I did not find this “book” to be informative enough to be sold as a separate publication when almost all of this information is to be found for free on the nasa website. I read this but was not impressed.

This was a quick, ARC e-book that I received for an honest opinion. If you know nothing or very little about eclipses then this will be informative for you. However, I think that everyone can learn a few things the author wrote about. I enjoyed the size perspective she gave for the total solar eclipse. Apparently the physical book contains a pair of safe viewing glasses for you to use!

Parts of Mexico and North America are in for a magical, mysterious, scientific adventure this Spring as a circle of darkness arcs a pathway across the land in the Sun’s annual rotational alignment cycle passing behind the Moon, thereby throwing a giant shadow of the Moon over the Earth’s landscape, as explained by Pam Hine in the booklet, “Total Eclipse of the Sun: Mexico-USA-Canada: Monday, April 8, 2024.”

Hine conveniently provides two pairs of special eclipse viewing glasses in the book—because it’s never safe to look directly at the sun—even during an eclipse, because sight damage and blindness can occur.

A complete list of Mexican, US, and Canadian cities that will experience a total eclipse is charted in the book, along with expected times, and probably of clear skies. Some of these locations are:

Austin Texas CDT 12:17pm 1:36pm 1min 56secs 2:28pm 66%
Fort Worth Texas CDT 12:22pm 1:40pm 2mins 39secs 3:01pm 66%
Dallas Texas CDT 12:23pm 1:40pm 3mins 42secs 3:02pm 65%
Little Rock Arkansas CDT 12:33pm 1:51pm 2mins 29secs 3:11pm 61%
Poplar Bluff Missouri CDT 12:39pm 1:56pm 4mins 9secs 3:15pm 58%
Carbondale Illinois CDT 12:42pm 1:59pm 4mins 8secs 3:18pm 56%
Paducah Kentucky CDT 12:42pm 2:00pm 1min 41secs 3:18pm 57%
Evansville Indiana CDT 12:45pm 2:02pm 3mins 4secs 3:20pm 54%
Indianapolis Indiana EDT 1:50pm 3:06pm 3mins 49secs 4:23pm 51%
Toledo Ohio EDT 1:56pm 3:12pm 1min 47secs 4:26pm 47%
Cleveland Ohio EDT 1:59pm 3:13pm 3mins 49secs 4:28pm 47%
Erie Pennsylvania EDT 2:02pm 3:16pm 3mins 42secs 4:30pm 46%
Buffalo New York EDT 2:04pm 3:18pm 3mins 45secs 4:32pm 43%
Rochester New York EDT 2:06pm 3:20pm 3mins 40secs 4:33pm 46%
Burlington Vermont EDT 2:14pm 3:26pm 3mins 16secs 4:37pm 45%


In addition, helpful definitions of eclipse terms like umbra, penumbra, corona, diamond ring, totality, partial eclipse, and many more are also explored, as well as mysteries and myths about eclipses.

Since the Sun is vital for all life and crops on Earth, in ancient times when eclipses happened, Hine notes that they foretold cataclysmic events such as a king’s dead, pestilence, wars or other disasters. She said that some primitive cultures thought that giant creatures were eating the Sun—taking giant bites out of it during the progression of an eclipse. Consequently, they banged drums, yelled, screamed and created enormous amounts of noise to drive the Sun-eating predators away.

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Pam Hine, and Publisher Mascot Books for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.

As an experienced eclipse chaser, with several successful international total eclipse trips under my belt, I thank the author, Pam Hine, for kindly providing a temporary electronic review copy of her recent work “Total Eclipse of the Sun” which covers the annular eclipse in October 2023 and the total eclipse in April 2024.

Review by the numbers:
- 30 pages in the electronic review copy (not including cover or foldout)
- 17 color photos or illustrations (not including cover or foldout)
- 13 terms or phrases defined in glossary
- 7 times larger sentence count than this review
- 5 bibliographic references
- 4 charts
- 2 eclipse glasses
- 1 four-foot foldout map

This work is comprised of sections such as “What is an eclipse?”, “Different types of eclipses”, “Path of Totality”, “What to expect in the path of totality”, “Cities and towns on the path of totality”, “Photograph”, “Annular eclipse”, “Myths and legends”, “Jargon buster”, “Interesting little tidbits about eclipses”, & “Bibliography”. This introduction to the 2023/2024 solar eclipses includes the “What, How, Where, and When” for these events. The work clearly shows professional editing and layout. Since I reviewed an electronic version I can not evaluate them, but the inclusion of two eclipse viewers and a four foot long map seem to be appreciated by users of previous versions of the author’s eclipse books.

