(4) 4-6 Mysterious Makers of Shaker Street series. Illustrated by Robin Boyden. Neighbors Michael, Liz, and Leo love building and tinkering with everyday objects and discarded gadgetry, and they use their inventions to solve tame neighborhood mysteries. What's in the peculiar collection of large boxes in Mrs. Peterson's yard (Picture's)? And what's causing that unusual sound at night (Sounds)? Straightforward plots, black-and-white spot illustrations, and appended "Maker" activities make this series appealing for reluctant readers. Glos. Review covers these Mysterious Makers of Shaker Street titles: A Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues, and Sounds like Trouble.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Makers of Shaker Street series. Illustrated by Robin Boyden. Neighbors Michael, Liz, and Leo love building and tinkering with everyday objects and discarded gadgetry, and they use their inventions to solve tame neighborhood mysteries. What's in the peculiar collection of large boxes in Mrs. Peterson's yard (Picture's)? And what's causing that unusual sound at night (Sounds)? Straightforward plots, black-and-white spot illustrations, and appended "Maker" activities make this series appealing for reluctant readers. Glos. Review covers these Mysterious Makers of Shaker Street titles: A Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues, and Sounds like Trouble.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. Five chapters--from "Peering into the Future" to "Failed Prophecies"--discuss the history of future-telling. The Bible, Nostradamus, and modern-day sources are included, along with any basis in fact (or not). Photos, illustrations, pull-quotes, and sidebars break up the dense text. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Mysterious & Unknown series. Five chapters--from "Peering into the Future" to "Failed Prophecies"--discuss the history of future-telling. The Bible, Nostradamus, and modern-day sources are included, along with any basis in fact (or not). Photos, illustrations, pull-quotes, and sidebars break up the dense text. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. These books present descriptions, histories, personal anecdotes, and, in Curses, cross-cultural variations on the title topic in four brief chapters. Stock photos and illustrations--some adequate, some cheesy, some unhelpful--break up the texts. Although a few sidebars and photo captions offer alternative explanations for strange occurrences, the texts tend to present the supernatural as fact. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Curses and Ghost Hunters.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. These books present descriptions, histories, personal anecdotes, and, in Curses, cross-cultural variations on the title topic in four brief chapters. Stock photos and illustrations--some adequate, some cheesy, some unhelpful--break up the texts. Although a few sidebars and photo captions offer alternative explanations for strange occurrences, the texts tend to present the supernatural as fact. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Curses and Ghost Hunters.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. Five chapters--from "Peering into the Future" to "Failed Prophecies"--discuss the history of future-telling. The Bible, Nostradamus, and modern-day sources are included, along with any basis in fact (or not). Photos, illustrations, pull-quotes, and sidebars break up the dense text. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. Atlantis gives background on the mythical undersea place. Oak Island discusses the Nova Scotia locale's supernatural pirate history. Disappearances touches on the lost colony of Roanoke, the Bermuda Triangle, UFOs, etc. Stock photos and illustrations--some adequate, some cheesy, some unhelpful--break up the texts. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Atlantis, Mysterious Disappearances, and Oak Island Treasure Pit.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Mysterious & Unknown series. Stewart discusses the history of urban legends: their origins, transmission, and basis in fact (or not). Several well-known urban legends--e.g., the black-market kidney-removal victim in the bathtub--along with "Celebrity Urban Legends" ("Is Paul McCartney Dead?") are used as examples. Photos, illustrations, pull-quotes, and sidebars break up the dense text. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. These books present descriptions, histories, personal anecdotes, and in some cases cross-cultural variations on the title topics in three or four digestible chapters. Stock photos and illustrations--some adequate, some cheesy, some unhelpful--break up the texts. Although a few sidebars offer alternative explanations for strange occurrences, the texts tend to present the supernatural as fact. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Time Travel, Burial Grounds, La Llorona, Stonehenge, and The Dover Demon.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) 4-6 Mysterious & Unknown series. These books offer detailed explorations of their title subjects. Cross-cultural, historical, and contemporary anecdotes will enthrall receptive readers. The texts are long and quite dense; half- to full-page stock photos and illustrations, along with pull-quotes and sidebars, add visual interest and help break up the pages, though the large images and their lengthy captions are often not placed with the text they support. Reading list, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Mysterious & Unknown titles: Crop Circles and Werewolves.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) 4-6 Mysterious & Unknown series. These books offer detailed explorations of their title subjects. Cross-cultural, historical, and contemporary anecdotes will enthrall receptive readers. The texts are long and quite dense; half- to full-page stock photos and illustrations, along with pull-quotes and sidebars, add visual interest and help break up the pages, though the large images and their lengthy captions are often not placed with the text they support. Reading list, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Mysterious & Unknown titles: Crop Circles and Werewolves.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. These books present descriptions, histories, personal anecdotes, and in some cases cross-cultural variations on the title topics in three or four digestible chapters. Stock photos and illustrations--some adequate, some cheesy, some unhelpful--break up the texts. Although a few sidebars offer alternative explanations for strange occurrences, the texts tend to present the supernatural as fact. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Time Travel, Burial Grounds, La Llorona, Stonehenge, and The Dover Demon.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. This volume presents background, descriptions, and personal anecdotes about purported encounters with the "Mothman," first sighted in West Virginia. Sidebars addressing alternative explanations may satisfy skeptics, though the text does tend to present the supernatural as fact. Many stock photos and illustrations (some are filler) break up the pages. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. These books present descriptions, histories, personal anecdotes, and in some cases cross-cultural variations on the title topics in three or four digestible chapters. Stock photos and illustrations--some adequate, some cheesy, some unhelpful--break up the texts. Although a few sidebars offer alternative explanations for strange occurrences, the texts tend to present the supernatural as fact. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Time Travel, Burial Grounds, La Llorona, Stonehenge, and The Dover Demon.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. These books present descriptions, histories, personal anecdotes, and in some cases cross-cultural variations on the title topics in three or four digestible chapters. Stock photos and illustrations--some adequate, some cheesy, some unhelpful--break up the texts. Although a few sidebars offer alternative explanations for strange occurrences, the texts tend to present the supernatural as fact. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Time Travel, Burial Grounds, La Llorona, Stonehenge, and The Dover Demon.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. This volume presents background and descriptions--both historical and from legends--about explorations for "cities of gold" (e.g., the Seven Cities of Cibola, El Dorado, Vilcapampa). Sidebars provide some additional tangential information. Many stock photos and illustrations (some are filler) break up the pages. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. These books present descriptions, histories, personal anecdotes, and in some cases cross-cultural variations on the title topics in three or four digestible chapters. Stock photos and illustrations--some adequate, some cheesy, some unhelpful--break up the texts. Although a few sidebars offer alternative explanations for strange occurrences, the texts tend to present the supernatural as fact. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Time Travel, Burial Grounds, La Llorona, Stonehenge, and The Dover Demon.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. Descriptions, origins, and anecdotes about ESP are presented along with historical research investigations and more recent debunking efforts. Although some alternative explanations are discussed, the text generally presents the supernatural as fact. Those who have read the Fortune-Telling book in this series may experience some déjà vu (a term also covered here). Stock photos and illustrations break up the pages. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) 4-6 Mysterious Encounters series. These books present descriptions, origins, and anecdotes about the title subjects. Fortune-Telling includes contemporary practitioners; Ghost Ships focuses on legends about historical "abandoned ships." Sidebars provide alternative explanations, though the texts do tend to present the supernatural as fact. Curiously, Johnny Depp makes his way into both volumes. Stock photos and illustrations break up the texts. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mysterious Encounters titles: Ghosts Ships and Fortune-Telling.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi