Weird U.S.

Gr 4 Up—From the Watts Towers in Los Angeles to the mythical New Jersey Devil, the "Weird U.S." writing team embarks on a new mission: to guide readers on a road trip, visiting the many curiosities America has to offer. The first third of this book covers wacky museums, strange houses, colorful street festivals, and roadside oddities, all of which would certainly be amusing additions to a family vacation. The other two-thirds of the book are dedicated to haunted houses, bloodthirsty roads, mythological creatures, alien landings, and other inexplicable phenomena. Even as reading material alone, these sections fall flat; many of them, especially the one about Bigfoot and his brethren, contain nothing that readers can't find in greater detail in numerous other books. Throughout the volume, many of the color photographs are far too small to do justice to their subjects, and there are also a good number that suffer from lack of captions. Fans of The Guinness Book of Records and "Ripley's Believe It or Not" (Ripley) will be drawn to this treasure trove of strange places and faces, but may find themselves disappointed in the end.—Rebecca Dash Donsky, New York Public Library