COSMIC COLLISIONS

A play-by-play “celestial slugfest.”

Two heavenly bodies—an out-of-shape asteroid and a speedy comet—are on a collision course, headed for an “incredible interplanetary smackdown.” Astrophysicist Kuchner frames his tale as a heavyweight matchup. Which object will survive? A robust intro to astronomy follows: What does a comet look like? What is an asteroid? Where do these objects come from? The contenders are assessed on a variety of metrics—temperature, speed, weight, and density—while extra information, like the meaning of ellipse or orbit, is slipped in under the ropes. The narrator channels a sportscaster’s voice, with lively vocabulary (careen, bean, pummel) providing bonus zing. Asteroids “range from hefty heaps of rock to metal monsters”; the physical and chemical makeup of the book’s comet earns it the moniker “cow-burp Popsicle” (since comets often contain frozen methane, a gas produced when cows belch). The pace speeds up as the crash nears, and Kuchner generates enough excitement to carry readers through the appended pages of astronomical information. Schu’s colorful, dramatic illustrations, in classic 1950s comic book graphic style, are a perfect match for the text and depict diverse citizen scientists. The opening endpapers portray blobby asteroids, while the closing endpapers feature streaky bursts of comets, all named.

An engrossing, adrenaline-fueled astronomical account.