Burning Out: Energy From Fossil Fuels. (Next Generation Energy). Nancy Dickmann. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $9.95 (pbk.), $26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2383-7 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-2372-1 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1756-4 (html). Subject Headings: Fossil fuels-Juvenile literature. Fossil fuels-Environmental aspects-Juvenile literature. Climatic changes-Juvenile literature. Pollution-Environmental aspects-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Barbara McMillan. **** /4
	Earth’s Climate Change: Carbon Dioxide Overload. (Next Generation Energy). James Bow. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $9.95 (pbk.) $21.56 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2001-0 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1978-6 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1636-9 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-1628-4 (html). Subject Headings: Atmospheric carbon dioxide-Environmental aspects-Juvenile literature. Carbon dioxide-Environmental aspects-Juvenile literature. Atmospheric carbon dioxide-Juvenile literature. Carbon dioxide-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Barbara McMillan. **** /4
	Energy From Earth`s Core: Geothermal Energy. (Next Generation Energy). James Bow. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $9.95 (pbk.) $21.56 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2002-7 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1979-3 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1637-6 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-1629-1 (html). Subject Heading: Geothermal resources-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Barbara McMillan. **** /4
	Energy From Living Things: Biomass Energy. (Next Generation Energy). Rachel Stuckey. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $9.95 (pbk.) $21.56 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2003-4 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1980-9 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1638-3 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-1630-7 (html). Subject Heading: Biomass energy-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Barbara McMillan. **** /4
	Energy From Nuclear Fission: Splitting the Atom. (Next Generation Energy). Nancy Dickmann. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $9.95 (pbk.) $21.56 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2004-1 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1981-6 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1639-0 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-1631-4 (html). Subject Headings: Nuclear energy-Juvenile literature. Clean energy-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Barbara McMillan. **** /4
	Energy From Water: Hydroelectric, Tidal, and Wave Power. (Next Generation Energy). Nancy Dickmann. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $9.95 (pbk.), $26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2384-4 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-2380-6 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1757-1 (html). Subject Headings: Water power-Juvenile literature. Renewable energy sources-Juvenile literature. Tidal power-Juvenile literature. Hydroelectric power plants-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Barbara McMillan. **** /4
	Energy From Wind: Wind Farming. (Next Generation Energy). Megan Kopp. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $9.95 (pbk.) $21.56 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2006-5 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1983-0 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1641-3 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-1633-8 (html). Subject Headings: Wind power-Juvenile literature. Wind power plants-Juvenile literature. Renewable energy sources-Juvenile literature. Clean energy-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Barbara McMillan. **** /4
	Energy From the Sun: Solar Power. (Next Generation Energy). James Bow. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $9.95 (pbk.) $21.56 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2004-1 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1981-6 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1639-0 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-1631-4 (html). Subject Headings: Solar energy-Juvenile literature. Renewable energy sources-Juvenile literature. Clean energy-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Barbara McMillan. **** /4
	Fracking: Fracturing Rock to Reach Oil and Gas Underground. (Next Generation Energy). Nancy Dickmann. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $9.95 (pbk.) $21.56 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2007-2 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1984-7 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1642-0 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-1634-3 (html). Subject Headings: Hydraulic fracturing-Juvenile literature. Hydraulic fracturing-Environmental aspects-Juvenile literature. Gas well drilling-Juvenile literature. Gas well drilling-Environmental aspects-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Barbara McMillan. **** /4
	Leaving Our Mark: Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, (Next Generation Energy). Nancy Dickmann. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $9.95 (pbk.), $26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2385-1 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-2381-3 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1758-8 (html). Subject Headings: Environmental responsibility-Juvenile literature. Sustainable living-Juvenile literature. Energy conservation-Juvenile literature. Greenhouse gas mitigation-Juvenile literature. Environmental protection-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Barbara McMillan. **** /4
	Living in a Sustainable Way: Green Communities. (Next Generation Energy). Megan Kopp. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $9.95 (pbk.) $21.56 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2008-9 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-2000-3 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1643-7 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-1635-2 (html). Subject Headings: Sustainable living-Juvenile literature. Environmental protection–Citizen participation-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Barbara McMillan. **** /4
	Putting Earth First: Eating and Living Green. (Next Generation Energy). Megan Kopp. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $9.95 (pbk.), $26.95 (List RLB), $21.56 (School RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-2386-8 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-2382-0 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1759-5 (html). Subject Headings: Environmental protection-Citizen participation-Juvenile literature. Sustainable living-Juvenile literature. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Barbara McMillan. **** /4

excerpt:

To Renew or Not to Renew? Our energy sources come from renewable or nonrenewable resources. The Sun is the largest source of energy on Earth. It is a renewable resource that can provide solar power. Solar energy is also responsible for creating wind. Wind energy is growing as a renewable resource. Geothermal energy comes from heat within Earth and hydropower comes from moving water. Biomass comes from burning plant or organic material. Nonrenewable resources are used up when they serve as fuels. Fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal are nonrenewable. Another type of nonrenewable resources is nuclear energy. Harnessing the power of atoms produces nuclear energy. All these energy sources – both renewable and nonrenewable – can be used to create power such as electricity. (From Living in a Sustainable Way, p. 5.)

Fast Forward. Scientists have calculated the amount of Earth’s resources the global population can use each year based upon the amount of resources Earth is able to renew each year. Every year, since the 1960s, we have used more resources that the planet can replace. Earth Overshoot Day marks the precise day each year when this overuse of resources begins. In 1970, that day was December 23, in 2000 it was October 4, and in 2015, it was August 13. We keep borrowing from the next year’s resources, but eventually there will be nothing left to borrow. What date do you think Earth Overshoot Day will be in 2030? Does that date concern you? Give reasons for your answer. (From Putting Earth First, p. 5.)

