(4) 4-6 Alternator Books: My Minecraft series. Each of these four volumes offer a brief overview of a feature of the popular open-world video game. Accompanied by screenshots from the game, the straightforward, second-person texts tend to be repetitive from book to book, particularly when discussing a 2018 update and MineCon. Sidebars highlight STEM connections and how coding skills come into play. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Alternator Books: My Minecraft titles: The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Construction, The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Mining and Farming, The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Mods, and The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Survival

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) 4-6 Alternator Books: My Minecraft series. Each of these four volumes offer a brief overview of a feature of the popular open-world video game. Accompanied by screenshots from the game, the straightforward, second-person texts tend to be repetitive from book to book, particularly when discussing a 2018 update and MineCon. Sidebars highlight STEM connections and how coding skills come into play. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Alternator Books: My Minecraft titles: The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Construction, The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Mining and Farming, The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Mods, and The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Survival

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) 4-6 STEM Trailblazer Bios series. Each volume details the life of a significant person in a STEM-related field. Emphasis is placed on the individual's childhood, education, and development of a specific interest, as well as notable contributions. The prose is stilted but informative, and many photographs are included alongside sidebars of related information and "Tech Talk" quotes by the featured trailblazer. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these STEM Trailblazer Bios titles: Google Cybersecurity Expert Parisa Tabriz, Astronaut and Physicist Sally Ride, Code-Breaker and Mathematician Alan Turing, NASA Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, Science Educator and Advocate Bill Nye, and Environmental Activist Wangari Maathai.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) 4-6 STEM Trailblazer Bios series. Each volume details the life of a significant person in a STEM-related field. Emphasis is placed on the individual's childhood, education, and development of a specific interest, as well as notable contributions. The prose is stilted but informative, and many photographs are included alongside sidebars of related information and "Tech Talk" quotes by the featured trailblazer. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these STEM Trailblazer Bios titles: Google Cybersecurity Expert Parisa Tabriz, Astronaut and Physicist Sally Ride, Code-Breaker and Mathematician Alan Turing, NASA Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, Science Educator and Advocate Bill Nye, and Environmental Activist Wangari Maathai.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) 4-6 STEM Trailblazer Bios series. Each volume details the life of a significant person in a STEM-related field. Emphasis is placed on the individual's childhood, education, and development of a specific interest, as well as notable contributions. The prose is stilted but informative, and many photographs are included alongside sidebars of related information and "Tech Talk" quotes by the featured trailblazer. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these STEM Trailblazer Bios titles: Google Cybersecurity Expert Parisa Tabriz, Astronaut and Physicist Sally Ride, Code-Breaker and Mathematician Alan Turing, NASA Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, Science Educator and Advocate Bill Nye, and Environmental Activist Wangari Maathai.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Searchlight Books: The World of Gaming series. Each of these informative titles introduces young readers to a specific popular video game, sharing--over four or five brief chapters--the history of each game's development, success, and fandom. Full-page sidebars feature key developers and related careers. Photos of game content, creators, and actual fans appear on every page and highlight the gaming industry's racial and gender diversity. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Searchlight Books: The World of Gaming titles: The World of Angry Birds, The World of Minecraft, The World of Mario Bros., and The World of Pokémon.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) 4-6 Searchlight Books: The World of Gaming series. Each of these informative titles introduces young readers to a specific popular video game, sharing--over four or five brief chapters--the history of each game's development, success, and fandom. Full-page sidebars feature key developers and related careers. Photos of game content, creators, and actual fans appear on every page and highlight the gaming industry's racial and gender diversity. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Searchlight Books: The World of Gaming titles: The World of Angry Birds, The World of Minecraft, The World of Mario Bros., and The World of Pokémon.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) 4-6 Snap Books: Top Sports Tips series. This volume focuses on the ins and outs of playing ice hockey, from "the basics" to specific training techniques to advice about taking one's skills "to the next level." The text is upbeat, if occasionally vague, with select (bolded) vocabulary words defined at the bottom of the page. "Tip" sidebars appear throughout. The many photographs mainly show female players. Reading list. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) 4-6 In 1963, thirty African American girls (ages eleven to sixteen) were arrested at a civil rights protest and secretly transported to an abandoned Civil War stockade in Georgia; unable to contact their parents, they endured horrid conditions and treatment. Employing intimate details from survivor interviews and illustrated with stirring photos, Schwartz's clear, powerful narrative will leave an impression on young readers. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 STEM Trailblazer Bios series. This set of the continuing series features both contemporary and historical science and technology innovators. The inspiring profiles, which touch on childhood, education, and the subjects' breakthrough accomplishments, will tie in well with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum objectives. A colorful, easy-to-read format features photos and "tech talk" sidebars with quotes, mostly from the "trailblazers" themselves. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these STEM Trailblazer Bios titles: Space Engineer and Scientist Margaret Hamilton, Genius Physicist Albert Einstein, Inventor, Engineer, and Physicist Nikola Tesla, Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson, and Super Soaker Inventor Lonnie Johnson.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 STEM Trailblazer Bios series. This set of the continuing series features both contemporary and historical science and technology innovators. The inspiring profiles, which touch on childhood, education, and the subjects' breakthrough accomplishments, will tie in well with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum objectives. A colorful, easy-to-read format features photos and "tech talk" sidebars with quotes, mostly from the "trailblazers" themselves. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these STEM Trailblazer Bios titles: Space Engineer and Scientist Margaret Hamilton, Genius Physicist Albert Einstein, Inventor, Engineer, and Physicist Nikola Tesla, Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson, and Super Soaker Inventor Lonnie Johnson.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 STEM Trailblazer Bios series. This set of the continuing series features both contemporary and historical science and technology innovators. The inspiring profiles, which touch on childhood, education, and the subjects' breakthrough accomplishments, will tie in well with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum objectives. A colorful, easy-to-read format features photos and "tech talk" sidebars with quotes, mostly from the "trailblazers" themselves. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these STEM Trailblazer Bios titles: Space Engineer and Scientist Margaret Hamilton, Genius Physicist Albert Einstein, Inventor, Engineer, and Physicist Nikola Tesla, Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson, and Super Soaker Inventor Lonnie Johnson.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) YA Presidential Powerhouses series. Through these four significant presidencies, the continuing series examines milestones in America's history including the Louisiana Purchase, American Indian removal, the Civil War, and the dawn of the Progressive Era. Each president's early life, administration milestones, and ultimate legacy are discussed in detailed chapters filled with maps and period photos or illustrations. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers the following Presidential Powerhouses titles: Abraham Lincoln's Presidency, Thomas Jefferson's Presidency, Theodore Roosevelt's Presidency, and Andrew Jackson's Presidency.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) 4-6 Snap Books: Gymnastics series. Each volume is a basic primer in the titular gymnastic event. Beginning skills--e.g., basic hangs and dismounts (Uneven); cartwheels and handsprings (Floor)--are broken down with the aid of step-by-step illustrations and photographs. The visuals are clear and helpful, but the overall page design is dull. Competition tips and profiles of each event's legendary gymnasts are included. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Snap Books: Gymnastics titles: Uneven Bars and Floor Exercise{cf1].