November 1, 2022
Gr 3-6-This four-volume series welcomes reluctant and striving readers with brief chapters and very short, terse sentences. Each title opens with an enticing introduction to the book's theme, suggesting the imminent "expose." In most cases, however, the series doesn't deliver: readers learn little about the incidents, as few details are given. The limited number of sentences per page will appeal to striving readers, but generally there's little for them to go on to make up their minds about the incidents one way or the other. At the end of the last stories in Alien Encounters and Urban Legends, readers get a chance to think about the "truth"; usually, though, there's no such opportunity. Stories are mostly unexciting, end inconclusively, and, in most cases, land with a thud. There are no follow-up questions to help spark discussions. Illustrations fare better, as attention-grabbing, suspenseful, high-quality color photos and drawings enhance the stories' mysteriousness. "Fact" sidebars add minimally more details or background to some incidents or give "another side" to them. However, very young students may misunderstand or be unable to discern what to make of the additional details because these factoids are also sometimes vague and don't necessarily "clinch the case" about the incidents. Indeed, the word "Exposed" in each volume's title is a misnomer at best and an exaggeration at worst because nothing is actually "exposed" in this series. The sparse details don't allow for truths to shine through and for students to be able to judge those truths based on evidence. VERDICT A weak effort. Recommended as an additional purchase for school libraries only where needed for struggling readers.
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