• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

Today's trains are sleeker, greener and faster than ever before. Tomorrow's trains could travel through space at 23 times the speed of sound --- nearly 30 000 km/h (19 000 m.p.h.)! But did you know that train technology goes back 5 000 years?

All aboard Ultimate Trains, which takes readers on a trip through the evolution of train technology, bringing to life the trains of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Five “Build It Yourself” experiments --- simple enough to create at home --- put train technology into action. Readers can learn how to build a steam engine from a soda pop can, test an electromagnetic track and go online to construct their own magnetic levitation train.

Peter McMahon is an online science journalist who has written for the Toronto Star, CTV and Science.ca. Peter also runs a consulting company that offers training and planning for children's science programming. He is the author of Ultimate Trains. Peter lives in Port Hope, Ontario.

Peter McMahon's profile page

Andy Mora specializes in technical and scientific illustration and also works in advertising and design. He is the illustrator of Ultimate Trains. Andy lives in Cookstown, Ontario.

Andy Mora's profile page

• Short-listed, Lane Anderson Book Award, Fitzhenry Family Foundation