We know that the distant planet Uranus spins sideways, but it still has secrets! Discovered less than 300 years ago, and so far away that only one spacecraft has made the trip, humans have lots of questions about the blue-green planet.  Learn about Uranus' discovery, what it would be like to visit, and what scientists still want to know. Vivid photos and illustrations, scientist spotlights, and sidebars help unlock the secrets of the ice giant Uranus. Gr 2-4-A visually strong exploration of the eight planets in the solar system. Filled with "Fast Facts," including the planet's diameter, distance from the sun, number of moons, and other relevant details, as well as short, readable sentences, each volume supports Next Generation Science Standards. The inclusion of "Critical Thinking Using the Common Core" at the end of the book will appeal to educators, administrators, and parents and will provide students with an opportunity to articulate and analyze what they've read. Readers are also introduced to the people who study the planets in each book's "Scientist Spotlight." The images of the night sky are stunning, but while the artists' illustrations of planetary scenes are beautiful, their inclusion weakens the authenticity. A minor error appears in The Secrets of Saturn, when the author claims that the "fastest winds on Earth occur during hurricanes," when, in fact, it's tornadoes that are responsible. VERDICT Although attractive, this series doesn't improve on extant series.α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. ...particularly good, with up-to-date science and exploration sections. . . .All the books featured one current scientist (the list includes Louise Prockter, Adriana Ocampo, Mark Bordreaux, Ashwin Vasavada, Steve Vance, Carolyn Porco, Leigh Fletcher, and Heidi Hammel, respectively), and all have a closing page talking about questions for future exploration missions.-- "Planetary Society" A visually strong exploration of the eight planets in the solar system. Filled with "Fast Facts," including the planet's diameter, distance from the sun, number of moons, and other relevant details, as well as short, readable sentences, each volume supports Next Generation Science Standards. The inclusion of "Critical Thinking Using the Common Core" at the end of the book will appeal to educators, administrators, and parents and will provide students with an opportunity to articulate and analyze what they've read.-- "School Library Journal" From early human observations of lights in the sky, to past and future research missions, they'll uncover many secrets about our celestial neighborhood. Comparisons to Earth, fact boxes, maps, and captions all combine to aid understanding. These books support Next Generation science standards, and the Smithsonian's seal of approval guarantees excellence of this nonfiction set.-- "Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin" Thomas K. Adamson has written dozens of nonfiction books for kids on sports, space, math, and more. He lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with his wife and two sons. He likes reading and playing ball with his boys. He also likes to check scores and stats on his phone.