24/7 Science Behind the Scenes
This high interest series from Franklin Watts is aimed at
grades 8-12 with a reading level of grades 5-7.
I have spent this evening reading a few of the books and was very impressed with
both format and content. Even the Table of Contents is filled with colorful,
attention-grabbing photos! This is followed by a one-page "hook" in large print
to generate interest.
Next are a couple of facing pages that define terms (with pronunciation guides)
that will be used in the book. These have colorful speech balloons with
the words used in sentences to put them in the proper context. By the time
students get into the actual book content, they will have seen the words defined
and seen them used.
Next the characters, key players, or key tools or facts are
introduced, always with visual impact. Sometimes this is followed by a brief
multiple choice self quiz to show readers how much they already do or don't
know. And in some series sets which depend a lot on scientific methods and
experiments, readers are introduced to the a three-step scientific method:
1. Identify two main questions.
2. Gather and analyze evidence.
3. Reach a conclusion.
The bulk of each book deals with three specific cases
histories or files that show spies, police, or other scientists at work. By the
time you get to these forensic, spy, or mystery files, you have already been
introduced to the science behind them and to the specific vocabulary necessary
to understand them. Other interesting tidbits follow the case histories that
relate to them: news stories, key dates in the history of the particular science
involved, tools and equipment the scientist uses, etc.
The last part of each book contains an interview with someone
who plays an important part in that science -- a DVA Forensic Scientist, a
Forensic Firearms Examiner, a Forensic Anthropologist, or such. This gives
readers an idea of what such work involves. This is followed by a "Do you have
what is takes?" quiz of a few questions for readers to see if they might be a
good match for such an occupation. A page follows that on how to prepare for
such a career. This is followed by resources, including web sites, a dictionary,
and and index. Books are 64 pages long.
24/7: Forensic Files Series
Bullet
Proof!: The Evidence That Guns Leave Behind by Jaime Joyce. 2007. This
books explains how a single bullet from a gun can lead police to a criminal
through the hard work of forensic firearms experts. BTH-4407. $7.16-D
Have
You Seen This Face? The Work of Forensic Artists
by Danielle Denega.
2007. Readers will learn how a forensic artist can reproduce a face she or she
has never seen by listening to eyewitness descriptions, looking at old photos,
or even studying a skull. BTH-4408. $7.16-D
Guilty
by a Hair! Real-life DNA Matches by Anna Prokos, 2007. This book reveals
how DNA scientists can solve crimes or help free innocent people with the right
equipment and a small sample of spit, blood, skin, hair or some other substance
from a person's body. It explains DNA and how it can be isolated and used as
evidence to match people with a crime scene. BTH-4409. $7.16-D
Killer
at Large: Criminal Profilers and the Cases They Solve by D. B. Beres,
2007. When there's a serial killer on the loose and there don't seem to be any
clues, how to police find out who it is? What if a crime is committed and there
isn't much evidence? How to the police begin to find a suspect? Criminal
profilers help to narrow down the search. This book explains how they do it.
BTH-4410. $7.16-D
Skulls
and Skeletons: True-life Stories of Bone Detectives by Danielle Denega,
2007. In this book you'll learn how forensic anthropologists can determine a
victim's gender, race, and age from a few bones. You'll see how these scientists
help police identify the victims of earthquakes, floods, murder cases, plane
crashes, and fires. They can also help determine how the victims died. BTH-4411.
$7.16-D
24/7: Spy Files
Bioterror:
Deadly Invisible Weapons by Lisa Jo Rudy, 2008. In this book you will
discover how microbiologists find the violent illness that caused a dozen
or more people from an office building be rushed to the hospital. If they
find out a biological or chemical weapon is behind that illness, they will call
in the bioterror experts. Readers will also learn about four deadly bioweapons
and some actual cases bioterror experts have been asked to solve. BTH-4412.
$7.16-D
Killer
Lipstick and Other Spy Gadgets
by Don Fauf, 2008. This book explains how
spies gather intelligence for their governments and military to use. Learn about
the various gadgets that are the tools of their trade, how a spy who sold U.S.
secrets for 17 years was caught, and whether you have what it takes to be a
special agent. BTH-4413. $7.16-D
Micro
Spies: Spy Planes the Size of Birds
by Lisa Jo Rudy, 2008. This book
describes the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs -- high tech military tools that
can be as big as jets or small enough to fit into a pocket. Readers will find
out about the Predator, the Global Hawk, the Dragon Eye, the six-foot SkySeer
used by the Los Angeles Police Department, and the ornithopters that fly like
birds but have not been perfected yet, and more. BTH-4414. $7.16-D
You
Have Mail: True Stories of Cybercrime by Matthew Newman, 2008. In this
book readers will learn how the police, computer geniuses, and counterspies are
fighting the war against crooks, terrorists, and spies who use the Internet for
illegal activities. You will also learn how to protect yourself and your
computer against cyber criminals and whether you have what it takes to be a
computer security specialist. BTH-4415. $7.16-D
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