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School Library Journal
Reviewed on February 1, 1989
Gr 2-5 Asimov uniformly packages topics of varying scope, so that some seem pared down while others are padded. The Birth and Death of Stars is one of the pared-down volumes. It briefly describes the title topic, giving a clearer and more accurate explanation of the relationship between a star's mass and its life span than either Simon's Stars (Morrow, 1986) or Darling's longer The Stars: From Birth to Black Hole (Dillon, 1985). Is There Life on Other Planets? briefly explores the origin of life on earth, the known counts against there being life elsewhere in the solar system, and the statistical likelihood that life exists somewhere else in the universe. While facts are sparse, this volume is filled out with speculation on interstellar travel or colonization, debunked science fiction pictures, a list of eight forms of life that might well lurk in an "uninhabited" Earth house, and even a board game of a trip to a neighboring star system. While Franklyn Branley's Mysteries of...Log In or Sign Up to Read More