity aren't always labeled as such. Nevertheless, these are engaging introductions. Each book includes a chronology. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Great Expectations titles: Daniel Boone, Robert e. Peary, L Salle, Lewis and Clark, Captain James Cook, Ferdinand Magellan.]

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) 4-6 Explorers of New Worlds series. Illustrated with color reproductions and photographs, the books provide biographical information and track the explorations that made each of these historic figures famous. The tone of the prose is generally casual and somewhat dumbed down, and generic "historians" and "researchers" are often cited to back up statements but remain unnamed in the text. Time lines are included. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta