(4) YA Living Through series. These extremely detailed volumes focus on battles, strategies, weapons, generals, and leaders; daily life during war is covered briefly. Bingham gives the second Iraq war more attention, including protests against it, the failure to find WMDs, and other issues. A "What Have We Learned?" section summarizes each war's legacy. Illustrations, photos, sidebars, and maps crowd the pages. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Living Through titles: World War I and The Gulf Wars with Iraq.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Explorer Tales series. This simply written, high-interest book is light on content, but the topic of the Amazon River region may grab some reluctant readers' attention (although the series title is misleading). The pages are busy with color photos, archival images, captions, and "Do You Know?" boxes with facts and some trivia: "The king of El Dorado was painted with gold dust." Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 On the Edge series. Bingham briefly glosses over eleven "escapes" throughout history, from Devil's Island and Alcatraz prison breakouts to plane-crash survival. Photographs and reproductions provide images of the people and places involved, while short sidebars add interest. An "Escapee's Quiz" is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) YA Real Life Heroes series. Vignettes present a variety of young people either afflicted with or touched in other ways by cancer or HIV/AIDS. Marred by occasional typos and somewhat distracting Briticisms, each brief profile is otherwise effective and interesting. Captioned stock photographs detract from the real-life stories. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Real Life Heroes titles: Surviving Cancer and Surviving HIV/AIDS.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 Great Queens series. These biographies tell the story of each queen and her role in shaping historical events that affected her subjects. The texts, though choppy, are informative, highlighting important milestones in each ruler's life. Useful sidebars, photographs, reproductions, and illustrations add further context. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Queens titles: Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, and Catherine the Great.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(4) 4-6 Great Queens series. These biographies tell the story of each queen and her role in shaping historical events that affected her subjects. The texts, though choppy, are informative, highlighting important milestones in each ruler's life. Useful sidebars, photographs, reproductions, and illustrations add further context. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Queens titles: Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, and Catherine the Great.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(4) YA Art on the Wall series. This series provides budding artists and historians with background about different movements. It also encourages direct engagement with the artwork through call-outs that demonstrate techniques (e.g., vanishing point and orthogonals labeled on a Renaissance painting) and "Try it yourself" projects. Though the overly busy design and off-kilter placement of the reproductions are distracting, the series offers lots of solid information. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Art on the Wall titles: Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and The Renaissance.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Art on the Wall series. This series provides budding artists and historians with background about different movements. It also encourages direct engagement with the artwork through call-outs that demonstrate techniques (e.g., vanishing point and orthogonals labeled on a Renaissance painting) and "Try it yourself" projects. Though the overly busy design and off-kilter placement of the reproductions are distracting, the series offers lots of solid information. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Art on the Wall titles: Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and The Renaissance.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Great Queens series. These biographies tell the story of each queen and her role in shaping historical events that affected her subjects. The texts, though choppy, are informative, highlighting important milestones in each ruler's life. Useful sidebars, photographs, reproductions, and illustrations add further context. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Queens titles: Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, and Catherine the Great.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(4) YA Dance series. Covering a wide range of topics, from history and cultural significance to steps, music, and costumes, this series is a useful resource for dance enthusiasts. Dynamic photographs illustrate some of the performances discussed. The parts organized chronologically read smoothly; others are more tedious and difficult to follow. With their many sidebars and design elements, the pages are busy. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Dance title:Ballet, Hip-Hop and Urban Dance, Tap and Jazz, Latin and Ballroom, African and Asian, Country and Folk, and [cf]Modern Dance.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(3) 4-6 Costume Around the World series. Clothing in most countries is influenced by cultural tradition, practicality, climate, gender, age, and occasion. Photographs and interesting sidebars enhance this accessible series, offering a comprehensive presentation of the origin and function of fashion for each of the featured places. There are five other spring 2008 books in this series. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Costume Around the World titles: Japan, Mexico, India, Spain, and Saudi Arabia.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) 4-6 Costume Around the World series. Clothing in most countries is influenced by cultural tradition, practicality, climate, gender, age, and occasion. Photographs and interesting sidebars enhance this accessible series, offering a comprehensive presentation of the origin and function of fashion for each of the featured places. There are five other spring 2008 books in this series. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Costume Around the World titles: Japan, Mexico, India, Spain, and Saudi Arabia.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(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

(4) 4-6 World Cultures series. This book examines the life and customs of indigenous Australians. Topics include history, religion, the arts, and traditional medicines, along with animal and plant life of the outback. The large-font text can be simplistic, but the many photographs are compelling. A superficial quiz is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) 4-6 Time Travel Guides series. These leveled-text editions are written as travel guides to ancient civilizations. This approach makes accessible the cultural and historical details. Occasional inaccuracies are the result of long spans of history condensed for the target audience. While the books do tend to oversimplify, they're a good way to encourage interest. There are four other new books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Time Travel Guides titles: The Aztec Empire, The Inca Empire, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, and Ancient China.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(4) 4-6 Time Travel Guides series. These leveled-text editions are written as travel guides to ancient civilizations. This approach makes accessible the cultural and historical details. Occasional inaccuracies are the result of long spans of history condensed for the target audience. While the books do tend to oversimplify, they're a good way to encourage interest. There are four other new books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Time Travel Guides titles: The Aztec Empire, The Inca Empire, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, and Ancient China.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(4) 4-6 Time Travel Guides series. These books are written as travel guides to ancient civilizations ("...a trip to the Inca Empire is the vacation for you"). This approach makes accessible the cultural and historical details. Occasional inaccuracies are the result of long spans of history condensed for the target audience. While the books do tend to oversimplify information, they're a good way to encourage interest. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Time Travel Guides titles: The Aztec Empire, The Inca Empire, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, and Ancient China.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(4) 4-6 Time Travel Guides series. These books are written as travel guides to ancient civilizations ("...a trip to the Inca Empire is the vacation for you"). This approach makes accessible the cultural and historical details. Occasional inaccuracies are the result of long spans of history condensed for the target audience. While the books do tend to oversimplify information, they're a good way to encourage interest. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Time Travel Guides titles: The Aztec Empire, The Inca Empire, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, and Ancient China.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(4) 4-6 Fusion series. Each title in this series of high-interest books offers an introduction to the lives of ancient Greeks, Vikings, Aztecs, Egyptians, Romans, and the people of the Indus Valley. While the text tends to oversimplify the complexities of ancient life, the plentiful illustrations and graphics and the range of topics make these books useful. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Fusion titles: Welcome to the Ancient Olympics!, On to Valhalla!, Blood and Celebration, Reach for the Stars, Staying Alive in Ancient Rome, and Trading Up.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) 4-6 When Disaster Struck series. These volumes begin with a brief description of the sinking of the Titanic or the Hindenburg explosion. The texts then continue with a chronological narrative to provide a comprehensive discussion of the events leading to each tragedy, the human loss, and the impact on future air and sea travel. Archival photographs, maps, drawings, sidebars, and primary sources are included on busy pages. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these When Disaster Struck titles: The Hindenburg 1937 and The Titanic 1912.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale