NSTA Energy Series review

There is a lot to like in the Next Generation Energy Series, which includes Earth's Climate Change: Carbon Dioxide Overload, Energy from Earth's Core: Geothermal Energy, Energy from Living Things: Biomass Energy, Energy from Nuclear Fission: Splitting the Atom, Energy from the Sun: Solar Power, Energy from Wind: Wind Farming, Fracking: Fracturing Rock to Reach Oil and Gas Underground, and Living in a Sustainable Way: Green Communities.  Energy in the form of geysers, dung, turbines, and algae as well as sustainability and the resulting issues.

Reducing the complexities concerning the environmental aspects of energy topics is no small feat.  The series explores a wide range of energy resources.  Each book in the series is well composed with descriptions, historical references, maps, graphics, data, and loads of photos.  I especially like some of the stories.  My favorite, in Energy from Wind, (pp. 18-19) is about a child in Malawi who built a wind turbine.  The content is sound and the series tackles available and emerging energy resources.  Each book contains a glossary, index, additional resources, and a 'hands-on' activity.  

Teachers are going to love the questions, especially those which lend themselves to the 'claim-evidence-reasoning' model.  Fracking (p. 21) has this question, "Some landowners have become very rich leasing their land to fracking companies.  They give permission for the company to drill on their land in return for a percentage of the profits.  If you were offered a similar deal for the land your home was on, what would you do and why?  Would the potential earnings outweigh the environmental impact?"  The questions in this series can serve as writing prompts or evaluation questions.  The series is timely in light of the Next Generation Science Standards and STEM initiatives and would make a fine addition to a library's collection, which is just where my set is going.