Reviewed by CBC Reviewer
N/A
Again and again Houghton Mifflin's Scientists in the Field series has won awards, including being named an NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book. But this new winner is different: the field is Mars and the scientists are working remotely to discover there.
Like other books in the series, the text provides state–of–the–art descriptions of the methods used by real scientists as they do their work. Exceptional photographs support the descriptions—the tread on a Rover's wheels, multi–colored, computer generated, topographic maps, sand traps where the vehicles can be mired. The comments of the scientists don't just describe what they do but how they feel, from the exhilaration of a new discovery ("Blown Away!") to the emotional days when the long–lived rovers seemed destined to end their mission.
Unfortunately, the text in this volume isn't always easy to read. It is small and sometimes superimposed on dark background. But the photographs will hook those who have trouble with it, and support their efforts to learn everything they can about the mission and the career paths it supported. This is a secondary–level book with potential for highly interested, middle level readers.
Review posted on 1/17/2013
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