ALA Booklist (Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2007)

How do some animals and objects make light but not heat? In this handsome overview, first-time author Sitarski offers lucid explanations, aimed straight at elementary- and middle-school readers' interests. Early chapters highlight important discoveries in phosphorescence, including that of chemist Robert Boyle, who, in 1667, found a glowing chicken carcass in his kitchen and began experiments with the light-emitting bacteria coated meat. Sitarski also discusses later experiments with glowing fungi, Jamaican fire beetles, jellyfish, and fireflies, explaining how such naturally occurring bioluminescent sources have informed current cold-light research into areas that include man-made inventions such as LEDs. Sitarski writes clearly and enthusiastically, and the book's format adds appeal, with uncluttered pages and abundant, eye-catching color images, featuring many sharp photos of glowing deep-sea life. The suggested reading list groups books as "easy" and  "more challenging," and the one-page resource guide notes supply sources for science-fair projects on photoluminescence. Covering a topic of inherent interest to students, this accessible science title will inspire both personal reading and research.

Horn Book (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

CeCe McGill struggles to understand why her cantankerous father would sacrifice his life to aid slaves traveling the Underground Railroad. While accompanying her uncle to plantations in pre–Civil War Georgia, CeCe begins to appreciate her family's ideals. Rinaldi's narrative addresses head-on the atrocities of slavery and one young woman's urgency to help free those in bondage. An author's note gives background information. Bib.

Kirkus Reviews

Sitarski offers a well-organized and thorough introduction to light that is produced by something other than heat. In short chapters amply illustrated with color photographs, the author includes descriptions of photoluminescence, bioluminescence and chemiluminescence, the history of their discovery and a clear explanation of some of their new uses, including those made possible by recombinant DNA. She treats this complex subject with respect but also with a lighthearted tone and ample use of puns likely to appeal to the middle-school reader. While there have been a number of juvenile titles about bioluminescence, there is nothing else available at this level on photoluminescence, chemiluminescence or the general subject of cold light. With a bibliography that includes rich websites and even a place to purchase bioluminescent organisms for science projects, this should be a first purchase for school and public libraries supporting science-fair participants. (bibliography, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-A clearly written, chatty text not only discusses the expected bioluminescent critters (think fireflies), but delves into the realms of chemiluminescence, photoluminescence, and LEDs (light-emitting diodes) as well. From an Italian alchemist seeking to create gold from some strange stones to modern-day scientists cloning the genes that produce luciferin and luciferase, and the engineers trying to develop cheaper, whiter, more efficient LEDs, the text lays out the historical hows and whys of cold light, its success in the natural world, and its application in medicine and domestic/industrial illumination. Clear color photos and information boxes abound. A nifty list of further reading and a nice selection of Web sites are also provided. For kids who have been intrigued by such titles as Kris Hirschmann's Creatures That Glow (Gale, 2005) or Mary Batten's The Winking, Blinking Sea (Millbrook, 2000), this is a deeper look at a topic that has fascinated every firefly-hunting youngster out in the yard with a jam jar on a warm summer night.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Voice of Youth Advocates

Beautiful pictures and clear text illuminate the history, process, and significance of cold light, which is produced with little or no heat. An introductory light stick example along with deadpan descriptions of firefly and marine life research make the information appealing and accessible to teens. Sitarski traces discoveries in cold light: Vincenzo Casciarolo's "sun rock" in 1602; Robert Boyle's glowing chicken in 1667; Raphael Dubois's 1885 distinction between luciferin and luciferase; Edmund Newton Harvey's 1909 discovery that the two chemicals varied by species; the William Beebe and Otis Barton spectacular ocean descent of 1934; and finally William McElroy's practical application and cloning research that made possible the production of a wide range of products by other researchers to entertain, light homes, save lives daily, and enhance energy resources. Sitarski clarifies scientific terms with illustrations and comparisons. She defines their prefixes and roots and provides pronunciation in the text but not in the glossary. Short chapters, broken up with sidebars and large, colorful images, make for a pleasant read, but charts, illustrating the principles of cold light would have been helpful for reference. Books suggested for further reading are divided by difficulty, and two sources for glow-in-the-dark stickers are listed. Readers do not have to be future scientists to be captivated by the information, presentation, and supplementary resources.-Lucy Schall.