Scan barcode
chuskeyreads's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting how the author attempts to "dumb down" the basics of star formation, collapse, and relativity in relation to black holes. While I enjoyed the illustrations of black holes, the funny cartoons were possibly my favorite part.
gmamartha's review against another edition
3.0
Non-fiction that recognizes the young audience. Good analogies, comparisons, and organization of material.
kristenremenar's review against another edition
4.0
In this book, the conversational tone is to the scientific information like chocolate pudding with whipped cream and sprinkles is to a pill. Even if your kids don't think they'll want to read about science, Decristofano makes it irresistible.
bookgirl4ever's review against another edition
5.0
My limited experience with black holes has been through science fiction novels, so this book dispelled many ideas I had about black holes, including how menacing they are :) DeCristofano uses accessible analogies to explain black holes and other information about astronomy that I wish I'd had when I took astronomy in college. Mostly what I gleaned from this book is how little I know about the universe we live in and how limited my scope of size and space are. Very enjoyable read.
Middle school +
Middle school +
librariandest's review against another edition
4.0
How many books about scientific concepts are funny and fun to read? Not too many, methinks. Carolyn Decristofano explains black holes via excellent analogies (a singularity is like a peanut with the mass of a trillion elephants!), thought experiments (imagine you approach the event horizon of a black hole and your foot stretches in front on you like a spaghetti noodle!), and great flow from one topic to the next (start with Newtonian gravity--that's pretty easy to get--and wait until the end to blow your mind with Einsteinian gravity!).
The illustrations are all also excellent, both in terms of elucidating concepts and capturing imaginations with the beauty of space.
I sincerely wish more non-fiction books were written with this much wit and verve, especially when it comes to books about math and science. In all honestly, I don't retain much of what I read about stuff like black holes, but with this book I had such a good time reading it, who cares?
The illustrations are all also excellent, both in terms of elucidating concepts and capturing imaginations with the beauty of space.
I sincerely wish more non-fiction books were written with this much wit and verve, especially when it comes to books about math and science. In all honestly, I don't retain much of what I read about stuff like black holes, but with this book I had such a good time reading it, who cares?
starrwad's review against another edition
5.0
This is a kids book, and I still had to slow it way down so I could understand
kburns2004's review against another edition
3.0
This is my kiddos go to audiobook to fall asleep and we finally made it to the end
abigailbat's review against another edition
5.0
A conversational and humorous tone makes this book not only educational but appealing to read. Carolyn DeCristofano breaks down an overwhelming subject into easy-to-digest pieces and explains what black holes are, how they form, and how we discovered them. Extensive back matter includes an AWESOME author's note that tells how she researched the book and emphasizes the fact that ongoing scientific research means that science facts change often.
Highly recommended for young scientists! Pair it with THE MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE by Ellen Jackson and Nic Bishop.
Highly recommended for young scientists! Pair it with THE MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE by Ellen Jackson and Nic Bishop.
mikhaela_reid's review against another edition
5.0
My three-year-old is obsessed with black holes and I cannot count how many times he made me read this book to him this year. Think I learned as much as he did.