Mars and the Search for Life

Clarion, 2008. 978-0618766956; $17.00 (Grades 3-7)

"A well-researched examination of our fascinating relationship with the Red Planet, and of the possibility of life (intelligent or otherwise) existing (or having existed) in its stark, rugged landscapes. Beginning with Orson Wells’s famous War of the Worlds radio broadcast on October 30, 1938, Scott’s readable and informational text follows the history of our speculations, from Giovanni Schiaparelli and Percival Lowell’s “canals” to the Mariner flybys, the Viking landers, and a busy stable of rovers. Deductions made from detailed photos and a variety of experiments cond ucted on the surface are discussed, as are the practical steps of choosing a landing site, calculating a window of opportunity for a successful launch, and the launch itself, not to mention the engineering feats of designing a launch vehicle, a spaceship, and a mechanism that will not only survive being dropped from space to an unforgiving surface, but one that will actually work after impact. Color photos, illustrations, and diagrams liberally dot the oversize pages, themselves colored like a Martian landscape–pale rusty orange fading to a gray-tinged “sky.” Sidebars offer information on such topics as “Refracting vs. Reflecting,” “Mars Time,” and “Satellites Orbiting Mars.” Teamed with such titles as the simpler, straightforward Mars (World Book, 2007) and Gloria Skurzynski’s intriguing Are We Alone?: Scientists Search for Life in Space (National Geographic, 2004), this clearly written, carefully constructed book will shine like the Red Planet seen on a clear, moonless night.–Starred Review SLJ, February 2009.

"Here Scott recaps the progress thus far, from the invention of the telescope to the Phoenix Mars mission that, she notes, made a successful landing just as her report was going to press. Along with a fine array of large, composite space images, surface-level photographs and digital paintings that include pictures of all the probes currently orbiting the Red Planet, she enhances her summary of each mission's achievements and findings with a diagram that identifies every scientific instrument aboard the Spirit and Opportunity rovers." -- Kirkus

Additional attention is focused on the technological challenges of designing and launching spacecraft capable of making it to Mars intact. Abundant color, color-enhanced, and black-and-white images give readers a real feel for the Martian surface, and artistic renderings illustrate current and future technologies that get spacecraft to Mars—and someday, hopefully, back to Earth again. -- The Horn Book

“Scott, who so ably handled Pluto’s recent identity crisis, now turns to Earth’s mysterious next-door neighbor to discuss the Mars Exploration Rover and tantalizing findings that suggest that conditions on the red planet may once have been hospitable to life. . . . Sidebar information ranges from the predictably useful (Martian gravity and time) to the outright quirky (Pieces of World Trade Center wreckage were incorporated into the Rock Abrasion Tool).” -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

 

All About Sleep From A to Zzzz

Viking, 2008. 978-0670061884; $17.99 (Grades 3-6)

"This excellent overview is packed with interesting tidbits, such as the fact that most people are paralyzed during sleep. Scott is careful to point out which information is factual and which is theory, an important distinction. Chapters include the history of what we know about sleep, what happens while you sleep, theories about dreams, and sleep disorders." --School Library Journal

"In ten brief chapters dotted with the occasional black-and-white cartoon illustration and inset factlet, Scott relates a great deal of interesting information about the nature of sleep." -- Kirkus

"Though historical figures such as Aristotle and Freud come up in the discussion, Scott makes clear that scientists today are continually learning more about the nature and significance of sleep." -- Booklist

Named an Outstanding Science Trade Book for 2009 by The Miss Rumphius Effect.

A Junior Literary Guild Selection, January 2009

Secrets of the Cirque Medrano

Charlesbridge, 2008. ISBN 978-1-57091-712-7; $15.95

Elaine Scott vividly recreates the drama and excitement that charged the intellectual world of avant-garde artists and writers in Paris at the turn of the twentieth century.

