Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson, part of a six book series, gives the reader some history and some great photos of this iconic American motorcycle. Photos are on two page spreads with one to three sentences. Unfamiliar words are boldface and defined in the glossary in at the back of the book, which also has an index and table of contents.

This is a great book for the early readers. It should keep them reading and they will certainly enjoy the ‘coolness’ of the Harley-Davidson motorcycles! I don’t think this book will stay on the shelves.

4 X 4 Trucks

All kinds of 4×4 trucks are shown in various crazy driving situations, whether they involve lots of dirt, mud or water. This informative book is a high interest- low level book, so it is written for a 3-6 grade interest level and a 2.6 grade reading level. There is a timeline, labeled vehicle and typical nonfiction features (glossary, index, table of contents, extra resource list, etc.). This book is part of the Full Throttle series that includes eight different vehicles and it is a certainty that none of them will be on your shelves if you buy them!

Cool Indy Cars

Cool Indy Cars is an adrenaline rush inducing introduction to the history, parts and current racing of this type of vehicle. The book is loaded with photos, both historic and current and text boxes add tidbits of fun information about those pictures. A labeled diagram, extra facts, extra resources, index and glossary come together to make this an accessible interesting read for young students. The sentences are short and sometimes choppy. But the content is solid and interesting.

Chevrolet Silverado

This book is part of the Tough Truck series and, as such, describes one make/model of vehicle. The reading level is 5.7 and the book is targeting the 3-6 grade reader. Chevrolet Silverados are described – including their history, distinctive parts (bow tie shaped logo, square grill and tailgate spoiler),lots of color photos and specifications for the model. Typical nonfiction aspects include table of contents, glossary, index and extra resources list.

While this is a great book for the target audience, it isn’t really a stand-alone book, because truck aficionados are loyal to their brand, even at an early age. Therefore, there might be limited circulation. Because it is part of a six book set of different makes/models, one should buy the entire set or none of them. The entire set would be fun to have in the library, because one can just imagine the heated arguments in the 600’s section over the best truck out there!

Dragsters

Dragsters, part of the Full Throttle series, is full of color, action and facts that will make your readers’ hearts race. This book describes a drag race, the history of drag racing and parts of a dragster. Color photos, a timeline, index, glossary, short paragraphs and a list of further informative resources make this a good choice for its target audience – the high/low reader. This is an adrenaline rush of a book that is very accessible and it will have your auto junkies begging for the rest of the series.