(4) 4-6 Great Escapes of World War II series. Illustrated by Daniele Nicotra. These graphic novels tell gripping tales of escaping the Nazis during WWII: in Outrunning, a Norwegian resistance fighter; in Death Camp, multiple prisoners in a concentration camp. Contrived speech-bubble dialogue is accompanied by historical fact boxes throughout the graphic tellings; comics-style art and layouts work well to depict the intrigue and action intrinsic to these historical events. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Escapes of World War II titles: Outrunning the Nazis and Death Camp Uprising.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) 4-6 Edge Books: Drones series. Remote-controlled aircraft have many purposes; those roles include helping agribusiness and the military and providing entertainment. Accompanied by color photographs, each book describes several types of drones, discussing their form, function, and mechanical systems. Multiple sidebars provide additional information without cluttering the layout. Technical terms defined on the page allows for easier readability. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Edge Books: Drones titles: Military Drones, Recreational Drones, and Agricultural Drones.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) 4-6 Edge Books: Drones series. Remote-controlled aircraft have many purposes; those roles include helping agribusiness and the military and providing entertainment. Accompanied by color photographs, each book describes several types of drones, discussing their form, function, and mechanical systems. Multiple sidebars provide additional information without cluttering the layout. Technical terms defined on the page allows for easier readability. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Edge Books: Drones titles: Military Drones, Recreational Drones, and Agricultural Drones.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) 4-6 Sports Illustrated Kids: Top 10 Science series. These books present the importance of scientific principles to success in baseball and hockey. Chandler explains how velocity, torque, kinetic energy, mass, friction, momentum, center of gravity, molecules, reflex, and more are related to performance. The books make science relevant and appealing to middle-grade sports fans; color action photos of professional athletes demonstrate the ideas. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Sports Illustrated Kids: Top 10 Science titles: The Science of Baseball and The Science of Hockey.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 Sports Illustrated Kids: Top 10 Science series. These books present the importance of scientific principles to success in baseball and hockey. Chandler explains how velocity, torque, kinetic energy, mass, friction, momentum, center of gravity, molecules, reflex, and more are related to performance. The books make science relevant and appealing to middle-grade sports fans; color action photos of professional athletes demonstrate the ideas. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Sports Illustrated Kids: Top 10 Science titles: The Science of Baseball and The Science of Hockey.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 Sports Illustrated Kids: Wacky Sports Trivia series. This series discusses quirky details of popular sports, incorporating athlete superstitions (NBA player Caron Butler chewed on a dozen drinking straws during each game), unusual pregame rituals (a Spanish soccer team sprinkles garlic cloves around the pitch), team trivia, and fanatic fan behavior. Even knowledgeable sports fans will learn something new in these interesting books. Color photographs illustrate the pages. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Sports Illustrated Kids: Wacky Sports Trivia titles: Wacky Basketball Trivia and Wacky Soccer Trivia.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) 4-6 You Choose: Haunted Places series. On guided tours of the famous prison (Alcatraz) and grand steamship (Queen Mary), readers are given a choice of numerous scenarios and endings which supposedly portray the ghostly haunting of each. The Choose Your Own Adventure–style speculative narratives offer as many as forty-two entertaining choices and fifteen endings accompanied by archival photographs. An epilogue provides limited historical background. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following You Choose: Haunted Places titles: Alcatraz and The Queen Mary.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) K-3 Sports Illustrated Kids: Who's Who of Pro Sports series. Mid-elementary sports fans will be delighted by these titles, which offer glimpses of the achievements that made certain players, coaches, and teams stand out from others. Plenty of color action photographs, lively descriptions, and "remarkable records" and "stat-tastic" sidebars enhance the texts. Engaging and easy to navigate, the books fulfill the needs of both leisure reading and school assignments. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Sports Illustrated Kids: Who's Who of Pro Sports titles: Who's Who of Pro Baseball? and Who's Who of Pro Football?.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) 4-6 Graphic Library: Ancient Myths series. Illustrated by Estudio Haus. Three ancient myths are retold with energetic American comic book–style art that fits the stories' superhuman action. However, Haus's mix of panels with (and often atop) full-page illustrations hinders the books' visual flow. A limited page count makes Trojan War feel rushed, whereas Hercules and Perseus fit somewhat better within the constraints. "Ancient Fact" boxes supplement the narratives. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Graphic Library: Ancient Myths titles: The Trojan War, The 12 Labors of Hercules, and The Adventures of Perseus.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 Edge Books: Haunted America series. These books explore paranormal occurrences at locales in the American South and East. Brief, entertaining vignettes recount apparitions, mysterious sounds, and unexplained happenings experienced by individuals at such diverse locations as the Lizzie Borden House in Massachusetts, The White House, and Tennessee's Bell Witch Cave. Illustrations, photos, and faux-fog graphics make up the text's distracting backgrounds. Regional maps are appended. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Edge Books: Haunted America titles: Ghosts of the Alamo and Ghost of Gettysburg.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Edge Books: The Ghost Files series. Famous ghosts and locations that are considered haunted are explored through photographs, descriptive paragraphs, sidebars containing facts, and open-ended questions. The writing is surprisingly dry given the subject; Ghosts features individuals who will most likely be unfamiliar to children (e.g., Liberace). However, the vocabulary is approachable and the subject matter will be riveting to supernatural enthusiasts. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Edge Books: The Ghost Files titles: The World's Most Haunted Places and The World's Most Famous Ghosts.

Reviewer: April Spisak