There are nine chapters in this book in the Science Fact or Science Fiction? series. They cover the topic of UFOs or Unidentified Flying Objects very well for this age group.The topics include: crop circles, Roswell, Area 51, abductions, Project Blue Book, the Condon Report, conspiracy theories, popular television shows and movies, and numerous sightings. The sightings are especially of interest because one is from Washington State and another is from Oregon.

The book states facts, such as, Kenneth “Arnold thought the objects might have been new military aircraft. But the US War Department thought Arnold had imagined the aircraft.” (5) The book mentions a few famous people ( Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, and NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin ) who have reported seeing UFOs and that artwork and literature from ancient people have referenced seeing flying celestial objects.

“The United States, Canada, and other countries have kept records of UFO sightings over many years.” (9) 90% of them can be explained as human-made objects or common atmospheric events.

The reader is asked to decide : to believe or not to believe.

The book includes an index and free online nonfiction resources.

Author Mac Barnett states in the preface this book is true. He states he was a kid spy before becoming an author. You be the judge of this as you read his book.

After almost breaking a video game record, all for the lack of one more quarter, Mac goes outside, were he answers a pay phone. It is the Queen of England phoning him. “That is how it happens.

One minute you are waiting for your mom to pick you up from a mini-golf course in California. The next minute you are flying to England on a secret mission to protect the Crown Jewels.

I know. It does not make much sense.” (25)

The Queen retells the history of 1671, when a Colonel Blood attempted to steal the Crown Jewels, but failed. Now, it is the 318th anniversary of the event and she has received a message, ” TOMORROW NIGHT I WILL GET WHAT MY GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT GRANDFATHER DID NOT. I WILL NOT BE STOPPED. WE HAVE BEEN WAITING 318 YEARS!” (39) The Queen is asking Mac to prevent this crime. The Queen has Mac and Beefeater Holcombe locked in the Tower of London with the jewels to keep watch and to sleep in shifts. Mac takes to the first watch. He does his best to stay awake, but falls asleep. Shortly thereafter, Holcombe wakes Mac. The Jewels are gone and the two of them are still locked in the Tower.

Mac and the Queen retell various jokes and riddles with similar plots, but cannot figure out how the real crime happened. Then, the Queen has Mac and Holcombe flown off to a castle next to Colonel Blood’s descendants castle in Ireland. Surely that is where the Jewels will resurface.

Jokes abound between the Queen and Mac over the differences in meanings between the British and American understanding of the word pants ( underwear and trousers). The Queen also enjoys people who act with panache, “Style and verve.” (51) Even when they are a thief. And Mac will state facts followed by, “That’s true. You can look it up.”

Eventually, Mac figures out the whodunit and howdunit. The Queen has the criminal arrest himself simply by using her regal commanding voice and he does it.

So, was author Mac Barnett telling the truth about being a kid spy?

Illustrated by Mike Lowery.

What first comes to mind when you hear the name George Washington? First president of the United States of America? General in the Revolutionary War? Mount Vernon? Slave owner? That last one caught me off guard, but in retrospect, it should not have. George Washington was a wealthy land owner in what is now the state of Virginia, which would be a slave state. Why wouldn’t George Washington own slaves.

This book was a wake up call for me in this regard. Oney Judge was the daughter of a slave and a white indentured servant. Any child born to a slave was automatically a slave. Oney’s father left the Washington’s service once his debt was paid.

Oney was Martha Washington’s personal maid. Oney went where ever Martha went: shopping, visiting friends, and parties included. “Trips with the Washingtons helped open Oney’s eyes to a whole new world.” (25) During these outings Oney was introduced to the free black community of Philadelphia. They would eventually help her escape when the time came.

Oney made her decision to escape when she found out Martha was gifting Oney to her granddaughter as a wedding present. Oney , whom the Washington’s considered family, was in fact property.

This book gives background on how slavery and slave laws evolved in the colonies/United States. One such law stated “that enslaved people who lived in Philadelphia for more than six months would be considered residents. They would become free. This law was meant to eventually end slavery.” (27) The Washingtons lived in Philadelphia, as the first United States Capitol. They moved their slaves back and forth between Mount Vernon and Philadelphia to avoid loosing their slaves due to this law.

After Oney ran away, the Washingtons placed a newspaper advertisement offering a reward for her return.

Oney made her way to New Hampshire, a free state, and lived her life in poverty rather than return to a life of slavery.

The book includes: Fast Facts, Stop and Think, Online Resources, Learn More, and an index.

