Reviews

Digging for Troy: From Homer to Hisarlik by Jill Rubalcaba and Eric H. Cline

What starts off as a retelling of the epic tale of the Odyssey turns into a story about archaeologists’ hunt for Homer’s Troy in modern-day Turkey. Charlesbridge, 2011, 71 p., $17.95, ages 9–12

Come See the Earth Turn by Lori Mortensen

Learn how Léon Foucault, a sickly child and poor student, grew up to design a simple experiment that demonstrated for the first time that the Earth rotates. Random House, 2010, 32 p., $17.99, ages 7–9

Stuff That Scares Your Pants Off!: The Science Scoop on more than 30 Terrifying Phenomena! by Glenn Murphy

Statistics and scientific facts reassure kids that scary things —whether they be spiders, the dark or aliens — aren’t such a threat after all. Roaring Brook Press, 2011, 192 p., $14.99, ages 8–12

BOOK REVIEW: The Geek Dad Book for Aspiring Mad Scientists: The Coolest Experiments and Projects for Science Fairs and Family Fun by Ken Denmead

Review by Allison Bohac.

BOOK REVIEW: Global Warming and Political Intimidation by Raymond S. Bradley, and The Inquisition of Climate Science by James Lawrence Powell

Review by Janet Raloff.

BOOK REVIEW: Inflight Science: A Guide to the World from Your Airplane Window by Brian Clegg

Review by Sid Perkins.

Relics: Travels in Nature’s Time Machine by Piotr Naskrecki

Explore the world of modern species with ancient lineages in this collection of striking photographs. Univ. of Chicago Press, 2011, 342 p., $45

Models.Behaving.Badly: Why Confusing Illusion with Reality Can Lead to Disaster, on Wall Street and in Life by Emanuel Derman

A physicist and Wall Street strategist examines why people rely on models, economic or otherwise — and why that can be a bad idea. Free Press, 2011,231 p., $26

Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms by Eugenia Bone

A mouthwatering love letter to fungi from a food writer explores mushrooms as culinary delicacies, biofuels, hallu­cinogens and more. Rodale Books, 2011, 384 p., $25.99

The First Scientist: Anaximander and His Legacy by Carlo Rovelli

A physicist introduces Anaximander, who in the sixth century B.C. paved the way for astronomy, physics, geography, meteorology and biology. Westholme Publishing, 2011, 209 p., $24.95

A Strange Wilderness: The Lives of the Great Mathematicians

Learn about mathematicians from Archimedes to Alexander Grothendieck, who learned math in a Nazi concentration camp. Sterling, 2011, 284 p., $24.95

Genentech: The Beginnings of Biotech (Synthesis) by Sally Smith Hughes

A genetic engineering company’s meteoric rise illustrates the development of the biotech industry. Univ. of Chicago Press, 2011, 213 p., $25