Space & Time

November 1, 2012

Gr 5-9-This sophisticated series will appeal to report writers and serious astronomy students. Each book carefully examines the history behind attempts to unravel explanations for the subjects, going back to Anaxagoras's work on energy in 450 B.C. all the way up to the contemporary findings of Stephen Hawking. The numerous theories put forth throughout the ages are meticulously detailed and put in context of how research was able to proceed despite political or religious pressures to suppress it. Sidebars bring in interesting tidbits, including information about how pop culture has used or misused science in fiction and film. The photographs, illustrations, and reproductions are impressive, but the texts are sometimes difficult to read because of the unusually small font, particularly when placed against a dark red background. As they bring together science, history, and philosophy, these volumes are exhaustive treatments of their subjects.

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2012
Grades 5-8 This entry into the Mysteries of the Universe series should prove useful for researching reports for school assignments. The development of methods for keeping time and determining locations are covered in detail. From Euclid to Einstein, different theories for unlocking the mysteries of space and time are briefly discussed, as is the future of thinking about time and space. Thought-provoking questions are posed, such as, Is space expanding or contracting? and Is time travel possible? Each section includes Spacetime Asides, blocks of information loosely related to the topic. These range from information about the origin of the Gregorian calendar to comments about the validity of time travel in Back to the Future. The page layouts are open and inviting, with large colorful illustrations coupled with a frequent use of bold background colors, but the text is small, making it a bit at odds with the striking format.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)