Hillstrom, Kevin. Genetically Modified Foods.

Hillstrom, Kevin.  Genetically Modified Foods.  Cengage (Gale/Blackbirch/ Greenhaven/Lucent)  2012  96p  $30.95  978-1-4205-0722-5  series: Nutrition & Health.   ms/hs       VG-BNS   

This succinct book provides factual information in a manner that young adult readers can understand. Crisply written, the text explains the processing of genetically modify food, its advantages, and the concerns associated with it, in a factual presentation devoid of bias or opinion.  It also provides examples of the debates that surround the issue of genetically modifying foods and fairly presents material on both sides of the controversy.

In addition to the informative writing, this book also has visual appeal.  The page layout is attractive.  Each concise chapter includes full-color photographs with captions that enhance and clarify the text.  Chapters also contain graphs and text boxes that provide a visual connection with the additional information they deliver.

Kevin Hillstrom has written a very responsible book about genetically modified foods, presenting all the information in a factual manner.  Its brief chapters with eye-catching graphics make this source nonthreatening to young readers.  It is also a great resource tool, as it contains a table of contents, notes, a glossary, a list of organizations to contact with descriptions, a “more information” page, and an index.

This is one book in the Lucent Books’ Nutrition and Health series.  There are currently ten titles in this series that provide information for evaluating the controversies and conflicting information surrounding issues of nutrition and health.     

Genetically modified foods                            --Virginia McGarvey