The Global Refugee Crisis: Fleeing Conflict and Violence is a timely account of the worldwide refugee crisis that is so much in the news, not only in the United States but throughout Europe. According to a 2015 United Nations report, more than 1 million people fled violence and persecution, and the numbers have continued to increase since then. Of these millions of refugees, more than half are children. Thousands of refugees have died along the way, and thousands are being held in detention centers or housed in refugee camps around the world. The effects of wars, such as the Syrian civil war and the conflicts in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and the Central African Republic are an obvious catalyst for the exodus of people into Europe and North America. Other often overlooked circumstances are discussed, as such as climate change, drought and famine, political persecution, and overcrowding.

This book examines how nations are addressing the crises, how refugees contribute to and strain communities, and what kinds of solutions could help resolve this crisis. Additionally, there is historical perspective, going back the waves of refugees during World Wars I and II. Included are interviews with refugees and relief organizations, color photos, inserts, source notes, a glossary, index, and resource lists of books, films, and websites.

Books on technology become outdated so quickly, but I immediately thought highly of this book because there was not a single photo of the old “Hollywood” robot from the 1960s television show LOST IN SPACE. This book comes with a QR code for each chapter or the website popbooksonline.com/robots for more information. The four chapters are: What are Robots?, How Robots Work, Ways to Use Robots, and The Future of Robots.

“Robots are machines that perform tasks for people. Some robots are simple…Other robots are very complex.” (4) Robots are run by computers programmed by people.

The graphic on page 17 shows “TYPES OF ROBOTS” simple and complex. The simple robots include a robot vacuum, robot toy dog, and a robot lawn mower. The complex ones include a factory robot, military robot, space robot, and a robot that goes to school. None of these robots look like humans, which might be one of the best selling features of this book!

Large font type, three or four sentences per page turn, and up-to-date photos of robots being used to do work make this book a great introduction for young reader on the subject of robots.

This story is like a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. How will you ever be able to get all of the pieces together, especially when the mean character is trying to do the exact same thing.

The ‘boy’ wakes up on an island beach not knowing or remembering anything. Amnesia? He has an inner bully of a subconscious always ready to let him know how dumb and cowardly he is in his choices of action. Let’s put some more pieces of the puzzle together. Let’s try a different color scheme. Let’s go from the gray of the beach to the green of the forest. The bully thinks this is a bad choice. There are monsters in the forest. The boy escapes the monster by climbing a tree. There he saves a baby owl in a torrential rain storm, only to find a tree house. The colors of the puzzle pieces now change from the brown of the tree house to a strong beam of light. The boy decides to find the source of the light. The colors change yet again as the boy leaves the forest and comes to a lighthouse. “He stepped back, starring out of the window at the trees of the Green Wall [forest] lined up outside the lighthouse. What kind of place made refrigerators appear out of thin air? Showed his brother in a puddle? Made a pathway from an owl of leaves? And lured him with a light that had no bulb?” (115) Will these puzzle pieces ever come together to make a whole picture?

The boy tries to make a boat, but it floats away without him. Then three boys come to the island in two real boats. The boy wants to leave the island with them, but they cannot see him. Is he a ghost? More pieces to the puzzle. Is he dead? Finally, someone is here to help him get off of this island. The puzzle is coming together at last. The boy must choose between the easy way of slipping into the afterlife or the hard way of fighting his way back into consciousness to the life and family he is sure is waiting for his return. The bully does not think the boy could or should face the blues of the sea to get to the other distant island where his family waits for him. The boy conquers his fears and “made his own courage.”(240) The boy – Ethan- wakes up in the hospital room to the joy of his father, younger brother, and mother. The boy- Ethan- has faced his demons and survived.

Intermediate elementary readers will enjoy finding out some of the secret “tricks used by filmmakers.” (8) Some are done while the movie is being filmed, while others are added after the filming. “Most film studios had special effects teams by the 1920s.” (15) Some of the effects mentioned are: animatronics, claymation, substitution shots, stop-motion animation, CGI, and use of models.

There are usually six to eight sentences in a combination of two paragraphs per page turn along side photos from twenty big Hollywood movies. Movies like Star Wars, Titanic, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Mary Poppins, and Jurassic Park III. Lovers of action movies will enjoy this book.

The book closes with the publisher’s web site- Factsurfer.com. Its link to the AMC site is outstanding!

This book will give young readers information about collared lizards, such as: biome, habitat, coloring-camouflage, and diet. The collared lizards appearance is not described, but gained through colored photographs on almost every page.

There are usually three factual sentences for every page turn, in a large font, with glossary words in bold. Pages 14-15 state, “Collared lizards need heat to break down their food. Food that does not break down rots. They stop eating before they hibernate so they do not get sick.”

The book closes with the publisher’s web site – Factsurfer.com, which gives a recap of the book and additional information.