(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Monica Wyrick. In the midst of the Civil War, Charleston was under siege. To break the blockade and destroy Union ships, Horace Hunley designed and built an ironclad submarine for the Confederacy. This book relates the true story of the failed endeavor and the recent raising and restoration of the Hunley. The unsolved mysteries and archaeological insights will fascinate young history buffs. Full-color illustrations are included. Reading list.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Trahern Cook. The picture-book biography of Charles Townes, winner of the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention of the laser, covers Townes's entire life but focuses especially on his childhood and early interest in all scientific topics. Although Haynie includes some intriguing details, much of her writing, and Cook's illustrations, is more serviceable than inspiring. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) YA Seventeen-year-old Catie Blair witnesses her family's violent death during the Anglo-Cherokee War. Injured and alone on the South Carolina frontier, she's rescued by a young lieutenant who has abandoned his regiment. With his help, Catie sets out to bring her family's killers to justice. Despite heavy historical context, this page-turner offers romance; action; and a smart, strong, likable heroine.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Karen Heid. With Michelle H. Martin. After third grader Katie grows a forty-pound cabbage and gives it to a local soup kitchen, she begins to grow a whole garden for those in need. The inspiring true story's afterword explains how Katie (the author) later founded Katie's Krops, a kid-based organization dedicated to helping grow gardens and donate the harvest. Occasionally awkward but amiable paintings illustrate the purposeful book. Websites.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey