Reviews (2)

summary of the prequels
"Galactic Crisis!" is a summary of the Star Wars prequels. As with the films, the plot begins with the blockade of Naboo and ends with the new hope that infant Luke Skywalker will eventually become a Jedi and help restore the Republic.The chronological order will help clarify episodes one through three for readers.The illustrations are large, high-quality and extracted from the films. "Galactic Crisis" is an enjoyable journey through the Star Wars prequels.

The Origins of Darth Vader.
STAR WARS: GALACTIC CRISIS! is a Level 4 DK Readers children's book. It was written for youngsters who have a proficient reading level in mind. The book tells the story told in the first three episodes of George Lucas Star Wars saga: THE PHANTOM MENACE, ATTACK OF THE CLONES, and REVENGE OF THE SITH. The book is filled with pictures from all three movies and includes a vocabulary at the end of the book. This book is intended for children, but adults who are Star Wars fans can enjoy it, too--it actually filled in a couple of gaps from THE PHANTOM MENACE and ATTACK OF THE CLONES that I didn't get from just watching the films. Overall, a great gift for young Star Wars fans. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Children's All Ages - Fiction - General    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    4. Children: Grades 3-4    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Movie Tie - In    7. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    8. Science fiction    9. Juvenile Fiction / Movie or Television Tie-In   

Reviews (3)

Well Written
I purchased this for my son who is 9. He enjoyed it to my surprise and pleasure!It is well illustrated and made him think outside the box ( not that hard for a nine yr.old). The questions this book generates in the young reader makes it a valuable book in theireducation.

Looking for the legendary lost city of Atlantis
I was always more interested in the "real" Atlantis that the ones that popped up in fiction ever since I read a "Reader's Digest" article that explained how archeologists were looking at the volcanic island of Thera in the Aegean sea as the legendary island.The most interesting part of the article talked about how the volcanic explosions that destroyed Thera may well have been the cause of the plagues of Egypt, all of which are apparently associated with volcanic eruptions.Since I am planning a trip to Greece early next year that could involve a few days on the black sand beaches of Thera, I have been doing a bit of research on both the place and the legends of Atlantis. A Great Read
A bought this book for my 8 year-old and ended up reading it myself.I've done a fair amount of my own reading on Atlantis and to my surprise I found this to be a really well written overview of many famous Atlantis ideas.The book begins with a nice retelling of Plato's original story.There are some really stunning illustrations in the book - from the original artwork showing the capital city of Atlantis as it might have been, to many photographs of undersea ruins etc.The author has done a great job, and produced a book that I and my son enjoyed in equal measure! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Atlantis    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Curiosities & Wonders    5. History - Ancient    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Readers - Beginner    9. Readers - Chapter Books    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / Readers / Chapter Books   

Reviews (1)

Great
i saw this book in a school book order and i thought it looked interesting so i bought it and it was great. i liked the story about Tutankhamun curse it was really cool. i also liked when they swoed you the steps in making a mummy. anybody should read this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. History - Ancient    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Juvenile literature    6. Mummies    7. Readers - Chapter Books    8. Readers - Intermediate    9. Social Science - Archaeology    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / Readers / Chapter Books   

Reviews (1)

Disappointing
I have purchased quite a few DK Readers books for my kids. We love them. This one, for some reason, has failed to grab their attention. I barely made it half way through before the kids started to suggest that I read other books.Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - History - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Classical mythology    5. History - Ancient    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Legends, Myths, & Fables - Greek & Roman    9. Mythology, Greek    10. Readers - Beginner    11. Readers - Chapter Books    12. Trojan War    13. Trojan horse (Greek mythology)    14. Ancient Greece    15. English    16. English language reading schemes    17. Juvenile Fiction / Readers / Chapter Books    18. Myths & mythology   

Reviews (4)

Don't waste your time.
If you are searching for the perfect waste of time and money - look no further. This book has a very contrived plot. The characters are at best one dimensional. The Lego concept may lure some readers to the this title but most of them will be quickly turned off by the highly improbably storyline. Sidelines on each page provide further information about some of the terms that are used in this story but even this is more of a distraction than anything else. The vocabulary is very high for the intended audience. Use your money to buy actual legos that the kids can make up their own stories about. The story that an average 4year old can make up would be almost guaranteed to be better than this one is.

I Liked It a Lot
Race for Survival. This is the best.
I Like the Rock Raiders,There vehicles,and the Rock,Ice,andLava Monsters. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Action & Adventure - General    3. Adventure & Adventurers    4. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - Science Fiction    5. Children: Grades 3-4    6. Fiction    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Readers - Beginner    9. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    10. Volcanoes    11. Juvenile Fiction / Readers / Chapter Books   

Reviews (1)

4 1/2 *ARGGHHH, MATIES!A Treasure of Pirate Information
Once again, Dorling Kindersley swabs the decks of other publishing houses with its high quality production, style, and storehouse of sidebars, illustrations, and tidbits of information.This book is recommended for children in grades 2-4, although they caution that these are rough guidelines.Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. History - Other    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Juvenile literature    6. Law & Crime    7. Pirates    8. Readers - Intermediate    9. Juvenile Fiction / Readers / Chapter Books   

Reviews (2)

History can be fun for kids
This is a well written book with excellent photographs. Colors are bright and eye-catching. Drawings/graphs appear to be accurate. Prose is uncomplicated but interesting to that level of audience. A good book for reading aloud to younger children interested in how knights lived.

My thoughts
This childrens book was a great choice when discussing midieval times.It was an enjoyable read.The book "Days of the Knights, A Tale of Castles and Battles", combined fiction with non-fiction.The storywas told with action and drama while the reality of items that were used tofight such a battle were illustrated and explained. By doing this, theauthor, Christopher Maynard, spun history with fable to create anadventurous escape into midieval times. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. Civilization, Medieval    4. History - Medieval    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Knights and knighthood    8. Medieval civilization    9. Readers - Beginner    10. Social Science - Customs, Traditions, Anthropology    11. Juvenile Nonfiction / Readers / Chapter Books   

Reviews (1)

A Winner!!
This is another DK reader that not only held the interest of my 9 yr old son but captivated him as well. Well written and the pictures are fantastic. If you have a son that only likes video games and is a gamer,but thinks reading is boring buy this book withMicroMonsters(dk) They will be enthralled!!! Both books he could NOT put down until he finished them! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adventure & Adventurers    2. Antarctica    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 3-4    5. Discovery and exploration    6. Exploration    7. Explorers    8. History - Exploration & Discovery    9. Juvenile Nonfiction    10. Juvenile literature    11. Readers - Beginner    12. Readers - Chapter Books    13. Juvenile Nonfiction / History / Exploration & Discovery    14. Children's    15. Readers   

Reviews (1)

SCARY!!!!
My nine year old loved this book! So did the adults in the home as well. Wonderful descriptions and detailed, vivid pictures. Scared him too!! Now washing is a necessity! It should be recommended reading for all 9 year olds AND there parents! One of the best of the DK readers(advisory: Not for the squeamish!) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Science    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Juvenile Fiction    5. Juvenile literature    6. Microorganisms    7. Readers    8. Readers - Beginner    9. Readers - Chapter Books    10. Science & Nature - General    11. Science & Technology - General    12. Juvenile Fiction / Readers / Chapter Books   

Reviews (1)

Extreme Machines = extreme readers
This beginning reader has everything a beginning reader needs: interesting text (EXTREME MACHINES!), repetitive text, interesting pictures, and a dictionary to help with those unfamiliar words. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. Juvenile Fiction    4. Juvenile literature    5. Machinery    6. Motor vehicles    7. Readers - Beginner    8. Readers - Intermediate    9. Technology - Machinery    10. Transportation - General    11. Vehicles    12. Juvenile Fiction / Readers / Chapter Books   

Reviews (2)

Volcanoes and Other Natural Disasters
QuentinVolcanos & otherNatural Disasters Eyewitness Readers Volcanoes and other Natural Disasters
This reader is jam-packed with disaster stories and the science and geography that caused the event.My children love real stories above those that are made up.More school subjects are covered and History has become a bit more interesting. What more can I say but WOW! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Nature    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Juvenile literature    6. Natural disasters    7. Nature - Earthquakes & Volcanoes    8. Nature - Weather/Natural Disasters    9. Readers - Beginner    10. Science & Nature - Earth Sciences - Earthquakes & Volcanoes    11. Juvenile Nonfiction / Readers / Chapter Books   

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Classics    5. England    6. Folklore    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Legends    10. Readers - Beginner    11. Robin Hood (Legendary characte    12. Robin Hood (Legendary character)    13. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

Subjects:  1. 1942-    2. African Americans    3. Ali, Muhammad,    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography - Cultural Heritage    6. Biography & Autobiography - Sports & Recreation    7. Boxers (Sports)    8. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    9. Children: Grades 3-4    10. Juvenile Nonfiction    11. Juvenile literature    12. Sports & Recreation - Miscellaneous    13. United States    14. Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Sports & Recreation   

Reviews (2)

