A fresh look at some of the universe's weirdest astronomical phenomena and the people who study them.Observations in 2015 proved that black holes create gravitational waves when they collide—but, as Latta points out, that's hardly the only string in their bows, because they also sing, dance, belch, and blow bubbles! Along with lucidly explaining the significance of said waves in our relativistic universe, the author describes how black holes are formed and how they behave, at least to our current understanding. She does this in such lively language that attentive readers will come away with firm grasps of a host of cosmically slippery notions, from the Chandrasekhar limit and the Schwarzschild radius to Fermi Bubbles and "spaghettification." She also gives "major props" to the scientists who imagined and then actually found black holes, and she profiles five researchers (all white, but three are women) who are currently engaged in probing their secrets. The photos, graphics, and diagrams are small but sharp, clear, and helpful. The black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, Sagittarius A2000170895Kirkus Reviews2017-08-15LXXXV162017-08-022017-08-02PRINTInformational2017-09-26National Geographic96A bounteous buffet of historical tidbits about the presidential digs and its residents.A bounteous buffet of historical tidbits about the presidential digs and its residents.A bounteous buffet of historical tidbits about the presidential digs and its residents.Flynn's heaping helpings of anecdotes, legends, facts, firsts, foods, and statistics are gathered into 40 digestible (if sometimes thematically diffuse) groupings—from "25 Facts About Rooms That Rock" to "15 Cool Facts About Everyday Life at the White House." These infobits are set into numbered circles or boxes that are arranged on each spread in rough chronological order. Along with notes on presidential pets and perks, White House ghosts, furnishings, refurbishings, and events like state dinners and the Easter Egg Roll, the author offers nods to the original builders (some of whom were "African-American workmen, both enslaved and free") as well as the cleaners, chefs, calligraphers, and other workers who keep the place functioning and safe. Aside, perhaps, from references to President Barack Obama's inauguration crowd and the "80 official White House Twitter accounts," she steers clear of controversial topics and keeps the tone cheerfully upbeat throughout. Aerial views of the White House grounds and interior (in an artfully selective cutaway) highlight a generous array of period images and photos in which people of color aren't exactly prominent but are at least represented. Tailor-made for browsing but with plenty of nutritious content for young historians and prospective visitors. (timeline, presidential roster) (Nonfiction. 8-13)