Cool Science Tricks: 50 Fantastic Feats for Kids of All Ages

Gr 5 Up—Fifty science activities, including brainteasers, illusions, and demonstrations, aim to impress but don't quite measure up. Each spread lists the needed supplies, instructions, science concepts behind the trick, and a "Did you know?" text box of additional information. Line drawings in muted colors do not always clearly illustrate the projects, and decorative doodles of test tubes and wires confusingly blend in with the activity diagrams. An irreverent tone keeps the text engaging, though the print is tiny, and the numerous Britishisms may give North American readers pause. Furthermore, many parts of the book seem aimed at adults rather than children—e.g., notes about cocktails and teaching your children the value of money—and several activities seem questionable even for adults to perform. For instance "Money to Burn," a project that involves lighting paper money on fire, cautions that "If this trick goes wrong you could be fined and/or imprisoned for up to six months," since destroying money is illegal in the United States. Young scientists can find some of the same projects (minus the unsafe ones) in Rain Newcomb and Bobby Mercer's more attractive and kid-friendly Smash It! Crash It! Launch It! 50 Mind-Blowing, Eye-Popping Science Experiments (Lark, 2006).—Sarah Stone, San Francisco Public Library