Trucks: Pickups to Big Rigs.

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

These latest additions to Crabtree’s Automania! series are guaranteed to rev up high interest in young gear heads. Using concise, informative text and scores of fascinating photos, each volume focuses on a different segment of the automotive world. The content is divided into the history of the vehicle, its development around the world, and its many variations.

Trucks looks at how this type of vehicle is used in the workplace, in sport, and for pleasure. Formula One explains what exactly the “formula” is that makes a Formula One car and traces the history of this racing thoroughbred from the beginning of the 20th century to the latest developments in the sport today. Muscle Cars focuses on that short-lived era of glorious gas guzzlers like the Mustang, GTO, and Barracuda; the book concludes with an examination of new technology that is creating a new breed of muscle cars that are both fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. Sweet Rides provides an overview of some of the finest and flashiest stock vehicles ever created, including luxury, sporty, convertible, and sport utility vehicles; and it offers a new take on such old classics as the Volkswagen Beetle and Mini Cooper. Vintage Cars covers not only the best of car manufacturing from 1919 to 1930 but also how the motorcar changed the way people lived, worked, and entertained themselves.

Classic Cars 1931–1980 explains why some cars are considered “classic” while others of the same vintage are just plain old. The Coffin Nosed Cord, ’56 Thunderbird with porthole windows, and the related field of automobile collectibles (called automobilia) are just some of the featured subjects. Street Cred discusses how cars became not just a mode of transportation but also an extension of the owner’s personality or fantasies by using custom paint jobs, plush interiors, one-of-a-kind bodywork, sound systems, and even hydraulic suspension systems.

Street Bikes follows the history and subculture of road-legal motorcycles with chapters that include touring bikes, motorcycle clubs, outlaw biker gangs, and Hollywood movies. There are several chapters on motorcycle safety and proper attire for travel by motorcycle. Sports Bikes explores the world of pleasure biking with chapters on drag racing, motocross, grand prix, extreme off-track, and even ice racing. Again, there are chapters on safety tips and advice on proper equipment and attire for these fun but often dangerous sports.

Although the interest level for this series is listed as Grades 3 to 9, anyone with any kind of interest in motor vehicles will find plenty of fascinating reading in these volumes. All are highly recommended.