"Great art often seems to have a story behind it, and Scott has imagined a suspenseful one about the circus acrobats featured in Picasso’s Family of Saltambiques." -- Booklist

"Scott ties the story of the circus (the source of Picasso's Family of Saltimbanques), the growth of the Russian Secret Police in Paris and the change in Montmartre from village to a vibrant part of the city to Brigitte's adjustment to her new life." -- Kirkus

Secrets of the Cirque Medrano has been named one of Bank Street College's Best Children's Books of the Year!

Recommended by Cynsations! Read the updated interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith.

"Delightful!" "Both adventure and mystery can be found in "Secrets of the Cirque Medrano".-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Young readers will follow Brigitte’s coming of age with great interest as she becomes involved in international espionage, aids her new friends who are mistreated by a corrupt circus owner, and touches the lives of artists who changed the world." --YoungadultARCs

Scott has combined history and art into an excellent novel for older elementary and early teen readers that may even encourage them to not only look at a few of Picasso's paintings, but to more closely examine this time period in world history as well. -- Jerry Jarrell

"...mixes history, mystery, and art into an interesting story of amazing adventures that will keep pages turning." --ParentWise Austin

"those who enjoy fiction built up with history and biography will be interested in this window into Picasso's famous painting.--School Library Journal

"The story has good dramatic tension as Brigitte comes to understand the political skullduggery of the Russian secret police and the anarchists. The author captures the changing times, as Montmartre becomes the gathering place of the artists. Readers will come to appreciate the struggles of the circus performers who have no standing in society or protection from exploitation." -- ROYAL

For a free teacher's guide, click here.

When Is a Planet Not a Planet?: The Story of Pluto

Clarion, 2007. ISBN-13 9780618898329; $17.00

The Texas State Reading Association selected When is a Planet Not a Planet? as the 2008 winner of their Golden Spur Award for Children's Literature. It was also selected for the Librarians Choices list by Texas Woman's University. The International Reading Association has named When is a Planet Not a Planet? as a 2008 Teacher's Choice book. When is a Planet Not a Planet?: The Story of Pluto has been named to the Maine Student Book Awards list.

Scott is the first to put the answer to the title question into terms simple enough for a very young audience to understand, based upon the new definitions determined by the International Astronomical Union. Check out the article and teacher resources in the March 2008 issue of Library Sparks.

"Beautifully designed from cover to cover and including numerous captioned color photos and other illustrations from a variety of sources, this book entices browsers to look closely. Serious readers will find plenty of detail and well-chosen references for further research. A great resource." --School Library Journal (starred review)

"Sometimes it's good to go back to basics in order to make sense of things, and that's exactly what Elaine Scott has done with When Is a Planet Not a Planet: The Story of Pluto. It's a thin volume (only 48 pages in hardcover, and only a single CD in audiobook) aimed at school-age kids, but still perfectly enjoyable and educational for adults." -- SciFi Dimensions

The Dallas Morning News reviewed the book on April 6, 2008. About the book, the DMN said "worth the wait" and "...a terrific introduction to astronomy...." Click the link to read the full review.

"Elaine Scott’s “When Is a Planet Not a Planet? The Story of Pluto,” is a remarkable work that adults as well as youngsters will find fascinating and accessible." -- The (Tacoma) News Tribune

"She laces her crystal-clear prose with analogies that make it easy for youngsters to grasp how the astronomers decided to boot Pluto from the majors." -- Sacramento Bee

"Beautifully designed.... A good choice for updating astronomy collections." --Booklist

"But how did this heavenly body [Pluto] get the job in the first place? And why the scientific pink slip? Scott connects these two questions with the certainty that future discussions will change, because scientific knowledge is not static." -- The Horn Book

"Elaine Scott brings together ancient and modern astronomy to make that decision understandable." -- Chicago Tribune

"This promises to be a gripping read for curious Middle School and Upper Elementary minds wanting to know as much as they can about astronomy, planets, and the world beyond our stratosphere. It's very attractive and very readable. The pages are loaded with solid facts and terrific trivia." -- Brooklyn Heights Montessori School's Library Blog

"Through easy-to-understand text and often breathtaking photographs, we learn what makes a planet a planet". -- ParentWise Austin

Also now available in audio format from Listening Library or it's trade division, Random Audio.

