(4) YA Be Smart About Money and Financial Literacy series. These bland-looking volumes provide useful, practical advice about topics related to "financial literacy." The direct-address texts ("Even though you work and make money, do you sometimes feel like you never have any cash?") are accessible if a little dry. Sidebars provide "good sense" and "nonsense" tips; word problem "Do the Math" exercises allow readers to practice applying what they've learned. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Be Smart About Money and Financial Literacy titles: Be Smart About Your Career, Be Smart About Your Future, Be Smart About Money, Be Smart About Credit, Be Smart About Investing, and Be Smart About Shopping.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) YA Be Smart About Money and Financial Literacy series. These bland-looking volumes provide useful, practical advice about topics related to "financial literacy." The direct-address texts ("Even though you work and make money, do you sometimes feel like you never have any cash?") are accessible if a little dry. Sidebars provide "good sense" and "nonsense" tips; word problem "Do the Math" exercises allow readers to practice applying what they've learned. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Be Smart About Money and Financial Literacy titles: Be Smart About Your Career, Be Smart About Your Future, Be Smart About Money, Be Smart About Credit, Be Smart About Investing, and Be Smart About Shopping.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 African-American Collective Biographies series. These volumes profile eminent African American figures from various cultural fields. Each icon has his or her own chapter offering basic biographical information, archival photographs (some appear doctored), career highlights, and a timeline. This series is suitable for introductions but not in-depth research. Readers may be distracted by a hodgepodge of graphics and borders. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these African-American Collective Biographies titles: Awesome African-American Rock and Soul Musicians, Incredible African-American Jazz Musicians, Inspring African-American Civil Rights Leaders, Celebrated African-American Novelists, Extraordinary African-American Poets, and Amazing African-American Actors.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) YA Life: A How-To Guide series. Each of eleven chapters gives an overview of a community-helper job (e.g., firefighter, social worker, librarian, etc.). Text covers a day in the life, rewards and drawbacks, advancement opportunities, salary, and reasons to do the jobs. Personal stories interspersed throughout add a human face but often sound canned; stock photos and illustrations are similarly hit-or-miss. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Brittany Schlorff

(4) YA America's National Parks series. Older readers (and adults) will find this series useful for its coverage of six national parks' history, ecology, animal life, current challenges, and tourist attractions. Report writers, especially, may find the publisher's enhanced website a welcome shortcut to doing their own Internet research. Contemporary and archival photographs and web screenshots accompany the information. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these America's National Parks titles: Yellowstone National Park, Acadia National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Everglades National Park, Olympic National Park, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) YA America's National Parks series. Older readers (and adults) will find this series useful for its coverage of six national parks' history, ecology, animal life, current challenges, and tourist attractions. Report writers, especially, may find the publisher's enhanced website a welcome shortcut to doing their own Internet research. Contemporary and archival photographs and web screenshots accompany the information. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these America's National Parks titles: Yellowstone National Park, Acadia National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Everglades National Park, Olympic National Park, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) YA Constitution of the United States series. Each volume offers a detailed overview of the title topic, including historical highlights and Supreme Court cases. The authors do a solid job of presenting the history, importance, and future implications of each amendment. Illustrations include historical images and distracting website screen shots. The featured sites are accessible through the publisher's website. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Constitution of the United States titles: A Look at the Fourth Amendment, A Look at the Second Amendment, A Look at the Bill of Rights, and A Look at the Eighteenth and Twenty-First Amendments.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(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's design features well-reproduced archival photos 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: Thomas Edison, Wilbur and Orville Wright, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Henry Ford.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) YA Constitution of the United States series. Each volume offers a detailed overview of the title topic, including historical highlights and Supreme Court cases. The authors do a solid job of presenting the history, importance, and future implications of each amendment. Illustrations include historical images and distracting website screen shots. The featured sites are accessible through the publisher's website. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Constitution of the United States titles: A Look at the Fourth Amendment, A Look at the Second Amendment, A Look at the Bill of Rights, and A Look at the Eighteenth and Twenty-First Amendments.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) 4-6 Wild History of the American West series. These books chronicle the history of the events, places, and personalities that played major roles in the expansion and settlement of the American West. The readable texts are well researched and informative. The screen shots used to illustrate the books are poorly reproduced, but archival photographs, maps, and drawings add interest. Chapter notes are appended. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Wild History of the American West titles: The Gold Rush to California's Riches, The Amazing Erie Canal and How A Big Ditch Opened Up the West, What Made the Wild West Wild , The Oregon Trail and the Daring Journey West by Wagon, The Louisiana Purchase, Bleeding Kansas and the Violent Clash over Slavery in the Heartland, and The Pony Express and its Death-Defying Mail Carriers.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Endangered and Threatened Animals series. Designed to resemble webpages, the books in this series contain solid information about various animals, including their physical characteristics, their threatened status, and current efforts to prevent their extinction. Annotated lists of Internet links direct readers to helpful supplemental information. Many of the illustrations are reproduced from websites--giving the books a gimmicky format. Reading list. Ind. [Review covers these Endangered and Threatened Animals titles: The Woodland Caribou, The Tiger, The Blue Whale, The Gray Wolf, and The Gopher Tortoise.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta