Black Holes, Time and Other Topics

The Time and Space of Uncle Albert
Black Holes and Uncle Albert
Uncle Albert and the Quantum Quest
by Russell Stannard
(Faber and Faber)
Uncle Albert is a famous scientist with a difference. He can think so hard that his thought bubble can carry his niece, Gedanken, on journeys through space, the universe and even (in the third book) somewhere remarkably like Alice's rabbit hole. As the titles suggest, these travels explore various physics topics in an enjoyable way with Uncle Albert providing easy to follow explanations of complex topics like curved space, black holes and diffraction. The fantasy appoach makes the books more entertaining than straight non-fiction and breaks the information into easily digestible chunks. However the story is driven by the investigation rather than a strong underlying plot so is unlikely to 'appeal to children uninterested in science.. These books are best suited to able readers who like to ask 'why' and don't mind having to think hard to understand the answers.
Ages 10 to 13
Buy Time and Space from Amazon
Buy Black Holes from Amazon
Buy Quantum Quest from Amazon

Ask Uncle Albert
by Russell Stannard
(Faber and Faber)
The success of the Uncle Albert books (above) has brought Russell Standard a stream of questions about science from young readers. This book includes 101 of them including 'why is water wet?', 'when did time start?' and 'why do cats eat mice?'. The first 100 have answers that provide straightforward explanations of the science involved without the fantasy element in the other books. The last question (Why does gravity exist?) receives an honest admission of the limit of current scientific knowledge. - even the author doesn't know. An enjoyable book for able readers curious about the world around them, including any who don't like the fantasy approach of the other books. The question and answer format makes it easy to dip into so it may tempt competent but otherwise reluctant readers.
Ages 10 upwards
Buy from Amazon

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