An excellent book for young readers
I remember reading the first few issues of the Incredible Hulk comic book when they first came out. The early sixties were an incredible time for the development of new comic book characters. This was the most intense phase of the cold war and humans were beginning to send probes and people into space. Some of the dangers of exposure to radioactivity were known, but enough was unknown so that the comic developers could use it as a basis for the development of superpowers.
Very entertaining,yet informative, reading for young readers
The entertainment value of this basic summary of the Incredible Hulk's story in Marvel Comics is high, and should certainly capture the attention of the proficient young readers.It's quite literate with good vocabulary for the reading level.Importantly, though it's fun.While conveying the spirit of the comic book character, Teitelbaum brings in related bits of information aimed at increasing the young reader's knowledge while stimulating youthful curiosity into learning more about the Hulk's literary predecessers, about early concerns about nuclear energy, about the cold war and its anxieties, about the fields of scientific research along with other topics.Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Comic strip characters    5. Comics & Graphic Novels - General    6. Hulk (Comic strip)    7. Incredible Hulk (Fictitious ch    8. Incredible Hulk (Fictitious character)    9. Juvenile Mass Media    10. Juvenile Nonfiction    11. Juvenile literature    12. Readers - Intermediate    13. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    14. Juvenile Nonfiction / Humor / Cartoons & Comics   

Reviews (1)

Young readers enter the debate on who is the best SS today
"Super Shortstops: Jeter, Nomar, and A-Rod" asks the burning question: "Are three of the greatest shortstops in baseball history playing right now?"Certainly this is a question a lot of baseball fans have been asking, especially last year when all three of these shortstops were named to the American League team (along with two other, including Miguel Tejada, who ended up being the MVP).Towards answering that question James Buckley, Jr. begins by reviewing the history of the position, from Honus Wagner to Cal Ripken, Jr.Over another dozen former and current great shortstops are mentioned throughout the book in the margins and the concluding, "Who's Next" section, but the focus is clearly on the big three.Rodriguez is "A-Rod!", Jeter is "King of the Yankees," and Garciapara is "The Pride of Boston."The career highlights of each shortstop are covered and the statistics of these "Three amigos" through 1999 are provided in the back.However, if Buckley really wanted to make his case he could have offered up some similar statistics for Wagner, Banks, et al. to show exactly how this trio matches up with the best of all time.I think this would clearly prove that Jeter, Nomar, and A-Rod all deserve to be in the Top 10 of all-time and that offensively Rodriguez would be at the top of the list.Of coruse, this raises some other interesting questions as well: Who would you rather have?A-Rod with his 40-50 home runs or Jeter with his four World Series rings?Read more

Subjects:  1. 1973-    2. 1974-    3. Baseball players    4. Biography    5. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    6. Children: Grades 3-4    7. Garciaparra, Nomar,    8. Jeter, Derek,    9. Juvenile Nonfiction    10. Juvenile literature    11. Readers - Chapter Books    12. Readers - Intermediate    13. Shortstop (Baseball)    14. Sports & Recreation - Baseball    15. United States    16. Juvenile Nonfiction / Readers / Chapter Books   

Reviews (2)

Through, fun and a smart read!
If you were only going to get 3 or 4 books about Shakespeare, this really should be the first! It is done in the DK style format (even if your not a big fan of this style this book makes a great exception to the rule)and the pages are covered with info and pictures. This is the first one of these readers level style that was meaty and entertaining. Well, Well done!

4 1/2* The Play's the Thing--and More!
This book transports you to 1602 London and itsfamous Globe theater, the venue for some of Shakespeare's greatest plays. One of its many strengths is that it is told in first person narrative by multiple characters: A young male character actor playing a woman as well as Richard Burbage, perhaps the most famous Shakespearian actor of the time, an apple seller struggling to make a living during a time of plague, a wealthy theater-goer and a poor one, a pickpocket, and Burbage's brother, Cuthbert, the force being the building of the Globe. Read more

Subjects:  1. 1564-1616    2. 17th century    3. Children's 4-8 - Performing Arts    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    5. Children: Grades 3-4    6. England    7. Globe Theatre (London, England    8. History    9. Juvenile Nonfiction    10. Juvenile literature    11. London    12. Performing Arts - Theater    13. Readers - Beginner    14. Readers - Chapter Books    15. Shakespeare, William,    16. Stage history    17. Theater    18. Theaters    19. To 1625    20. Drama / Shakespeare    21. Shakespeare, William   

Subjects:  1. 1929-1968    2. African Americans    3. Baptists    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography - Cultural Heritage    6. Biography & Autobiography - Historical    7. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    8. Children: Grades 3-4    9. Civil rights workers    10. Clergy    11. Jr.,    12. Juvenile Nonfiction    13. Juvenile literature    14. King, Martin Luther,    15. Readers - Beginner    16. Readers - Chapter Books    17. United States    18. Biography & Autobiography / People of Color   

Reviews (4)

Perfect for the young mind.
In one very special way, I had a wonderful childhood. My parents shopped at a small grocery store that had an extensive rack of comics. The owners were very nice people who allowed me to read the comics while my parents bought groceries. Since my father also bought his mother's groceries, I had plenty of time to read (devour) them all. Therefore, I was able to read the original issues of most of the superheroes that erupted from the fertile mind of Stan Lee at Marvel Comics. When I opened this book, I recognized the cover of the first issue of the X-Men series.
Introduction to the Original Team.
This easy to read book aimed at young readers serves as a perfect introduction for those unfamiliar with the original X-Men team:Cyclops, Marvel Girl, the Beast, Iceman, and Angel all studying under the tutelage of Charles Xavier, aka Professor X.The book also talks about Magneto and the first adventure that the X-Men took part in. The classic team has taken many changes over the years, but few teams will rival the original. Great introduction to the original X-Men team.

