Reading Level: Ages 9-12

I must admit that this is not a topic in which I am particularly interested. I'm very secure knowing that the water will be available when I turn on a tap or that the bridge I'm driving over will hold me. I'm not sure if I want to know what happens after I flush a toilet or where the garbage goes. That being said, this book helped me to understand these mundane things using terms that are easily understandable, describing activities that encourage further learning, and showing pictures that are clean and clear and make their point.

This book would make a great secondary resource for high school level physics, engineering or civics courses in that it helps define and explain how the things we take for granted work – why there are different bridges for different applications; what the water table is and why it's important; ways and means of transporting citizens; and many other topics. The simple line-drawn diagrams and illustrations ease understanding of some of the more technical information. Published by Chicago Review Press, this book is supposedly for 9-year-olds and up. I think, unless your middle school student is very "into it", this resource would be better suited to high school students. Some of the activities are a bit blah or extremely elementary, but taking into consideration the subject matter, the activities do help illustrate the concept or principle described in the accompanying text.

Chapters include: water, transportation by water, irrigation, different ways of transportation, trains of all types, different styles of bridges, wires/telephones and wireless communication, plumbing and sewers, refuse disposal or reuse, and pollution from acid rain, global warming and water pollution. This book would make a great text for a co-op class of high schoolers, with the projects done in a group setting with a bit of competition thrown in. For instance, to illustrate the concepts from the chapter on different styles of bridges, a bridge-building contest using the designs described would be great. This book would also be suitable for ideas for science fair projects or as a high school level introduction to civil engineering.

This set of 100 cards covers the Greek and Latin root words found in the companion book. 37 words are Greek Roots (cards are outlined in green - don't worry - they are written in our standard alphabet!) and the res are Latin (cards are outlined in red). The back of each card gives the definition and derivatives in an identical manner to the book (includes definitions, et al.), but does not contain the teaching notes and extra words found in the book. Although the cards are printed on paper slightly heavier than that found in the book, they are still quite flimsy and would hold up much better if laminated.

Note: Some parents find that they only need the cards because they cover the most essential mateiral. Others buy only the book and make their own cards. Personally, I am happy to have both.

Similar in format to the word game Scrabble�, Equate allows players to place equations on a board while gaining points based upon the types of numbers and operations used. (For example, a fraction is worth more points than a whole number and a division symbol is worth more points than an addition symbol. Don't worry - the point value is marked on each tile.) Players may add on to existing equations provided that both sides of the equation are still equal.

We found this to be a fun and challenging game for upper grade school through adult. Add on sets can be purchased for younger grades or for advanced Math (the advanced set also includes negative numbers and exponents). Even with the basic set, level of play can be quite challenging considering equations involving multiplication and division of fractions and order of operation. Rules could easily be adjusted to accomodate players with varying skill levels.

Joan Carroll Cruz has clearly spent years researching these very detailed accounts of 36 Eucharistic Miracles dating from the 8th century all the way up to 1970. Each story is carefully related according to the details known today which often include scientific confirmation and papal recognition of the miracles as well as photographs of reliquaries and hosts that remain intact even today. The stories are fascinating and certainly provide aid to people's faith through these very real testaments to the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. While these stories are probably written primarily with adults in mind, I was very surprised and delighted when my first-communion aged daughter brought me this book to read to her and repeatedly asked me to read a little to her each night until we had finished the entire book! Highly recommended.

This book can easily be incorporated into a History study as it is organized by date. I have also included references to the stories in this book on my history reading timeline at ReadingYourWayThroughHistory.com

This book may be purchased from any Catholic booksellers that carry TAN Books.