Subtitled ``Investigating a Cosmic Mystery,'' this book brings together the events of June 30, 1908, when something—meteor, comet, asteroid, antimatter, spaceship?—hit central Siberia with a force two thousand times greater than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Gallant (A Young Person's Guide to Science, 1993, etc.) investigates this space puzzle with copious references to theories from scientific journals, eyewitness accounts, reports of early investigators, notes from his 1992 expedition to the site, and interviews with contemporary scientists. While there are no answers, he discusses current theories, and relates the occurence to past earth history (for example, the extinction of the dinosaurs) and future events. The book concludes with an extensive list of further reading, with many selections from scientific journals, including several in Russian. While the text is technical, it is thoroughly intriguing; this is especially useful in detailing how scientists work. (b&w photos, index not seen) (Nonfiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-698-80323-0
Page Count: 154
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Reading like a long term paper, this dry, abstract recitation of teams and players brings neither the game nor the people who played and are playing it to life. McKissack (with Patricia C. McKissack, Black Diamond, 1994, not reviewed, etc.) opens with a chapter on basketball’s invention and original rules, closes with a look at women’s basketball, and in between chronicles the growth of amateur, college, and pro ball, adding clipped quotes, technical observations about changing styles of play and vague comments about how players black and white respected each other. The information is evidently drawn entirely from previously published books and interviews. A modest selection of black-and-white photographs give faces to some of the many names the author drops, but readers won’t find much more about individual players beyond an occasional biographical or statistical tidbit. McKissack frequently points to parallels in the history of African Americans in basketball and in baseball, but this account comes off as sketchy and unfocused compared to Black Diamond. (glossary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-48712-4
Page Count: 148
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This technical, comprehensive entry in the Dangerous Weather series explores the mystery of rain and what happens when it does not come. Allaby (Tornadoes, p. 1384) first defines drought before discussing the reasons for and results of long periods without rain. Readers will gain a clear understanding of scientific terms that are in use, about air movements in the tropics and subtropics, subtropical deserts, desert life, precipitation, evaporation, ocean currents, jet streams, blocking highs, and more. As with the previous book, it may not interest general readers, but it will make research a breeze and may inspire further inquiries into the subject of droughts and water conservation. (b&w photos, drawings, illustrations, charts, graphs, index, not seen) (Nonfiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-8160-3519-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Facts On File
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1997
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