How Serious a Threat Is Climate Change? Is Offshore Oil Drilling Worth the Risks?

Gr 7 Up—These titles open with a current event-the disappearance of an Alaskan Inupiat village due to melting ice and the Deepwater Horizon disaster-that grabs readers' attention and serves to introduce the volume's subject. Each of the five chapters poses a question. The books have similar organization with the first chapter tracing the origins and controversy of the issue. Other chapters outline specific topics such as, "How Reliable Is the Science of Climate Change?" and "Is America's Energy Security Dependent on Offshore Oil?" Common chapter subjects are economic benefits or impacts as well as environmental costs and political implications. Both sides of the issue and contrasting opinions are presented. Each chapter includes a few full-color photos, numerous sidebars that offer quotes from scientists and politicians, and a list of key facts. A former newspaper reporter and columnist, the author presents substantial amounts of information in a readable, student-friendly manner. Useful for reports.—Patricia Ann Owens, Illinois Eastern Community Colleges