The Pluto Files

Gr 7 Up—Based on the book of the same title by Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium, the astronomer relives the controversy he helped ignite when New York's Natural History Museum decided to stop calling Pluto a planet. Part cultural history and part science, the film explores how Pluto was discovered, why people are so enamored with it, and how the scientific community arrived at their decision to treat it only as a "plutoid." Tyson speaks with leading scientists, beloved children's characters, and, for reasons that are not entirely clear, celebrities like Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Diane Sawyer, and Brian Williams. The documentary uses a variety of animated graphics and archival images to effectively lead viewers through this story. The narrator's quirky humor will maintain the interest of even the youngest viewers. The Pluto Files pays tribute to the planet and thoroughly explains why the solar system's best-loved planet was demoted. Recommend for middle and high media centers and general science programs.—Vincent M Livoti, Sherrill Library, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA