When I described this book to my wife, she said, "Sounds like Victor Hugo," and I responded, "Yeah, but not nearly as good."
I enjoyed the characters sWhen I described this book to my wife, she said, "Sounds like Victor Hugo," and I responded, "Yeah, but not nearly as good."
I enjoyed the characters so much that I would consider reading another Balzac novel to see them again. However, the monologuing and overall pacing really brought this down for me. It was so overwrought that I got impatient during portions of it....more
I read a chunk of this book. It was fairly interesting, but I put it down at some point and had to flip back through it to figure out if I finished itI read a chunk of this book. It was fairly interesting, but I put it down at some point and had to flip back through it to figure out if I finished it or not. I like the funky grandma, but the rest of the characters don't do a lot for me. It felt like a book where the message was more important then telling a good story....more
I loved this artistic, fun book about identity and paternity. It felt more sincere and joyful than Iron Giant's Daughter, and reminded me a bit of a JI loved this artistic, fun book about identity and paternity. It felt more sincere and joyful than Iron Giant's Daughter, and reminded me a bit of a Jack Vance novel....more
I enjoyed this one more than the first one. The characters had a lot more agency and I was really interested in the details on the Revolutionary War.
II enjoyed this one more than the first one. The characters had a lot more agency and I was really interested in the details on the Revolutionary War.
I read this because it was banned by an administrator and removed from my grade 6-8 classroom in 2019. There is no good reason for that decision, and I'm not even sure why the decision was made. Of course, this complaint seems quaint in 2025 when book bans are so common they don't surprise anyone anymore....more
I just surveyed 13 children's phyics books, and this one is the clear winner for quality of hands-on activities.
Activities are organized by concept. EI just surveyed 13 children's phyics books, and this one is the clear winner for quality of hands-on activities.
Activities are organized by concept. Each activity starts with an essential question, contains a clearly written procedure, and ends with a scientific explanation.
The formatting really elevates this book. It is not cluttered or overwhelming. Illustrations are simple and support the activities.
Sometimes less is more and keeping it simple is better....more
I just completed a survey of 13 children's physics books, and this one is clearly the best overall. The organization is very strong. ChaptRecommended.
I just completed a survey of 13 children's physics books, and this one is clearly the best overall. The organization is very strong. Chapters are arranged by topic and sections withing the chapters are clearly divided into expository sections, experiments and deeper examinations. The experiments are clearly presented and explained. The use of diagrams and illustrations throughout the book is clear and helpful.
My only problem is that the text is a little more challenging than I would like. The vocab terms are too dense and hard for a younger student to understand.
I like how it leans into visualizing some of the math concepts behind physics....more
p. 74, "With extreme care, use the point of a sharp pair of scissors to 'drill' another hole into the side of a bottle as shown." This instruction is p. 74, "With extreme care, use the point of a sharp pair of scissors to 'drill' another hole into the side of a bottle as shown." This instruction is paired with a photo of a child shoving one point of an open pair of scissors through the bottom of a film canister, so obviously there are some questionable safety decisions being made here.
That aside, the book is pretty solid. Activities are organized by physics concept. Each activity is well explained and accompanied by a large number of helpful photos. Each activity is followed by a clearly written explanation of the science at work.
This book was published in 1992, but looks like it's from 1978. The illustrations are ugly and the pages are crowded. The formatting is so jumbled thaThis book was published in 1992, but looks like it's from 1978. The illustrations are ugly and the pages are crowded. The formatting is so jumbled that it's hard to know what order you're supposed to read the paragraphs in. The activities are ambitious and not adequately explained....more
This is an extremely dense, vocab-heavy book about the history and theory of physics in amusement park rides. It contains some fairly elaborate activiThis is an extremely dense, vocab-heavy book about the history and theory of physics in amusement park rides. It contains some fairly elaborate activities. I don't know who it's for. The text level requires a strong physics vocabulary going in, which would put the age group around 14 or higher....more
Gardner does a better job than most of making physics concepts approachable for children. She does a good job of combining comic strips and narrativesGardner does a better job than most of making physics concepts approachable for children. She does a good job of combining comic strips and narratives of everyday occurrences as a way of setting up the concepts. She also goes harder on the math aspect of phycics than most children's writers do. No activities....more
This book looks good, but the content is too much of a mish mash. It covers a wide range of phyics topics. Each topic gets a beautiful but cluttered sThis book looks good, but the content is too much of a mish mash. It covers a wide range of phyics topics. Each topic gets a beautiful but cluttered section crammed with supporting theory, history, and bios of ethnically and gender diverse phsicists. At the end there are a couple fairly elaborate activities....more
Basher creates cute cartoon characters to represent physics concepts (density, mass, etc.) It's a fun idea, but the characters don't convey the concepBasher creates cute cartoon characters to represent physics concepts (density, mass, etc.) It's a fun idea, but the characters don't convey the concepts as well as I wanted them to. No activities contained....more
PHYSICS IN YOUR BEDROOM * Pinholes * Vibrating rulers
Chuckles aside, this book organizes simple physics activities by different rooms in your house. A lPHYSICS IN YOUR BEDROOM * Pinholes * Vibrating rulers
Chuckles aside, this book organizes simple physics activities by different rooms in your house. A lot of them involve light. The way it's organized makes it hard to find the topic you want....more
This is a surprisingly religious book on physics. According to the back cover: "Children will discover the intricate balance and order that God has wrThis is a surprisingly religious book on physics. According to the back cover: "Children will discover the intricate balance and order that God has written into His creation."
The book is beautifully formatted and illustrated. It is focused on theory and history and does not contain experiments....more
Somehow, GR merged my comments on two different books.
Hardware Store:
Organized by various physics principles, mostly simple machines. Each section desSomehow, GR merged my comments on two different books.
Hardware Store:
Organized by various physics principles, mostly simple machines. Each section describes a the ways that the principle can be found in a hardware store, with a few simple activities.
Housewares Store:
Mostly describes phyics in everyday appliances, with an emphasis on simple machines and heat....more
It was weird, but not in a way that did much for me. I think my favorite part was how the goats and some of the animals had different ways of thinkingIt was weird, but not in a way that did much for me. I think my favorite part was how the goats and some of the animals had different ways of thinking. The plot was not very satisfying or believable. I think ultimately this will not be one of the Newbery winners with much of a shelf life or legacy....more
I loved Little, Big so much that I picked this one up immediately. I have been attempting to get through it off and on for about 20 years. I kept thinI loved Little, Big so much that I picked this one up immediately. I have been attempting to get through it off and on for about 20 years. I kept thinking that once I got into it, it would click for me, but it didn't really. I enjoyed a lot of the 70s vibe of Blackberry Jambs and some of the historical vignettes, but it was definitely less than a sum of its parts. It hurts that I read Anathem recently, which handles the parallel reality concept so much better. The Aegypt bits in this one seemed kind of trite by comparison....more
I consider myself a pretty big Bradley fan, but this one didn't grab me. It's about a Jewish girl who is stranded in Paris when I read about 20 pages.
I consider myself a pretty big Bradley fan, but this one didn't grab me. It's about a Jewish girl who is stranded in Paris when they start arresting all the Jews. It was fairly interesting, but I felt no need to continue reading it....more
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