Question It!: Oil

Philip Steele is a leading writer of children's non-fiction books. He was born in Surrey, graduated from University College Durham and worked in London publishing houses. He then freelanced as a project manager, publishing consultant and author. He has written a wide range of books for Wayland, Watts, Dorling Kindersley, Kingfisher/Macmillan, Walker Books and many other publishers worldwide. History, biography, lands and peoples, the natural world, current affairs and social issues all feature prominently in his backlist. Philip has backpacked around Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. For many years he has been settled very happily amidst the mountains, beaches and green fields of North Wales. His wife (as a teacher) and his teenage daughter (as a secondary school pupil) are ideally suited to cast a critical eye over his work!

• 1: It's time to debate...oil and gas2: What are oil and gas?3: So many uses4: Where to drill for oil?5: Gas, fracking and tar6: Tankers and pipelines7: Should we drill in the Arctic?8: Filling up the car9: In the power station10: Is plastic fantastic?11: Has oil changed the world for the better?12: Black gold13: Pipeline politics14: Does oil bring nothing but trouble?15: CO2 levels16: Climate change17: Green moves18: Are human emissions to blame?19: Cleaner options20: New directions21: Should we leave it in the ground?22: Glossary23: Further information24: Index

There's plenty of food for thought in this book, which does an excellent job of posing questions ... This book, in the Question It! series for readers upwards of age ten, will explore these important topics in a balanced and objective way, encouraging readers to take a questioning approach to the issues surrounding the use of oil and natural gas.