Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Smash! Exploring the Mysteries of the Universe with the Large Hadron Collider by Sara Latta –OPTIONAL

Latta, Sara Smash! Exploring the Mysteries of the Universe with the Large Hadron Collider 71 pgs. Graphic Universe (Lerner), 2017.  $11.99.  Content: G.
This graphic novel features two cousins Nick and Sophie spending some time at CERN. Sophie is good at science and Nick is good at art, in fact his making a comic and needs a superhero character idea. Sophie takes Nick on a tour (part in the imagination) during which Nick (and the reader) learn all about Atoms, Quarks, the supercollider and more, as part of a bigger discussion on what is the universe made of. Features black and white comic book style illustrations.
This is a complex book that is just stuffed with science information that I haven’t touched since high school. It dives in rather quickly and rapidly became super confusing due to my lack of familiarity with these concepts. I think it could work for readers that have been studying the topic in depth, who may find that graphic novel focus on a visuals a good way to relate to the information and/or review it. I do not think it is a great way to introduce the concepts. As for the illustrations, I felt very cheated when I found they were all in black and white but the cover was color.

MS –OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.

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