The Energy Future: Your Choice. Travelling by airplane can hugely increase your carbon footprint. A flight lasting five hours can add as much as 1 metric ton CO2e [carbon dioxide emissions] to your footprint. That is a huge percentage of the recommended target of 2 to 5 metric tons per year. For some journeys you could take a train instead. If you do not want to give up flying, keep it to a minimum. How could you change your vacations to make them more carbon-efficient? Give example to support your answer. (From Leaving Our Mark, p. 19.)

Rewind. The theory that human activity has caused climate change has been accepted by most of the scientific community. However, climate change “skeptics” seek to cast doubts about this consensus . They raise points that sound as though they go against the theory, but those points do not stand up to scientific tests. For example, they argue that average temperatures have not risen since 1998. However, 1998 was an unusually warm year, even with the warming trend. Measuring temperatures from 1997 to 1999 shows that global average temperatures are still increasing. Why do you think climate change skeptics might want to raise doubts about a scientific consensus? (From Earth’s Climate Change, p. 13.)

Activity. In anaerobic digestion, microorganisms break down organic material by eating it. We can turn the waste produced by these organisms into fuels such as alcohol and gas. Yeast is a microorganism that creates alcohol and carbon dioxide by eating sugar in a process called fermentation. In this activity you will see yeast at work. (From Energy from Living Things, p. 29.)

Eight of the 12 books in Crabtree’s “Next Generation Energy Series” introduce youth to all known forms of renewable and nonrenewable energy, the human history associated with the harvesting of energy derived from sunlight, wind, moving water, organic matter including coal, oil, and natural gas, splitting the atom, and heat from inside Earth, and the advantages and challenges of choosing to use one kind of energy compared to other available energy sources. The four additional books in the series focus on climate change, the carbon footprint, “green” living (“putting Earth first”), and building sustainable communities. As such, the series highlights the negative consequences of human extraction and use of fossil fuels and the subsequent buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere and draws attention to the urgent need for alternative sources of clean and sustainable energy and ways of living on Earth that do not contribute to global climate change.

     The books focused on one particular source of energy are written by four different authors and use a nearly identical organization and layout. Each begins with a table of contents that is followed by an explanation of what energy is, types of energy or the specific source of energy reflected in the book’s title (e.g., biomass and geothermal), and/or why humans need energy. Subsequent pages address the extraction and processing or harvesting of the energy source, environmental impacts, pros and cons associated with acquiring and using the form of energy, more sustainable alternatives, and what readers can do to reduce both their energy consumption and waste. It is this final section for readers, “Power Up!”, that also includes an activity, like the one cited in the final excerpt above. Although these activities are not original first-hand investigations, in most cases they do attempt to provide a demonstration of the form of energy the book focuses upon. Moreover, in books with the subsection heading “What Happened?” or “What Do You Think?”, the authors explain the observed results and, in some cases, suggest “what if” questions to further the investigation and increase understanding.

     With the knowledge generated through the reading of these eight books, it is possible to look, with an informed view, at CO2 production that is a consequence of extracting and using non-renewable sources of energy, and the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere that affects not only the temperature of the air, exposed water, and land, but also impacts Earth’s weather patterns, climate, and biosphere in ways that do not sustain life for many living organisms, including human beings. Readers of “Earth’s Climate Change”, “Leaving Our Mark”, “Putting Earth First”, and “Living in a Sustainable Way” will be able to calculate their carbon footprint and to think about ways they can reduce their use of energy. This includes walking or riding a bicycle rather than using vehicles that directly and indirectly consume fossil fuels, gardening and eating locally grown foods, composting, communicating face-to-face rather than by cell phone or text messaging, turning off electronics, joining groups working to fight climate change, consuming less, recycling more, and attempting a live a waste-free life.

     Alongside the text in all 12 books, one finds the “Fast Forward,” “Rewind,” and “The Energy Future: You Choose” text boxes similar to those in the second, third, and fourth excerpts above. These additional presentations of information require readers to think about what they have previously read in the book and to answer thought-provoking questions using what they have learned. On the first few pages of the books, one also finds either a bar graph, pie chart or line graph. These graphs and charts present noteworthy data on matters such as the world’s energy consumption and projected consumption (1990-2040), the world’s electricity generation by energy source in 2012 (e.g., 40.4% coal, 10.9 hydroelectric), the world leaders in solar power (Germany followed by China, Italy, and Japan), the Mega Watt hour production of electricity using wind power by continent (e.g., Europe, 118,949 MW, Asia 118,847 MW, North America, 71,411 MW). Each page of text is filled with interesting and, on occasion, quite alarming or amazing information. Room on each page has been made for one, well-selected stock photo image or diagram. The final three pages of each book include a glossary, a short list of books and websites for further learning, and an index.

     Although there is a duplication in content from book to book, this series would be very useful to teachers and students learning about renewable and nonrenewable forms of energy in science units focused on electricity. Moreover, information presented in these 12 books would be valuable when studying our substantial use of, and dependency on, fossil fuels, including bitumen extraction, and the impact of these practices on the environmental, social, and economic foundations of sustainable well-being, particularly the well-being of all living organisms and the health of ecosystem services that make life on Earth possible.

Highly Recommended.

Barbara McMillan is a teacher educator in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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