Scott, Victoria. Titans.

Scott, Victoria.  Titans.  Scholastic Press     2016  310p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-545-80601-5  ms  Realistic fiction  VG  

Titans are mechanical horses that run races just like real horses, and, just as in real horse races, gambling is the source of revenue for the questionable owners of the titans and the racetracks. This is the story of what happens when a young girl and a retired engineer team up to get an old Titan up and running races ... and maybe winning as well.      Titans is a quick-paced, well-written novel that is at its base the story of a girl and her horse, and her place in the family. The weaving together of the multiple story lines and genres, action/adventure, sci-fi, and family, reminds this reader Kathy Reich’s Virals series. The author nicely handles the unsavory aspects of gambling and horse racing for middle-school readers. Astrid, the protagonist, is a strongly written girl who has no qualms about stepping into the word of the Titans, and the danger that comes along. Sure to be a hit with female readers.

Summary: Titans is the story of a young girl and a retired engineer who team up to get an old Titan, or mechanical horse, fixed up so it can run races, just like a real horse.
     

Mechanical horses-Fiction, Horse racing-Fiction    --Lynn Fisher

Scott, Elaine. Our Moon.

Scott, Elaine.  Our Moon.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion  2015  71p  $18.99  ISBN 978-0-547-48394-8  elem/ms     Nonfiction  E-BN           

This is a comprehensive up-to-date book filled with illustrations and full-color photographs about our nearest neighbor. It also includes new theories about how the moon was formed and the facts that support its habitation.   This is a well-written and beautifully formatted book that relates new theories and interesting facts for young readers. The information presented is well supported by relevant illustrations and colorful photographs to illustrate the content.

This book will be an asset to any library because research skills are encouraged with a glossary, a bibliography, and an index. This is a well-written book that would make an excellent addition to any school library. It has been recommended for our Books of Note.

Summary: This is a comprehensive up-to-date book filled with illustrations and full-color photographs about our nearest neighbor. It also includes new theories about how the moon was formed and the facts that support its habitation.       

Moon                                                              --Linda McNeil

Scott, Elaine. Our Moon.

Scott, Elaine.  Our Moon.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion  2015  71p  $18.99  ISBN 978-0-547-48394-8  elem/ms     Nonfiction  E-BN           

This is a comprehensive up-to-date book filled with illustrations and full-color photographs about our nearest neighbor. It also includes new theories about how the moon was formed and the facts that support its habitation.   This is a well-written and beautifully formatted book that relates new theories and interesting facts for young readers. The information presented is well supported by relevant illustrations and colorful photographs to illustrate the content.

This book will be an asset to any library because research skills are encouraged with a glossary, a bibliography, and an index. This is a well-written book that would make an excellent addition to any school library. It has been recommended for our Books of Note.

Summary: This is a comprehensive up-to-date book filled with illustrations and full-color photographs about our nearest neighbor. It also includes new theories about how the moon was formed and the facts that support its habitation.       

Moon                                                              --Linda McNeil

Scott, Elaine. Buried Alive.

Scott, Elaine.    Buried Alive.     Houghton Mifflin/Clarion      80p   $17.99  978-0-547-70778-5     elem        E-BN       

The disastrous Chilean mine collapse of 2010 is presented for young readers in grades 3-6, with all the anxious moments of both trapped miners and relatives presented to readers in an appropriate way.  “Teamwork” and “hope” were the two words associated with the rescue.  Throughout the book, which is filled with excellent color photos of trapped miners, distraught relatives, and workers trying to devise a rescue plan, the author conveys a sense of urgency to the reader.  Teamwork is the principal that allowed the trapped miners to survive in darkness for seventeen days without knowing if they would be rescued.  Teamwork is what people above ground exhibited as they sought the means for a successful rescue. Relatives and friends of the miners also banded together to maintain a vigil through the over-two-month rescue process.  Hope was the emotion that filled miners, relatives, and rescuers, as they never gave up on their belief that the miners could be rescued.  The author does an outstanding job of presenting the lifestyle of the trapped miners, the steadfastness of relatives in the camp outside the mine, and the international efforts to provide equipment and ideas for rescuing the miners.  This book is to be commended for the author’s statement on how she researched her book and the afterword that relays the current status of the miners, which in many cases is far from the glory of the first month after rescue.  An extraordinary book for students who want to learn about the value of helping others through difficult times.  In short, this is an outstanding account of the Chilean mine disaster with excellent documentation and photographs for young readers that shows how hope and teamwork can lead to a positive outcome.                                  -- Lois McNicol