Review by Booklist Review
Imagine the kitsch of a field trip to the world's largest ball of twine and multiple it by about a thousand and you'll begin to appreciate this imaginative and colorful romp through the United States' weirdest roadside attractions. Each site, from the aboriginal paintings in the Cave of the White Shaman in southwest Texas to the ghosts of Pennsylvania's Eastern State Penitentiary, is described in detail with full-color photographs and lumped into themed chapters such as Ancient Mysteries and Haunted Holiday. Popular state routes and byways are frequently cited and offer loads of possibilities for geography lessons. Marginalia offers websites for further research, and readers will assuredly find at least one attraction close to their own home. Sure to be a hit with students that pore over the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley's Believe It or Not!, this book may just make kids worldlier without them even noticing. Lake and Fairbanks prove that nonfiction is anything but a snooze.--Anderson, Erin Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Readers taking road trips this summer (or armchair ones, considering gas prices) will be prepared with this photographic tour of American oddities, an addition to the Weird U.S. series. Attractions include the Watts Towers in Los Angeles, which artist Simon Rodia built using objects collected by neighborhood kids; the mysterious Marfa lights in Presidio County, Tex.; and the archaeological site in Groton, Conn., known as Gungywamp. The world's biggest ball of twine makes an appearance, as does the smallest park (located in Portland, Ore.), while a section on "Haunted Highways" includes the cryptically named "Shades of Death Road" in Warren County, N.J. Lake and Fairbanks's lively descriptions demonstrate the enthusiasm that subjects like Mothman, Sarah Winchester, and the FeeJee Mermaid deserve. Ages 8-12. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4 Up-From the Watts Towers in Los Angeles to the mythical New Jersey Devil, the "Weird U.S." writing team embarks on a new mission: to guide readers on a road trip, visiting the many curiosities America has to offer. The first third of this book covers wacky museums, strange houses, colorful street festivals, and roadside oddities, all of which would certainly be amusing additions to a family vacation. The other two-thirds of the book are dedicated to haunted houses, bloodthirsty roads, mythological creatures, alien landings, and other inexplicable phenomena. Even as reading material alone, these sections fall flat; many of them, especially the one about Bigfoot and his brethren, contain nothing that readers can't find in greater detail in numerous other books. Throughout the volume, many of the color photographs are far too small to do justice to their subjects, and there are also a good number that suffer from lack of captions. Fans of The Guinness Book of Records and "Ripley's Believe It or Not" (Ripley) will be drawn to this treasure trove of strange places and faces, but may find themselves disappointed in the end.-Rebecca Dash Donsky, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This compendium of unusual places around the United States is divided into chapters including "Mysterious Museums & Curious Collections" and "Roadside Oddities." Brief, perky text about each site provides highlights and background; photographs add to the humor and the fun. While there is an index, a listing of sites by state would have been useful to navigate the scattered locales. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A tantalizing sampler of American roadside attractions, ghosts and spooky local legends for audiences not yet familiar with the TV show of the same name and its attendant series of state-by-state print guides.Shoveled haphazardly into thematic chapters, the several hundred stopovers range from old reliables like Roswell, Bigfoot, jackalopes and the Watts Towers to various art car shows, festivals like the annual Roadkill Cook-off in West Virginia and such undeservedly obscure locales as New Jersey's Shades of Death Road and Maine's International Cryptozoology Museum. The authors supply a paragraph or two of credulous commentary on each that includes specific places and people along with back story and, for the more elusive or supernatural oddities, locally gathered rumors and anecdotes. Small but sharp photosor melodramatic Photoshopped images for the various specterson every page add both atmosphere and additional credibility for readers who may have trouble believing in, for instance, the many giant fiberglass "Muffler Men" dotting the Midwest or all the buildings shaped like teapots, picnic baskets and various foodstuffs. Readers allergic to exclamation points may want to skip this one.A browser's delight, packaged to fit small coffee tables. (Infotainment. 10-13)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
