SCHOOLS using our Super Story Search literacy resource receive free books for review. Those featured this week are written by pupils in year eight at Pleckgate High School, Blackburn.

Eyewitness Guides "Car" by Richard Sutton ( Dorling Kindersley, £9.99)

IF you want to know anything about cars of the past or present, this fascinating book is the one for you.

The wonderful illustrations show cross sections of cars and engines in full colour with easy to read passages. It explains how engines work and how turbo-chargers boost power. You can also discover how cars are designed today and see one of the oldest cars ever built.

Details of cars, like badges, are featured and all the different makes of tyres from 1915 to those used on today's racing cars. Number plates from all over the world are shown, and the way that colour is put on to cars and how windshields are fitted is explained. Whether you are a car enthusiast or just like looking at books, you will love this superb book. The photographs and diagrams are excellent and the writing easy to read for all ages. I would give this book top marks.

Reviewed by DAVID COLBERT, Year 8, Pleckgate High School, Blackburn

Eyewitness Guides "Costume" by L Rowland-Warne (Dorling Kindersley, £9.99)

THIS book shows you about the story of costume from antique to the present day.

You can discover all about the history of clothes, jewellery and ornaments on every page. The layout is very attractive with lots of pictures labelled in clear detail.

We enjoyed looking at many ancient things, such as brooches and hairpins worn by Roman women, Viking shoes, opulent Renaissance clothes and accessories and even Queen Victoria's stockings. There are many things to learn as well, like how Romans folded their togas, how the discovery of the new world changed European fashion and how fabrics were used for different purposes.

We discovered lots of interesting facts, including how the development of textiles affected fashion, when men wore stockings, why women wore corsets, what a farthingale was and think that other young people would find the book just as fascinating as we did.

Reviewed by SHAISTHA RIFAI and SUMAIYA UKADIA, Year 8, Pleckgate High School, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.