Earth’s Biomes

Earth’s Biomes (Sci-Hi: Life Science)

Donna Latham

$32.65, LB

Heinemann-Raintree, 2009

978-1410933294

January 14^th, 2012

Genre: Nonfiction

Age: 12+

Description: An introduction to the different physical elements that make each biome area unique and how these different biomes have influenced the evolution of all living things.

Opinion: The Sci-Hi series of books is awesome and I recommend them for any nonfiction collection aimed at tweens and teens. All books in the series are put together like high-interest magazines but deal with scientific topics. Each book features colorful spreads, visually stimulating photographs and clear artwork, suggested science activities and projects, two-page glossaries, and further information for those interested. Earth’s Biomes presents the information in a logical way where one page builds on the information presented in the previous pages. Topics for this book include defining a biome, adaptation and biomes, threats to biomes, deciduous forests, rain forests, grasslands, savannahs, deserts, tundra, marine regions, and more. It also includes information presented like real newspaper articles. The approach is great for showing the similarities and differences among the various biomes and also in showing how adaptation has affected the species living in the areas. I like the Sci-Hi series because the books are not only visually appealing and stimulating but the spines of the books themselves stick out among the shelves and grab your attention. If a student needs just a basic introduction into a scientific concept this series is great especially for harder things like chemistry and physics. The only downside I saw was a little repetition (sometimes even in the same section) but this is likely because of the method of introducing a general concept (like classification) and then moving into more detailed explanations (such as the seven levels individually) so the information gets more detailed as you continue reading the books.

Classification of Animals

Classification of Animals (Sci-Hi: Life Science)

Casey Rand

$32.65, LB

Heinemann-Raintree, 2009

978-1410933256

January 14^th, 2012

Genre: Nonfiction

Age: 12+

Description: Part of the Sci-Hi Life Science set, Classification of Animals explains how animals are grouped and named by certain common characteristics.

Opinion: The Sci-Hi series of books is awesome and I recommend them for any nonfiction collection aimed at tweens and teens. All books in the series are put together like high-interest magazines but deal with scientific topics. Each book features colorful spreads, visually stimulating photographs and clear artwork, suggested science activities and projects, two-page glossaries, and further information for those interested. Classification of Animals presents the information in a logical way where one page builds on the information presented in the previous pages. We begin learning the basic definition of classification and the man behind the original system still used today—Carl Linnaeus. Pictures introduce additional information along with “Did You Know” sidebars. We learn the basic seven levels of classification. The rest of the book looks at those levels in more detail to help us learn how animals are “named” with a first and last name, usually from the genus and the species. We then learn about animal kingdom and are given information about those in more detail. We are also told how scientists use keys to classify animals (we even get to practice on a few dinosaurs). Other topics include information on the animal kingdom, invertebrates and vertebrates, arthropada, evolution, how DNA aided classification, phylum, classes, orders, families, genus, and species—all levels explained with an in depth look at a type of kingdom (orders of reptiles, families of birds, etc.). The book ends with a discussion on recently discovered new species and includes a review. I like the Sci-Hi series because the books are not only visually appealing and stimulating but the spines of the books themselves stick out among the shelves and grab your attention. If a student needs just a basic introduction into a scientific concept this series is great especially for harder things like chemistry and physics. The only downside I saw was a little repetition (sometimes even in the same section) but this is likely because of the method of introducing a general concept (like classification) and then moving into more detailed explanations (such as the seven levels individually) so the information gets more detailed as you continue reading the books.

Monster Science

Ghosts and Atoms

Jodi Lyn Wheeler-Toppen, illustrated by Estudio Haus

$29.99, LB

Capstone, 2011

978-1429665810

January 13^th, 2012

Aliens and Energy

Agnieszka Biskup

$29.99, LB

Capstone, 2011

978-1429665803

January 13^th, 2012

Zombies and Forces and Motion

Mark Andrew Weakland

$29.99, LB

Capstone, 2011

978-1429665773

January 13^th, 2012

Bigfoot and Adaptation

Terry Lee Collins, illustrated by Cristian Mallea

$29.99, LB

Capstone, 2011

978-1429665797

January 13^th, 2012

Werewolves and States of Matter

Janet Slingerland Hammond, illustrated by Angel Mosquito

$29.99, LB

Capstone, 2011

978-1429665780

January 13^th, 2012

Genre: Nonfiction (Monster Science Series)

Age: 10+

Description: Monster Science is an awesome nonfiction graphic novel science series! In comic book format (of about 30 pages each), various science concepts are explained in a simple to understand and entertaining manner.

Opinion: With the love of the supernatural and graphic novels, tweens and teens will flock to this nonfiction series which helps to easily explain tricky scientific concepts. Each book is written by a different author, but they do overlap on a few concepts. The best of the series is the zombie book which is hilarious while the most disappointing was the Bigfoot book (because the illustrations aren’t as crisp as the other books). I never really learned science in school so a lot of concepts in these books were new to me so I can attest to the fact that I actually learned a lot and the fun combination of comic book story with nonfiction concepts made the content easy to follow and understand. Zombie and Forces and Motion was the best of the series in which the author used zombies to explain Newton’s three laws. For example, in describing momentum a zombie is chasing two boys who are driving a car. He grabs a hold of the bumper and while the car goes forward he tries to pull it back. The scene reads: “The car’s forward momentum will overpower the zombie’s backward pull. Hanging on, the zombie will get dragged along or its arms will be torn off.” This is followed by a picture of the car zooming away to safety with the zombie’s arms still attached to the bumper while the zombie, armless, cries out, “There go my arms!” These are quick and quirky reads with eye-popping illustrations. All the books are also humorous in their telling too. Each book includes a glossary, a further reading list, Facthound.com list of sites, and an index. This series is highly recommended for engaging science nonfiction.