Quantum! The Strange Science of the Smallest Stuff in the Universe

Straight away, children will be enticed by the colourful, zesty cover of Quantum, which hints at both the fun to be had and the new discoveries awaiting us. Our guide is a chatty quark, Q, explains difficult concepts - like the electromagnetic spectrum or the large hadron collider - in speech bubbles, whenever there's a danger of getting lost in realms beyond our understanding.

Readers may come to the end of all 40+ pages still perplexed by pulsars, or any number of other mysteries of the universe, but that's not the author's point. Enough that KS2 children who pick up this book become excited about a fascinating, evolving and frankly bizarre field of scientific study. Perhaps just some of them will be encouraged to delve deeper and, who knows, some may even go on to become qualified physicists.

At secondary or higher education, students might have to 'unlearn' some of the facts in this book (for example, about electrons being in distinct shells around a nucleus), but the whole, complicated truth will wait. For now, this book gives them, and even those not much inclined towards science, a chance to wonder and question. It might even inspire some towards explore the Science Fiction writing of Christopher Edge.

As regards Quantum's format and presentation, my only criticism is that black lettering on a dark background is a little difficult to read. I won't quibble about red, blue and green quarks being labelled such. I'm told this is a convenience rather than a description of their actual appearance, but it does not make the book any less useful. Quantum will be an interesting addition to teachers' bookshelves especially when, in Science, questions are asked. 'Check out the Glossary' or 'borrow this from the library', might be the handy response. Certainly, this is a book that is well worth looking into.

48 pages / Reviewed by Jane Rew, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 9+