The Missing Cuckoo Clock

April 15, 2013
Grades 2-4 In this Summer Camp Science Mystery, the kids at Camp Dakotaalong with newcomer Meganfocus on gravity and how it affects everything they do. Even as they learn about the effects of friction on gravity and how changing the center of gravity can affect one's balance, the cuckoo clock disappears from the main cabin. Now everyone must become a detective to find the clock. Learning about gravity gets a lift from the colorful art and engaging story, and students may even be inspired to try experiments in the back matter.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2013
Summer-camp kids get (scientifically) physical. Falling between a boxed definition of gravity and explanations of how that force interacts with others, the story is largely a framework for nonstop real-life demonstrations of gravity in action. Readers see it at work on clock weights, dripping water, a beach ball, random falling objects--and horse-mad new camper Megan, who falls a hair below the height requirement to ride in the afternoon, but (after a night spent lying down) measures a half-inch taller the next morning. Helmer supplies brightly colored cartoon panels featuring a multicultural crew of young campers engaged in general horseplay or watching in wide-eyed wonder as a counselor explains how a mechanical clock works or concocts simple physics demonstrations. Even the titular cuckoo clock swings past as just a MacGuffin for showing how a pendulum works. Predominantly instructional, but light enough not to sink beneath the weight of its purpose. (glossary, instructions for two experiments, URL for supplementary material) (Graphic fiction/nonfiction hybrid. 8-10)

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