Why?

September 15, 2013
In an entertaining and mostly readable (but definitely not simple) format, Levy explores a variety of questions that teens may ponder. Why is the sky blue? Why can't we breathe underwater? Why can't we travel faster than light? Why does iron rust? These are some of the 50 questions explored in this sometimes rather challenging text. Each question is answered briefly, and then the answer is expanded into several paragraphs of more detailed information. For example, in the section on rust: "the electrons come from a piece of metal called an anode. The anode combines with oxygen and releases an electron, which travels through a fluid called an electrolyte." Although the explanations can require careful reading, many include vivid, simplified examples that reveal scientific principles without adding unnecessary confusion: "Imagine a crowd of people concentrated in a field, each person tied to the others," begins the section explaining the hydrostatic equilibrium involved in making the Earth round. Considering the complexity of the answers, this effort is not likely to appeal to all readers, but those with a scientific bent and inquiring minds may enjoy it. Given the wide range of topics, it's probably better for browsing than report writing. Packed with detail and brimming with trivia, but best saved for a sophisticated audience. (Nonfiction. 11-18)

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October 15, 2013
Grades 6-9 For browsers with somewhat longer attention spans than those served by Kath Grimshaw's short-answer The Book of Why? (2010) and the plethora of like titles, Levy (Phobiapedia, 2011) offers nontechnical but detailed explanations for a wide range of randomly chosen natural phenomena. The 54 queries he poses range from questions for which specific answers are relatively easy to deliver Why is the sky blue? and Why does my cell phone lose its signal? to more complex ones, such as Why are men bigger than women? and Why is the world getting warmer? Despite occasional oversights, such as an explanation of how lightbulbs work that mentions only the filamentous kind, there is plenty here to satisfy casual interests and spark new ones.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)