I strongly agree with the author that a total eclipse is a “deeply moving event” and a “fascinating intellectual observation”. And the phrase “extraordinary magic of a total solar eclipse” is spot on! The author is correct to emphasize “how essential it is to be within totality”, or as seasoned eclipse chasers casually admonish “Get your a** to totality”. I also appreciated the “Cities and towns on the path of totality” chart. The probability of clear/partly cloudy weather at each location is a nice touch. And, of course, the author is correct to caution viewers not to look directly at the sun at any time other than during totality. The 5 websites cited are very good. Fred Espenak, Xavier Jubier, NASA, Time and Date, and Weather Spark provide excellent eclipse information on the internet. I have previously found 4 of them invaluable for planning my eclipse trips, and will include the 5th when I plan my next trip.

I would like to share my personal experience and advice for total eclipse viewing:
- Bring extra eclipse glasses and hand them out if you observe insufficiently prepared people. We have made a lot of friends doing this!
- I strongly recommend using a good pair of binoculars with firmly attached solar filters for the partial phase. It is fun to check out the sunspots. And it is magical to view totality both with your naked eyes and with unfiltered binoculars.
- We plan our eclipse trips to include exciting activities and locations to visit in addition to the eclipse. This way, if weather is not cooperative, you will still have other fond memories of your trip.

Perhaps the single most important thing to know is that this work is targeted for a young audience. I would not hesitate to recommend this to a motivated elementary or middle school student. Phrased differently, I would suggest that a novice adult eclipse chaser start with internet tools such as Google, Wikipedia, or ChatGPT and then look for more serious books on the topic. For example, the books and articles recommended by the American Astronomical Society would be a good option.

This book offers a description of the total eclipse of the sun that will cross the United States on April 8, 2024. There is a brief explanation of the annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2923. The book includes drawings, maps, and lovely color photographs.

This book provides basic information about the upcoming solar eclipses. The emphasis is on the total eclipse of the sun on April 8, 2024. The author provides scientific information about how an eclipse is formed. She also gives information about the locations where the eclipse can be viewed.

"You need to locate yourselves within the Path of Totality, as this is the only area where you will be able to witness the total solar eclipse. It cannot be over-emphasized how essential it is to be within the path. The experience is well worth all the effort to get there. It's a day that people will remember for the rest of their lives."

I traveled to central Missouri to view the solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. It was an amazing sight! I am looking forward to another opportunity to experience these rare astronomical sights on October 14th and April 8th.

The photos and illustrations are excellent. I read a digital copy of the book so I did not have an opportunity to examine the two eclipse viewers and the 4-foot-long fold-out map that comes with the print version.

This book is a good basic resource for students and adults.

I work with astronomers, astrophysicists, and citizen scientists who travel to observe solar eclipses. We get several requests for books and other materials about solar eclipses. This book will be at the top of the bibliography I'll be handing out to teachers and librarians for the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. Pam Hine presents solar eclipse information and materials in such a way that the material can be understood at many levels.

Five stars: highly recommended

This very brief volume includes all that you need to know about the upcoming solar eclipse. It mentions the partial one in October 2023, but focuses mainly on the April 2024 total event. It includes two viewers and a map, as well as charts with durations in different spots in the path of totality and other technical details. Mostly, it discusses the basic facts of what eclipses are, how they work and where and how to view them safely. I am planning to see the total eclipse in Texas so this book was helpful. There is a section devoted to how ancient people saw eclipses, and another one to the science of the phenomena. If you’re planning to see the event in person (and you should), this book will help and will make a nice souvenir for the future. A future that will be impacted by such a life changing event.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Amplify Publishing Group, Mascot Books!

The author does an outstanding job of explaining what an eclipse is, the different types of eclipses, myths and legends about eclipses, and when and where the annular and total solar eclipses will be in October of 2023 and April of 2024. This book is basic enough that young readers can grasp the concepts presented and understand our sun a little better.

A fabulous resource for the two upcoming eclipses! Clear explanations of how and why solar and lunar eclipses occur and how they benefit researchers and our understanding of the universe. Great for n on-the-go resource with solar glasses provided to boot! The jargon section and memory book note pages are a nice feature to turn this book into a family keepsake, reference book, and talking piece. Get you copy before they sell out!