Where is Area 51?

With the popularity of the Who? What? Where? series, I knew I wanted to check out at least one to get a feel for the complexity and layout and, as a lifelong X-Files fan, when I saw Where is Area 51? by Paula K. Manzanero, I knew I needed to give it a read.

Within these pages I found an absolute wealth of history, not just about the base itself but the events that led to its construction. Area 51 took me on a journey through the history, beginning all the way back in 1947, when William Brazel first discovered mysterious debris on his ranch in Roswell.

I feel like I actually learned a lot; the book is narrative and is meant to be read from start to finish as it does go through history chronologically. There are details about the Cold War and the technology we were developing to assist in our struggle against communism and the Soviet Union. Technology like....weather balloons, designed to reach high enough levels so as to alert the United States should any other countries before bomb tests. It was one of these weather balloons that the CIA reported, and continues to maintain that, as the fallen debris in Roswell.

But everyone knows that story. Did you know that skunk works is a term used to refer to a top-secret project? Or that the only photos of Area 51 came from Skylab, the first US space station, which orbited during a time when Area 51 did not even officially exist? There are no fences around Area 51-instead the utilize buried sensors which alert officials should anyone come remotely close to the outskirts of the base and guards are permitted to shoot anyone who walks up. Stealth technology and missile defense continues to be the bases top missions to this day, which is why it remains so heavily guarded and its contents top-secret.

The book itself is laid out really well. It's written chronologically, which I appreciate as it makes it easier to follow along with the timeline and the developments as they happened. It's helpful that they insert dialogue boxes with information about ideas or events that are referenced, like the sidebar about communism when they bring up the tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and why the spy technology was needed.

 The reading level seems right on par with the recommended age level and I would definitely recommend for both educational and leisure reading. I can't wait to check out more of the series!