Mysteries that haven’t been fully solved, let alone completely explained, are on the spring horizon. Spring also gives rise to age-old myths from various cultures that continue to beguile readers and prove that, no matter the season or time period, we’ve always been mesmerized by great stories. Students who can’t get their fill of cryptids will be delighted some lesser-known ones are making their series debuts this season. As for ghosts, hauntings, aliens, lost worlds, and other not-quite-explainable phenomena—there’s plenty to keep pages turning.

Elementary

Kammer, Gina. Curious About Cyclopes. ISBN 9798892000956.
––––. Curious About Giants. ISBN 9798892000963.
––––. Curious About Goblins. ISBN 9798892000970.
––––. Curious About Griffins. ISBN 9798892000987.
––––. Curious About Pegasus. ISBN 9798892000994.
––––. Curious About Phoenix. ISBN 9798892001007.
ea vol: 24p. (Curious About Mythical Creatures). Amicus. Jan. 2025. Tr $35.70.
Gr 3-5–Readers’ curiosity will be whetted and satisfied by this informative, entertaining series. Each chapter is formatted as a series of questions “curious” readers might ask, including whether the creature is real. The answer’s always no, but volumes include examples from centuries-old myths and legends. Answers are given in simple, brief sentences, stated in a conversational tone, and occasionally comparisons are made with actual creatures. The creatures’ origins in and stories about them from myths and legends are covered. New vocabulary is set in boldfaced type and defined in the glossary. The cover of each title is striking, featuring fearsome-looking creatures. Along with illustrations and images of statues, sculptures, and paintings, diagrams and maps add context to each creatures’ lore. VERDICT Recommended for schools and public libraries. Children will be glad they met these creatures.

Knight, Tom. Clash of the Titans. ISBN 9781538398470.
––––. Theseus and the Minotaur. ISBN 9781538398449.
ea vol: 32p. (World Myths). Rosen/Windmill. Jan. 2025. Tr $28.93.
Gr 3-5–Younger students and striving readers will enjoy this fun series that presents Greek mythology in a comic-book style. The series consists of two familiar myths told in in simple, modern language. Readers previously unfamiliar with the stories will understand the basic plot points and character motivations, although a pronunciation guides to character and place names would have been helpful. The myths are presented in simple, vernacular language expressed in a conversational tone, with lively humor mixed in. Cartoonish illustrations keep the action moving along at a brisk pace. Despite the contemporary graphic style, visual details such as clothing, buildings, and architectural features, are of the period, lending the artwork and myths an old-time feel. Some illustrations are set as full pages without text. These fun volumes might inspire readers to explore Greek myths further and read more conventional versions in other sources. VERDICT Recommended for schools and public collections.

Olson, Gillia M. Curious About Area 51. ISBN 9798892000918.
––––. Curious About Atlantis. ISBN 9798892000925.
––––. Curious About ESP. ISBN 9798892000949.
––––. Curious About the Bermuda Triangle. ISBN 9798892000932.
ea vol: 24p. (Curious About Unexplained Mysteries). Amicus. Jan. 2025. Tr $35.70.
Gr 3-5–Chapters in these accessible and intriguing titles are formatted as a series of questions curious students might want to raise about the mysteries presented. What is it? What does/did it look like? Where is/was it? Is it real? Is it safe to go there? The informative answers to these and other queries are expressed in simple, understandable prose. All volumes feature color and black-white photos, including statuary and paintings, along with maps and diagrams. Some visuals include informative captions. Highlights include occasional “Did You Know?” sidebars. Back matter includes critical thinking questions, a bibliography, suggestions for follow-up activities, a glossary, and an index. VERDICT Recommended for schools and public collections. This series should stimulate further exploration into the topics.

Phillips-Bartlett, Rebecca. Centaurs. ISBN 9798892327398.
––––. Giants. ISBN 9798892327404.
––––. The Kraken. ISBN 9798892327411.
––––. Werewolves. ISBN 9798892327428.
ea vol: 24p. (Mythical Creatures Set Two). Bearport/Fusion. Jan. 2025. Tr $30.95.
Gr 3-5–In simple, easy-to-understand prose, with few sentences per page, this well-written series delivers basic information about mythical creatures. The text and images in each volume covers the creatures’ appearance, powers and abilities, diet, personality, habitat, and social grouping. In each title, students will discover how the creature is represented in legends, myths, and stories. Readers will learn about the beings’ ancient history, but scientific facts are offered as well. Each title presents facts from science and the natural world to help readers understand how stories about the creatures could have developed, e.g., humans riding horses may have spawned centaur legends. The visuals are largely comprised of colorful, cartoonish illustrations, and the eye-catching covers also capture this style. Sidebars resembling scrolls add extra information including boldfaced vocabulary words. VERDICT Appealing, informative coverage of a few mythical beings for strong or striving readers. Recommended for schools and public libraries.

Upper Elementary to Middle School

Bahn, Christopher. Area 51. ISBN 9798889892847.
––––. Atlantis. ISBN 9798889892854.
––––. Bigfoot. ISBN 9798889892861.
––––. Loch Ness Monster. ISBN 9798889892878.
––––. Near-Death Experiences. ISBN 9798889892885.
––––. Sea Monsters. ISBN 9798889892892.
ea vol: 48p. (Enduring Mysteries). The Creative Company/Creative Education. Jan. 2025. Tr $44.25.
Gr 6-9–Intriguing fare for middle school readers captivated by lingering mysteries. Each four-chapter volume opens with an introduction that sets the scene. The prose has a conversational tone and the information presented is thorough, compelling, and statistics-laden. Texts presume students have some prior knowledge and understanding of certain facts and historical background. Volumes “tell the truth” about what these mysteries are—or might be, suggesting that answers, evidence, and proof are still being investigated and might yet be discovered. A few titles are text heavy, with more facts/details than some students may need. The series includes eye-catching graphics—full, half-page, and spot photos and illustrations, in addition to images of statuary, drawings, mosaics, stained glass, movie posters, newspaper clippings, and maps. Most include informative captions that appear in red boxes on pages opposite the visuals. VERDICT Recommended for schools and public collections. The BigfootandSea Monsterstitles are standouts.

Lundgren, Julie K. Apparitions of the Haunted Myrtles Estate, Louisiana. ISBN 9798892603638.
––––. Civil War Ghosts Haunting Gettysburg Battlefields, Pennsylvania. ISBN 9798892603645.
––––. Ghosts Aboard the Spirit Ship RMS Queen Mary, California. ISBN 9798892603652.
––––. Ghosts Haunting St. Augustine Lighthouse, Florida. ISBN 9798892603669.
––––. Lost Souls of Haunted Lincoln Park Zoo, Illinois. ISBN 9798892603676.
––––. The Troubled Dead at the Ghostly Crescent Hotel, Arkansas. ISBN 9798892603683.
ea vol: 32p. (Haunted Destinations). Mitchell Lane. Jan. 2025. Tr $34.28.
Gr 4-6–Fans of ghost stories and haunted tourist location will find a lot of love in this collection. The narrative style is simple and conversational but brisk, adding some tension to the reading experience. Destination descriptions include geographic and historical background information, which provide context for modern-day hauntings. The titles indicate if these sites welcome visitors today, with details about the touring experience. Each short chapter is headlined by large “bleeding” red letters to boost the fright factor. Occasionally, family trees and charts are added for context. And interesting addition to the otherwise typical back matter is a brief note on the author’s research process. VERDICT This series will pique students’ interest and teach some history. Recommended for schools.

Mather, Charis. Really Strange Facts. ISBN 9781601157225.
Treasure Bay. Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster. ISBN 9781601157201.
––––. Dragons and Unicorns. ISBN 9781601157270.
ea vol: 48p. (Code Reader). Treasure Bay. May 2025. Tr $7.99.
Gr 4-6–A series designed “to make difficult words easy.” Phonetic pronunciation keys are included next to potentially challenging words in the text. The words that receive this treatment vary in difficulty. Information throughout is thorough, clear, and presented in a breezy, conversational tone. Big Foot and Loch Ness Monsteracknowledges that people still pursue answers about cryptids, and new technologies could prove their existence. The dragons/unicorns title reveals they’ve existed in various cultures’ lore for centuries and compares legends about them. Really Strange Facts is notable for its witty compilation of true, often very weird, information about history, science, and nature. In that volume only, some vocabulary is boldfaced in black or included in yellow boxes with pronunciation guides. Back matter includes a glossary, review and critical thinking questions, and a “Code Reader Keys” chart that might help readers decode the decoding within the text. VERDICT A skillfully presented series recommended for schools and public collections.

Webb, Stuart & Spencer Brinker. Alien Visits: Extraterrestrials, UFOs, and Otherworldly Encounters. ISBN 9798892328852.
––––. Phantoms among Us: Ghosts, Spirits, and Spectral Hauntings. ISBN 9798892328883.
Webb, Stuart & Nathan Sommer. Creatures Walking: Bigfoot, Yeti, and Apelike Cryptids. ISBN 9798892328869.
––––. Lost Worlds: Atlantis, Lemuria, and Mysterious Lands. ISBN 9798892328876.
ea vol: 48p. (The Unexplained). Bearport/Ursa. Jan. 2025. Tr $31.95.
Gr 6-9–A commonality among the subjects of this intriguing series is that people around the world have believed in them for many years—some, for centuries. The well-written, thoroughly researched volumes are comprised of 12–15 brief chapters. Each chapter focuses on incidents that occurred, allegedly occurred, or were reported over long periods of time (and as recently as 2024), both in the U.S. and abroad. Sentences are conversational and to the point, making for fast-paced reading. The series takes the subjects seriously but takes no stance, allowing students to determine what’s true. Chapters build upon one another, making strong, cumulative, credible cases. Attractive design makes for an impressive package with text set against black backgrounds to heighten tension. Back matter includes a glossary, a bibliography, a link to a website for further reading, and an index. VERDICT Highly recommended for schools and public libraries. This fascinating, impressive, briskly paced series is geared to interested, mature readers.

Williams, Dinah. Amelia Earhart. ISBN 9781546141518.
––––. Bigfoot. ISBN 9781546141570.
––––. Captain Kidd’s Treasure. ISBN 9781546141600.
––––. Pyramids of Egypt. ISBN 9781546141549.
ea vol: 48p. (Unsolved). Scholastic/Children’s Pr. Feb. 2025. Tr $31.
Gr 3-7–These 3 volumes cover compelling “history mysteries.” The nature of the mystery is laid out in an introduction that concludes with the teaser “Let’s explore what we know.” Clear prose delivers background information and details of past and ongoing investigations into the topic. New vocabulary is boldfaced in colored type and defined in the glossary. The final page of each title asks students their thoughts about the conundrum. Photos and illustrations illuminate texts; most visuals feature informative captions. Each title includes several one-page inserts providing extra information and a captioned image related to the topic. Bigfoot also includes three “Hoax Alert!” inserts that debunk some “facts.” Back matter includes a time-line, a fact sheet, a glossary with pronunciation guides, and an index. VERDICT An interesting series that will appeal to strong and striving readers. Recommended for schools and public libraries.

Upper Middle School to High School

Allen, John. Communication with the Dead. ISBN 9781678209902.
Blohm, Craig E. Poltergeists. ISBN 9781678209988.
Kallen, Stuart A. Hauntings. ISBN 9781678209964.
Mooney, Carla. Ghost Hunters. ISBN 9781678209940.
Staskal, Doreen. Ghosts. ISBN 9781678209926.
ea vol: 64p. (Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings). ReferencePoint. Jan. 2025. Tr $33.95.
Gr 7-10–Mature readers fascinated by spooky topics will be well-served by this excellent series. Each volume opens with a series of intriguing charts displaying percentages of Americans who believe in the spirit world, although no sources or dates are cited for these figures. Information is presented in accessible prose and the narrative flow makes for lively, interesting reading. Students will appreciate that the series examines and respects both sides of the topics, discussing how researchers are trying to learn “the truth,” and how modern technology is advancing research and might help the public learn and understand more. The texts include quotes from people working in the field, which balances the subject and lends credibility. An especially appealing chapter in the Ghosts volume includes examples of ghost stories told by different cultures across the centuries. Images, text boxes, and sidebars offer additional information. VERDICT A fascinating series that is highly recommended for older readers.

“Code Reader” (Treasure Bay) helps striving readers pronounce challenging words by providing “codes” to decipher them while offering up compelling topics—cryptids, mythical creatures, and strange facts. “Curious About Mythical Creatures” (Amicus) includes some less familiar creatures, like cyclopes, goblins, and Pegasus. ReferencePoint’s well-written “Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings,” aimed at mature readers, is a fascinating exploration of these phenomena. “The Unexplained” (Bearport) is an impressive, briskly paced series about aliens, lost worlds, and other intriguing topics for able readers.

FALL 2025 SERIES MADE SIMPLE REVIEWS