"We all have a duty to think for ourselves and make up our own minds," the chummy narrator tells us, and with the help of a dialogue between two young thinkers, Tom and Aisha, the necessary intellectual muscles are flexed and exercised. There is something addictive about this book. Stephen Law, illustrated by Daniel Postgate (Orion £7.99) 10+ The Outer Limits: More Mysteries from the Philosophy files This is one of a series of 'Reconstructed' titles others include the Home Front, the Romans and the Saxons. Each double page covers a topic - from Making a Living and Entertainment to Religious Tension - with lots of background and social context to hold the attention. Interesting reading, accessibly written, with photographs of re-enactments. Liz Gogerly (Hodder Wayland Books £10.99) 8-10 Not all his fantasy works perfectly scientifically, but the authors of this book revel in the constructs which make the novels so beloved in literary terms, relating them to science which is in its own right, magical. If anything, this fascinating read confirms the intellectual rigour of Pullman's fiction and fans of the trilogy will be delighted. But even though my proof copy didn't include the Pullman introduction promised on the jacket, I'm convinced of its integrity by the fact that the author took the time to be involved. I'm always nervous about books shoehorned from popular phenomena. Mary and John Gribbin (Hodder, £8.99) 10 + The Science of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials The photography is stunning and evocative, perhaps the most powerful is of the author's frostbitten toes - a reminder of the terrific risks involved. It also describes a number of other expeditions, including that of the author and his colleagues. This book tells how knowledge of the mountain grew, how it was surveyed and the details behind the first tentative attempts at its ascent. It's 50 years since the first successful expedition to the summit of Mount Everest, a triumph which is described in detail here. Stephen Venables/ the Royal Geographical Society (Walker Books, £11.26) 9-12 This book succeeds in offering a vast range of information from which emerges a very convincing sense of an extraordinary man. we're offered bite-sized insight into his own evolution as a man and naturalist. Arguments with his father, the foulness of seasickness, his indignation at the plight of Chilean miners and Aborigines, his growing sense of the theory of evolution. Sis's neat and detailed illustrations accompany a sparse text that draws on Darwin's own diaries, letters and notes. This biography of Charles Darwin is undoubtedly a thing of beauty.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |