School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-A four-armed young alien observer stationed on nearly every spread is just one of several reminders that life "out there" will likely be very different from life closer to home. The author's conviction that there is alien life-and right on the verge of discovery, too!-underlies his entire discussion of how scientists look for and find dozens of exoplanets every year. Berkowitz examines "extremophile" life on this planet (mostly microscopic creatures such as bacteria); suggests possible harbors for life on Venus, Mars, and certain moons of the outer planets; then goes on to explain how planets orbiting other stars are detected and studied. Several active researchers and even a space artist put in cameos. Lacking leads to further resources but featuring a colorful mix of photos and artists' conceptions, plus a recipe for "Tasty Space Treats" and instructions for manufacturing a fake UFO photo, this title has plenty of appeal as a current, widely angled, not-too-earnest introduction to some of modern astronomy's frontiers.-John Peters, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.