DK Readers: Extreme Machines (Level 4: Proficient Readers) (DK READERS LEVEL 4) - Hardcover

Christopher Maynard is an editor and author with more than 50 books under his belt. He is the winner of the 1996 Rhône-Poulenc Prize for Junior Science Book of the Year, and has been the runner-up for the TES Senior Information Book Award. He is the author of Jobs People Do, Days of the Knights, Science Kit, The Best Book of Dinosaurs, and Pirates!: Raiders of the High Seas.

Grade 3-6-Maynard looks at machines from drag cars to helicopters. While part of the "Eyewitness Readers" series, the vocabulary and sentence structure are more challenging than most beginning readers can easily handle, and the text is dense. The vivid illustrations, all showing vehicles on the move, make this a visually appealing book. Sidebars on each page present additional facts. There are no comparisons; readers learn that Le Mans cars are just over three feet high, but they aren't told the height of standard cars. At other times, they are given facts with no explanations, such as why engines are positioned behind the driver in racing cars. This overview of an interesting subject makes great demands of its audience.
Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC
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