Space disasters

Gr 4-6-These books share a similar format: concepts in science and engineering are complemented with historical case studies. Captioned, full-page color photographs reveal the enormity of such incidents as the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the space shuttle Challenger explosion. Though the content is comparable to that of other volumes, including those in the "Earth Watch" (Sea-to-Sea) and "Natural Disasters" series (Smart Apple Media), these works excel in providing source notes, bibliographies, and even a list of relevant places to visit. The historical scenarios are presented in chronological order, and time lines summarize each volume for convenient reference. Both include relatively recent events, such as the 2003 Columbia tragedy. They also encompass a global perspective, from the 1930s American dust bowl to a 2005 chemical plant explosion in Jilin, China; likewise a sense of tragedy is equally palpable for lost Western astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts. In certain places sentences seem vague or choppy, and Space details more hard data than Environmental. However, the overall effect of the titles conveys the seriousness of the issues presented, and the struggles will attract readers. Great updates.-Jeff Meyer, Slater Public Library, IA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This volume's dynamic explanations of the Columbia, Challenger, and other space disasters will hook readers. Firsthand accounts and descriptions are incorporated into the text, which features simple sentence structures and definitions. Diagrams and photographs contribute to overall understanding, but the crowded pages can be hard to navigate. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.