The Challenger Space Shuttle Explosion

August 1, 2007
Gr 3-4-All three books have the same format: two-page chapters with a full-color photo on each page, a few paragraphs of large-print text and quotes from eyewitnesses. They conclude with profiles of people involved in these events. Beech examines the harmful rippling effect on wildlife, water, and the environment caused by the disastrous Exxon oil spill in Prince William Sound in 1989. Powerful colorful photographs tell the story just as well as the text. This is a very basic account of what happened and how challenging the rescue and cleanup was for the thousands of people involved. Caper tells the story of the excitement that surrounded this shuttle mission and touches on what went wrong with it. There is also a brief history of the space age. Greene gives a barebones description of what happened on September 11, 2001, mostly in terms of the Twin Towers. She describes the harrowing catastrophe for those working in and around the towers and the experiences of the rescue workers. There is little explanation about why this event happenedit's mainly about what actually took place. This book touches on reactions to the horrible tragedy but ends abruptly with a segment on the recovery process."Jennifer Cogan, Bucks County Free Library, Doylestown, PA"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.