There’s so much actual information here that the story could pass as a textbook, but science and Scieszka fans won't likely...
Kid genius Frank Einstein's back for a second shocking (and silly) science adventure.
While his parents travel around the world, Frank stays with Grampa Al and conducts science investigations with his human friend Watson and his two robot buddies, smart, literal Klink and music-loving, hug-addicted Klank. While Watson tries to perfect his pea shooter, Frank and the robots learn about forces and energy, Newton and Tesla, and they invent a wireless electricity generator. This is a good thing, since evil, not-quite-as-much-of-a-kid-genius T. Edison and his sidekick, er, partner, Mr. Chimp, are buying up and destroying various types of power plants in order to create a monopoly for their hydroelectric dam. Can Frank and his pals stop Edison, or is Midville doomed to have its own energy crisis? Scieszka's second of six science-themed tales is more fact than fiction in the first half. The science-saturated storyline is buoyed by occasional jokes and a plethora of humorous two-color illustrations and diagrams by Biggs. Once the action begins, it doesn’t stop (except for the jokes). Amusing and informative aftermatter includes more science facts and recipes, poetry and experiments, as well as a guide to ASL’s manual alphabet (Mr. Chimp communicates with sign). Final art not seen.
There’s so much actual information here that the story could pass as a textbook, but science and Scieszka fans won't likely mind. (Science fiction/humor. 8-10)Pub Date: March 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1483-2
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
From McDonald (Tundra Mouse, 1997, etc.), a haunting, dramatic glimpse of the Bone Keeper, a trickster with special transformational powers. Some say Bone Woman is a ghost; some envision her with three heads that view past, present, and future simultaneously. Most, however, call her the “Skeleton Maker” or “Keeper of Bones.” Chanting, shaking, moaning, and wailing, the Bone Keeper is frenzied as she sorts bones; not until the end of the book are readers told, in murmuring lines of free verse, what the Bone Keeper is creating in her mysterious desert cave. Out of the darkness, a wolf springs to life, leaps from the cave, howling, a symbol of resurrection and proof of life’s cyclical nature. Also keeping readers guessing as to the Bone Keeper’s final creation are Karas’s paintings; they, too, require that the final piece of the puzzle be placed before all are understood. The coloring and textures embody the desert setting in the evening, showing the fearsome cave and sandy shadows that wait to release the mystery of the bones. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7894-2559-9
Page Count: 30
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
Peddle debuts with a small, wordless epiphany that flows like an animated short. A low winter sun first lights a child building a snowman, then, after a gloriously starry night, returns to transform it—to melt it. Leaving most of each page untouched, Peddle assembles a minimum of accurately brushed pictorial elements for each scene: the builder; the snow figure; their lengthening shadows; the rising sun’s coruscating circle in the penultimate picture; a scatter of sticks, coal, and a carrot in the final one. Most children will still prefer The Snowy Day, but others may find layers of meaning beneath the story’s deceptive simplicity. (Picture book. 4-9)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-385-32693-9
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1999
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
