A Really Short History of Nearly Everything
Brand: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Color: White
Categories: Books, Children's Books, History


Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

Grade level: 3 - 7
Dimensions: 8.77 x 0.73 x 11.3 inches
Reading age: 8+ years, from customers
ISBN-13: 978-0385738101
ISBN-10: 0385738102
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Print length: 169 pages
Publication date: October 27, 2009
Lexile measure: 1190L
Language: English
subtitle: Hardcover – Illustrated, October 27, 2009
author: Visit Amazon's Bill Bryson Page search results Bill Bryson
review: Editorial Reviews From Booklist Bryson offers a kid-friendly version of his popular-science compendium for adults, A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003), in this illustrated trip through, well, nearly everything. His enthusiasm is apparent right from the foreword, where he proclaims that “there isn’t anything in existence—not a thing—that isn’t amazing and interesting when you look into it.” He proceeds to back up this statement as he whirls through mind-numbing notions such as the creation of the universe and the life-span of an atom with good cheer and accessible, even exciting, writing. The two-page spreads meander their way through the various recesses of science with a combination of explanatory prose, historical anecdotes, wry asides, and illustrations that range from helpful to comical. Absent are source notes to back up Bryson’s many claims (or any other back matter aside from an index, photo credits, and a list of Bryson’s adult books). That isn’t to say he shouldn’t be trusted, but readers should take this for what it is: irreverent and illuminating edutainment, good for the science-phobic and -centric alike. Grades 5-8. --Ian Chipman Review "Brims with strange and amazing facts . . . destined to become a modern classic of science writing." -"The New York Times" About the Author Bill Bryson is the author of numerous adult bestsellers in the nonfiction genre. He lives in England. Read more