Mad Professor
From super-secret Zoober Labs, hidden on the island of Kia Ora in the  South Pacific, comes this book of experiments that the "budding mad professor  can easily complete using materials around the house." Each of these 25 projects  is wonderfully illustrated--on laminated, spiral-bound pages--by author Mark  Frauenfelder, a former editor ofWiredmagazine. Broken into four  sections, the book provides a basic science lesson before getting down to the  experiments, including bits on the scientific method and Asimov's four rules of  robotics. Explicit directions and safety tips follow, and each project ends with  a How It Works nugget that unravels the mystery behind the science. The  experiments include a bunch of old standbys that no budding mad professor should  be without--rock candy, vinegar and baking soda volcanoes, returning tin cans-- as well as a host of unfamiliar slimes and putties that should spark interest in  how molecules work. (The description of how polymers work will undoubtedly serve  double duty as a refresher for most parents.) Many of the experiments require  supervision for younger children, and a few use somewhat less common home  materials, but instructions are given in each case on where to find them. (Ages  9 to 12)--D.J. Morel