Poles Apart: Why Penguins and Polar Bears Will Never Be Neighbors (Viking, October 2004)

Poles Apart was named to the CBC-NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People list for 2005. It has also been named to Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best list and The Cooperative Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin named it to their CCBC Choices 2005 list.

Recommended by Columbus (OH) Metropolitan Library and the Pennsylvania Library Association.

The perfect book to supplement the blockbuster films, The March of the Penguins or Happy Feet!

Reviews of Poles Apart

Chicago Tribune: ...what Elaine Scott does so well is convey the basic differences between the Arctic and the Antarctic themselves. -- January 23, 2005

Kirkus: Mid-level readers still a bit hazy on what our planet's poles, both geographic and magnetic, are all about will benefit from Scott's painstaking review of their nature, origins, differences, and human discovery. Along with explanations of rotation, orbits, seasons, magnetism, auroras, continental drift, and a plethora of related topics, she contrasts the climates and wildlife of the Arctic and Antarctic, chronicles the arrival of Inuit and Norse settlers, as well as the exploits of explorers from Captain Cook to Roald Amundsen. She closes with a glimpse of modern research and a discussion of the likely effects of global warming.

School Library Journal: Gr 5-7-This slender, handsome book presents the literal ends of the Earth (if a globular mass can be said to have ends). From the peregrinations of Antarctica as it drifted away from Gondwanaland to descriptions of the magnetic poles, from penguins to polar bears, Scott provides an attractive window on the disparities of two cold places. (December 2004)

Booklist: Gr. 4-8. This handsome, informative book introduces the North and South Poles: their origins, seasons, composition, magnetism, people, animals, exploration, and recent changes. Scott vividly describes the difficulties faced by early explorers and explains matters such as why polar bears would probably not survive in Antarctica. Scott writes well, never talking down to her audience but making scientific and historical information understandable. (December 1, 2004)

Twins! (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1998)

Photographs by Margaret Miller

"Clear, colorful photographs of twins in action will draw children to this appealing photo-essay...With the increasing frequency of multiple births, many children know or see twins in their schools and communities, so this well-designed book is an excellent resource for parents and teachers to have on hand." ALA Booklist

"A warm look at the lives of fraternal and identical siblings, Twins! by Elaine Scott, photos by Margaret Miller, encompasses potential difficulties as well as joys." Publisher's Weekly

Adventure in Space: The Flight to Fix the Hubble (Hyperion Books for Children, 1995)

Photographs by NASA and Margaret Miller *

"A rare look behind the scenes at NASA.... The exceptionally clear, full-color photographs, some from NASA, and others taken by Margaret Miller, work seamlessly with the text. An excellent presentation. Booklist (starred review) *

"This book lives up to its title. The flight is viewed as an adventure rather than as a repair house call. The mission is described in exciting detail, and the book effectively captures the participants' spirit, skill, and dedication." School Library Journal (starred review.)

This title is available from Recorded Books, Inc.

"Runger loves children. He has narrated several books for kids including the fascinating "Adventures in Space: The Flight to Fix the Hubble" by Elaine Scott, which will keep the little ones and their parents on the edge of their seats." -- Excerpt from audiobookstoday.com, December 2, 2002.

A teacher's curriculum guide for Adventure in Space is available by clicking here. A research project for use with Adventure in Space is available online by clicking here.

Movie Magic: Behind the Scenes with Special Effects (Morrow Junior Books, 1995)

"From the imploding house in Poltergeist to the ultrarealistic T. Rex in Jurassic Park, the fascinating world of special effects comes to life in this ... addition to Elaine Scott's popular behind-the-scenes series."

This title is available from Recorded Books, Inc.