An up-to-date excursion past the boundaries of Newtonian physics: “Crazy!” as the author aptly puts it.
A fresh look at some of the universe’s weirdest astronomical phenomena and the people who study them.
Observations in 2015 proved that black holes create gravitational waves when they collide—but, as Latta points out, that’s hardly the only string in their bows, because they also sing, dance, belch, and blow bubbles! Along with lucidly explaining the significance of said waves in our relativistic universe, the author describes how black holes are formed and how they behave, at least to our current understanding. She does this in such lively language that attentive readers will come away with firm grasps of a host of cosmically slippery notions, from the Chandrasekhar limit and the Schwarzschild radius to Fermi Bubbles and “spaghettification.” She also gives “major props” to the scientists who imagined and then actually found black holes, and she profiles five researchers (all white, but three are women) who are currently engaged in probing their secrets. The photos, graphics, and diagrams are small but sharp, clear, and helpful. The black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, Sagittarius A* (pronounced “A-star”), headlines a closing gallery of “All-Star Black Holes,” and annotated lists of recommended reading and viewing provide deeper dives into the topic.
An up-to-date excursion past the boundaries of Newtonian physics: “Crazy!” as the author aptly puts it. (source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 11-14)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5124-1568-1
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
Not for a general audience, this will most likely attract readers already in their element among beakers and Bunsen burners.
This adaptation of a book for adults meanders through the history, uses, and misuses of the periodic table’s elements.
After a promising introduction about the author’s childhood fascination with mercury, the first chapter bogs down in an explanation of atoms too brief for those new to chemistry to make much of it. A dull summary of the men who created the periodic table follows. Those who make it through the first chapters will be rewarded by more-interesting, even dramatic topics such as chemical warfare, atomic bombs, and poisonous elements. Kean has collected numerous anecdotes and groups them together loosely by similarities. While the stories within chapters tend to be chronological, the book zigzags back and forth through history. Almost all the players are adults, mostly white men, with the exception of a teenage boy who tried to build a nuclear reactor in his backyard. Occasional colloquialisms (“yuck”) seem aimed at younger readers, but overall the adaptation makes few concessions to its audience. For example, the terms “quantum mechanics” and “nuclear fission” appear with little explanation. (A closing glossary helps to compensate for this.) The text refers to Albert Einstein’s letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt about “starting the Manhattan Project” without further description, assuming readers have previous knowledge.
Not for a general audience, this will most likely attract readers already in their element among beakers and Bunsen burners. (bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 11-14)Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-38828-3
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
Rich information borders on overload, but passion cuts through the density.
A remarkably thorough tour of the world of sharks and marine scientists’ efforts to educate the public about our ocean’s apex predators.
Misconceptions fueled by sensationalized attack stories in the media and limb-rending horror films have painted sharks as bloodthirsty villains of the sea, lying in wait for tasty, unsuspecting humans. As Young (Whale Quest, 2017, etc.) explains, however, humans—a fairly new addition to sharks’ world with our 6 million years on the planet being a mere blip compared to sharks’ 420 million—actually represent the single greatest threat to sharks’ continued existence through harmful practices like finning, commercial fishing, and pollution. This human threat is not a new topic for informational texts, and here is where so many books conclude, perhaps with a final call for action and touch of doom—but not so with this one. Instead, Young’s interweaving of dismantled misinformation and captivating “shark truths” seamlessly leads into the activities undertaken by researchers and conservationists to better understand and protect shark populations. Projects like SharkCam robots, fully mapping the shark genome, and citizen-driven tagging initiatives not only ground readers in real efforts that are happening right now to address the harm humans are doing, but also propel readers forward by showing how much remains unknown about these powerful creatures.
Rich information borders on overload, but passion cuts through the density. (guide, notes, glossary, and bibliography) (Nonfiction. 11-13)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5124-9805-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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