Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air by Stewart Ross, illustrated by Stephen Biesty Ages 9-12 96 pages Candlewick April 2011 Hardcover     Author Stewart Ross has written brief essays about some of the most celebrated and daring explorers in history. Presented chronologically, these brave adventurers include Pytheas the Greek, Marco Polo, Admiral Zheng, Magellan, David Livingstone, Mary Kingsley, Hillary and Norgay, and Armstrong and Aldrin, among others. Each of the fourteen featured explorers receives a chapter of about five pages in length. While that may sound daunting to some young readers, it’s important to note that there are many sidebars and marvelous illustrations to break up the text. Take the chapter about Christopher Columbus, for example. In addition to the interesting and seldom-mentioned-in-textbooks facts about his journeys, there is also an explanation about square sails and triangular sails and the best times to use each, illustrated by Biesty’s enchanting artwork. At the end of each chapter, we find pullout maps that show the routes taken by these intrepid explorers, plus a little something extra—in the case of Columbus, the pullout includes a notated cut-away various ships of the time, including lateen-rigged and square-rigged caravels. If air and space are more intriguing to you, you’ll find an absolutely smashing chapter on the father-son team Auguste and Jacques Piccard. In 1931, Auguste and his assistant Paul Kipfer successfully piloted a hydrogen-filled balloon into the stratosphere and then floated safely down again. That journey would be the first of many high-flying trips, and also the beginning of the Piccard family’s innovative approach to deep-sea travel. The pullout for this chapter shows a cut-out view of the balloon and a notated depiction of the route it took. Into the Unknown is an ideal gift for any young person because it is fun, fun, fun! Well-designed, superbly written, and pleasantly educational, this beautifully designed book is an absolute must-have for every middle-schooler and for anyone else who appreciates tales of adventure!     web reviews   Deborah Adams/2011 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)