Fault Lines & Tectonic Plates: Discover What Happens When the Earth's Crust Moves

Gr 4–7—Reilly uses the theory of plate tectonics to explain earthquakes, volcanoes, and more in this comprehensive look at earth science. Each chapter concludes with several hands-on activities to encourage understanding of the concepts discussed. They vary in quality (some are recycled from the author's 2012 Natural Disasters: Investigate Earth's Most Destructive Forces with 25 Projects), but they are effective at encouraging readers to come up with their own ideas and solutions. "Words To Know" are defined in sidebars on each page. One standout feature is the primary source boxes, which use QR codes to link to videos, maps, and documents. Reassuringly, the author has provided a list of links for those without QR code capabilities, and search terms are suggested in case of broken links. The volume covers a lot of ground in a conversational tone and avoids sounding dry or textbooklike. One drawback is that at times there are no visuals when they would be helpful, and most of the images are simplistic drawings.