Star Wars; A Galactic Pop-Up Adventure
(by Matthew Reinhart, Orchard $36.99 Score:)

Based on the new Star Wars Cartoon series, this is a pop-up book of dreams! The pages have several smaller pops as well as the big ones that spring on every turn. There are Battle Beasts, Destroyer Droids, ETR Interceptor, and Lord Darth Vader with his light saber that actually changes colors! Whoa! The ultimate gift of the year for Star Wars fans of all ages.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years, Tweens, Teens, Adult. Award Year: 2012.

Pop-Up London
(by Jennie Maizels/ paper engineering by Richard Fe, Candlewick $19.99 Score:)

Just in time for the Olympics, here's a way to share more details about this great city. Most text is hidden under the flaps, but the wonder here is having some of London's landmarks, including London Bridge pop-up off of the page in 3D. 

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: . Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Dragons & Monsters
(by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda, Candlewick $29.99 Score:)

The masters of the pop-up book, deliver yet another spectacular title that features all things dragons and monsters throughout history.  Once you get passed the wow factor, you'll see that this is really a first look at mythology as well as Eastern and Western folk lore.  It's just this type of book that can get a reluctant reader engaged! Marked 5 & up, but the subject matter is really more for older school aged kids.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Robert Crowther Pop-Up House of Inventions
(by Robert Crowther, Candlewick $17.99 Score:)

Kids often don't even think about the fact that there have not always been zippers, email, mirrors or soap. In a clever pop-up format, Crowther creates six typical rooms of a house and labels the many typical items in each room with thumbnail bits of information about inventions. This update is not radically different from the original. It's still a fun book for sparking an interest in history and how things were. 6 & up.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2008. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

The Amazing Pop-up Geography Book
(by Kate Petty & Jennie Maizels, Dutton $22.95 Score:) Compare the relative sizes of the pop-up mountains; discover how long it would take to travel from New York to Tokyo if you were a bee or a snail. Concepts like capitals, landmarks, biggest, smallest, and more are presented in small quizzes with maps that kids use to find the answers. Gives geography a new lift! 7 and up.

Age: Early School Years,Later School Years. Award Year: 2001.