School Library Journal Review: Gr 5-8 Beller looks at more than 20 historical sites or archaeological excavations, from the World Trade Center to Olduvai Gorge, from the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975 to Noah???s Ark, in order to present the varying interpretations of history and how they have been colored by tradition, socioeconomic factors, and religious beliefs. Objectively written chapters are brief, leaving readers longing for more detail and more depth???and this may be the greatest strength of the book. Teachers can use this text to introduce social studies content in research formats. Frequent, well-placed sepia-toned photographs and period reproductions serve to enhance the text, and the source notes, further reading, and list of Web sites give students an ample list of resources for further study. A small quibble is the identification in a picture caption of the Easter Island hieroglyphics, called Rongorongo, as the language of the Etruscans???but this hardly mars the worth of the book as both an introduction to a fascinating field and as a curriculum guide.???Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WA Copyright ? Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.