Supertrucks (Mean Machines)

Paul Harrison is an award-winning editor and author. He has written a wide variety of books for children, and has a particular passion for modern history. He lives with his wife and son in Hove, East Sussex.

Gr 3-6-Kids who want to read about the biggest, fastest, or strongest vehicles will quickly grab these titles, each of which features 14-to-16 notable machines. All of the text is contained in boxes and photo captions, with a "Super Stats" table that details specifications about speed, size, power, and even price (for some). The indexes are minimal and words defined in the glossaries are not indicated in the texts, which limits their use for research. However, the large color photos and intriguing covers will draw browsers. Unfortunately, the texts are marred by errors and misspellings (e.g., in Superbikes, "cc" is defined as "cubic capacity" rather than "cubic centimeters"; in Superplanes, maneuverable and maneuverability are misspelled; and in Supercars, one sentence reads, "It has a big trunk and could easily carry home a family's supermarket shop."). Some of the books in Enslow's "Wild Wheels" series (2007) cover the same territory in a more comprehensive fashion, though the format may be less attractive to browsers.α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.