Review: Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives by Albert Marrin

Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives by Albert Marrin.

Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: January 2012
List Price: $10.99
ISBN-13: 9780375866739

Review: The author of Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives, Albert Marrin, is the author of many non-fiction books for young readers. His books include Years of Dust, His World, and Flesh and Blood so Cheap: The Fire and its Legacy. Albert Marrin has a scientific interest in how various, often overlooked, natural phenomena impacts human life. His main goal is to give children a better understanding of what is happening in the world.

You have probably heard about the high demand for oil and rising prices, but why is this happening? Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives, takes readers to the origin of oil. It gives the reader the reason why oil is in such demand. Oil is sometimes called Black Gold because it is one of the most important things in this modern day world, but how did people feel about it fifty years or one hundred years ago? Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives will take readers on a ride through the ups and downs of drilling and the uses of oil. The book tells how wars have been won due to oil. It explains how the Allies beat the Axis because they had more fuel, which allowed them to deploy troops faster than their opponent.

Albert Marrin has been awarded multiple times for his non-fiction writings. His many honors include the Washington Children's Book Guild and The Washington Post Non-Fiction Award. He also received the Humanities Medal, awarded to him by President George W. Bush. I enjoyed this book because of how Albert Marrin was able to explain to me the importance of oil. It took me step by step of how oil developed over time and how oil evolved. I also enjoyed how Albert Marrin explained how World War II, as well as other wars, depended on oil. I now understand why gas prices go up and down. The illustrations that were included in this book helped me visualize what I was learning. Out of 5 stars, I give Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives a 5. I was enlightened by all the information included in this book.

Review written by Zach (7th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives for this review.

Have you read Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives? How would you rate it?