Explore Electricity!: With 25 Great Projects

Gr 4–8—This entry into an already populated field provides an introduction that goes beyond the usual to include compact fluorescent lights, diodes, semiconductors, transformers, breaker panels, commutators, and capacitors. The six chapters cover "Static Electricity," "Currents," "Circuits," "Electromagnetism," "Motors and Generators," and "Earth-Friendly Electricity." A time line introduces the title and each chapter includes historical references and several activities-mostly boilerplate. While the book's scope is broader than most comparable titles, the explanations can be skimpy and obtuse. Stone's black-and-white diagrams are plentiful but the lack of labels to clarify the concepts is problematic. Beginners will be better served by Matt Mullin's Electricity or Susan H. Gray's Experiments With Electricity (both Scholastic, 2011), Robert Gardner's Electricity and Magnetism (Enslow, 2010) or the more detailed explanations in Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone's Shocking Science (Sterling, 1999 o.p.).—Carol S. Surges, formerly at Longfellow Middle School, Wauwatosa, WI