School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-When students think of inventions, the image in their minds is probably something like Thomas Edison in a lab coat. But these books take items and processes ubiquitous in today's world and trace their earliest iterations back to Ancient China. Each title focuses on one of the "Four Great Inventions'' and how it has influenced civilization, while a fifth highlights today's top Chinese actors and actresses. The origin of each invention and its iterations over time are covered, while sidebars discuss inventors or early uses. Images comparing a Song Dynasty compass with a GPS app on a smartphone show how far these inventions have advanced and how much today's technology owes to those long ago beginnings. The book on actors feels out of place alongside the historical topics. VERDICT An excellent series for world history classes, as well as a resource for collaboration between science and social studies units.