Introducers a new generation to the original X-Men
Publication of "The Story of the X-Men: How It All Began" was clearly inspired by the 2000 film that brought Marvel's merry mutants to the big screen for the first time.What I like about this book by Michael Teitelbaum is that it indeed focuses on the original X-Men instead of trying to deal with all the roster changes.However, while focusing on Professor X and the first-generation of X-Men--Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Iceman and Angel--it does bring the characters up to date.Of course, a section is devoted to Magneto as well and the book does touch on the Generation X roster of the team, but the point is clearly to learn about the original group.Teitelbaum also does a good job of setting up the compelling premise of the comic book, that mutants are feared and distrusted by "normal" human beings.It was this strong underlying current of prejudice that always gave the X-Men its depth as a comic book.My only complaint is that while there are examples of artwork from throughout the entire run of the X-Men, no credit is given to the particular artists (although you should be able to recognize the distinctive styles of Kirby, Lee, etc.). Those of us who started reading X-Men when it first came out will recognize this is an excellent introduction to the good old days for newcomers to the world of the Un-Canny X-Men.A glossary in the back defines over two-dozens words reflecting the rich vocabulary and challening sentence structure of this Level 4 (Proficient Readers) DK volume. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Action & Adventure - General    3. Cartoons and comics    4. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 3-4    6. Comics & Graphic Novels - General    7. History and criticism    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Juvenile literature    10. Readers - Intermediate    11. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    12. X-Men (Fictitious characters)    13. X-men    14. X-men (Comic strip)    15. Antiques & Collectibles / Movies    16. Children's    17. Readers   

Reviews (1)

The Rocket, Big Unit, Pedro, and the Ryan Express
The "Strikeout Kings" tells young readers about Major League baseball's all-time greatest strikeout pitchers from Hall of Famers Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson to current mound aces Curt Shilling and Kerry Wood.However, James Buckley, Jr. focuses on four famous fireballers, three of which are still playing today (and through next year at least): Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and Nolan Ryan.You get career highlights for each and all sorts of fascinating tidbits (Randy Johnson at 6' 10" is as high as a stack of 29 baseballs).This is a Level 4 Dorling Kindersley Reader for proficient readers and is, as you would expect, richly illustrated with color photographs.I especially like how Buckley not only tells his young readers about four of the best strikeout artists of recent years, but also puts these greats in the context of the game's history and talks about greats of the past like Rube Waddell and Steve Carlton.If you do not know the history of the game, then you simply do not know baseball. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Baseball players    2. Biography    3. Children's 9-12 - Sports / Recreation / Outdoors    4. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    5. Children: Grades 3-4    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Pitchers (Baseball)    9. Readers - Chapter Books    10. Sports & Recreation - Baseball    11. United States    12. Juvenile Nonfiction / Readers / Chapter Books   

Editorial Review

Amelia Earhart may be one of the most famous women in history. Initially recognized as the first woman to fly the Atlantic, she went on to perform many other amazing airborne feats, including a solo Atlantic flight, another from Hawaii to California, and, possibly her most legendary trip ever, an ill-fated attempt to fly around the world. This flight ended abruptly and mysteriously over the Pacific, when Earhart lost radio contact with a Coast Guard crew, the last people to hear her voicebefore she disappeared forever.Read more

Reviews (1)

Flying Ace: The Story of Amelia Earhart
This book is a well written and interesting biography of Amelia Earhart.It includes many photographs of Earhart and interesting additional information about the era in which she lived. My daughter was fascinated by all the information about how different the opportunities for women were in the first half of this century. Earhart's life story was clearly explained and the photos,newspaper headlines,and illustrations added a wonderful realism to the biography.This book was a terrific introduction to biographies for my third grade daughter! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1897-1937    2. Air pilots    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography - General    5. Biography & Autobiography - Historical    6. Biography & Autobiography - Science & Technology    7. Children's 4-8 - Biography / Autobiography    8. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    9. Children: Grades 3-4    10. Earhart, Amelia,    11. Juvenile Nonfiction    12. Juvenile literature    13. Transportation - Aviation    14. United States    15. Women air pilots    16. Juvenile Fiction / Readers / Chapter Books