YOUR ADVENTURES AT CERN

This debut educational, activities-filled graphic novel takes readers on a grand tour of the world’s biggest particle physics laboratory.

Diamante styles her work as a game book, making readers the protagonists. They are at CERN, on the border between France and Switzerland. Their adventure begins by choosing to be a tourist, a CERN researcher, or a student. Each of these roles will send them bouncing around the work as they traverse the particle-smashing Large Hadron Collider or try to reach one of its four massive detectors. Each role also comes with further choices—one helper and one or more tools—and picking the wrong thing may have disastrous consequences. Along the way, they will meet such animated characters as pet cockatiel Cheepy; CERN guide Marta; and Schrödy, an adorably snarky cat more interested in food than assisting anyone. There are numerous obstacles as well, from a hacker whom readers are racing against for a password to access the late Professor Virtualli’s robot-controlling code. The author provides the protagonists with entertaining choices. In one case, grabbing the wrong piece of cake could prematurely end their stories. But no matter where readers go, the novel practically bursts with quizzes, games, and wonderful scientific tidbits, like backgrounds on famous physicists and the origin of the Big Bang moniker. It’s an educationally rich book for all ages, with plenty of humor. Schrödy, for example, takes over the glossary and puts his own spin on it; he adds comments on “annoying” humans and claims that “terribly dangerous” dogs are food thieves. Flandoli’s playful artwork only elevates the fun, filling the pages with cartoonish animal expressions and colorful particles. Some illustrations showcase intriguing details, like a crowd of CERN Control Centre operators. Readers may fare better with a print copy of the work, as it requires endless page-flipping and even, as the author encourages, jotting down checkmarks and game answers.

This dynamic book for kids and adults overflows with scientific knowledge and delights.