Four African American friends--Ziggy, Jerome, Rico, and Rashawn--pursue their interest in science by attending Space Camp. Although occasionally over-earnest and preachy, the book successfully weaves factual information into the story. Occasional black-and-white drawings vacillate between unobtrusive and distracting. This reissue was originally published as part of the Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs series.

Gr 3-6-The Black Dinosaurs are four African-American boys from Ohio who enjoy science adventures. In this fourth outing, Ziggy and his friends attend Space Camp at the Huntsville, Alabama Space Center. Initially, Ziggy hopes to uncover evidence of aliens, but he quickly finds the program even more interesting. The book describes the camp in detail, from the Habitat dorms to the training equipment to the simulated shuttle mission and the graduation ceremony. The Dinosaurs are teamed with four sixth graders from a small Southern private school. The eight diverse young people work together well and Team America becomes the most successful group at camp. Draper seamlessly incorporates information about space science and astronautics into the text, with a distinct focus on the contributions of women and minorities. There is considerable humor and even a light touch of mystery, but the real emphasis here is on cooperation and respect. The book includes review questions and Web sites, although two of the URLs are not directly accessible. Although the plot has minimal conflict or suspense, the Space Camp theme, short text, and likable characters make this title worth considering.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.