Library Binding ©2017 | -- |
Paperback ©2017 | -- |
European Organization for Nuclear Research. Comic books, strips, etc. Juvenile literature.
European Organization for Nuclear Research. Comic books, strips, etc.
Large Hadron Collider (France and Switzerland). Comic books, strips, etc. Juvenile literature.
Higgs bosons. Comic books, strips, etc. Juvenile literature.
Particles (Nuclear physics). Comic books, strips, etc. Juvenile literature.
Large Hadron Collider (France and Switzerland). Comic books, strips, etc.
Higgs bosons. Comic books, strips, etc.
Particles (Nuclear physics). Comic books, strips, etc.
Informational graphic novels are generally too dense with facts to invite a browse yet structured so they're not conducive to straight research. How do we accommodate them in a collection? Whose hands are they meant for? Luckily, many young minds are hungry for questions that lead them to ever newer and deeper questions. SMASH! offers this in spades as Nick and Sophie take a tour that leads from the smallest particles to the biggest bang, culminating with the Large Hadron Collider and how physicists use it to search for the building blocks of the universe. Though it's as dense as expected, Latta keeps the book from getting bogged down by offering clear, concise explanations that will appeal to those whose minds are already tickled by the mysteries of physics. Nick and Sophie skew a bit too young, but as they meet historical scientists and plunge into abstract concepts and far-out ideas, Weigel's art accommodates with metaphysical twists in the action, while his realistic figures and objects remind readers that everything here relates to the cosmos they actually live in.
Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)Nick visits his cousin Sophie--whose parents work at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research--to learn about the LHC. The graphic novel format works well in portraying subatomic particles in dramatic collisions and the teens imagining themselves at microscopic sizes. However, the scientific details are conveyed through long, awkward lectures from Sophie and famous scientists. Reading list, websites. Glos.
Kirkus ReviewsTwo young visitors take simultaneous tours of the world of subatomic particles and of the largest scientific instrument ever built.As in her picture book Stella Brite and the Dark Matter Mystery (illustrated by Meredith Johnson, 2006), Latta brushes a thin gloss of storyline over a series of lucid lectures delivered largely in dialogue. Following an introduction to quarks and other components of the Standard Model of particle physics that's capped by a quick trip back to the Big Bang, science-minded Sophie leads her more artistically inclined cousin Nick to a meeting with two grad-student tour guides at CERN. From there it's on to view parts of the Large Hadron Collider, from a locomotive-sized linear accelerator to the 27-kilometer tunnel in which protons zip to incredible collisions that have, most recently, led to glimpses of the elusive Higgs boson. In panels that are large enough to accommodate hefty dialogue balloons without looking overcrowded, Weigel mixes realistically drawn people—including Einstein, Peter Higgs, and other renowned scientists—with intricately detailed devices and playful but illuminating visualizations of events at both subatomic and universewide levels. In the black-and-white illustrations everyone has light skin, but Sophie is biracial, and some figures may have Asian features. Summary looks at particle physics' pioneers and certain still-unsolved mysteries are appended. Big tech at its biggest; weird science at its weirdest: readers will echo Sophie's "It's amazeballs!" (glossary, resource lists) (Graphic fiction/nonfiction hybrid. 10-14)
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)When Nick needs to create a comic book superhero for a competition, he enlists the help of his cousin, Sophie, a physics wiz who gives him a tour of CERN, home to the Large Hadron Collider. Their jaunt through the CERN facilities in Geneva turns into a tutorial about the complex history and science behind the discovery of the Higgs-Boson particle. Latta (
Gr 7 Up-An accessible look at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and particle physics. Nick, an aspiring comic book creator, visits his cousin Sophie at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, where her parents work as physicists. Nick doesn't know a lot about science but is looking for superpower ideas for his characters. Sophie enlightens Nick with help from a pair of graduate students. Nick learns about forces, quarks, neutrinos, and more. The text conveys the excitement surrounding the 2012 discovery of the Higgs Boson and concludes with the mysteries of dark matter that have yet to be cracked by science. Principles of particle physics may seem hard to grasp, but Latta uses humor and real-world examples to keep readers engaged. The illustrations will go far in making concepts understandable. VERDICT This title will be sought out for both pleasure reading and report writing. For all middle and high school science collections. Allison McLean, Elkhart Public Library, IN
Voice of Youth AdvocatesReaders join Sophie, daughter of two scientists who work at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), as she takes her cousin, Nick, on a tour through the center, the largest physics lab on the planet. Sophie shares the basics on the building blocks of the universe and explains how CERN helps scientists learn about our world. Most of the explanations are via dialogue between the cousins. The tour takes on big questions with tiny parts, like how there are six flavors of quarks. By the end of the book, readers will know about the Higgs Boson, the Large Hadron Colliders working parts, and so much more.
ALA Booklist (Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)
Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
School Library Journal (Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)
Voice of Youth Advocates
Wilson's High School Catalog
Wilson's Junior High Catalog
What is the universe made of? At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, scientists have searched for answers to this question using the largest machine in the world: the Large Hadron Collider. It speeds up tiny particles, then smashes them togetherand the collision gives researchers a look at the building blocks of the universe.
Nick and Sophie, two cousins, are about to visit CERN for a tour of the mysteries of the cosmos. Sophie's a physics wiz. Nick, not so much. But by the time they're through, Nick and Sophie will both feel the power of hidden particles, fundamental forces, dark matter, and more. It's all a blast in this mind-blowing graphic novel!