Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Brian Biggs, 192 pp, RL: 3
Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka with fantastic illustrations by Brian Biggs is the book I have been most anticipating this year and it definitely delivers! Of course, everyone knows Scieszka, the author of contemporary picture book classics like The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Fairy Tales, but The Time Warp Trio, his chapter book series which debuted in 1991 holds a special place in my (and my kids') hearts. Combining smart humor and history, The Time Warp Trio was a brilliant and singular alternative to the Magic Tree House and Junie B Jones chapter books when my daughter started to really read in the late 90s and again when my boys began reading. For me, reading Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor is a little like coming home and I hope that this six book series will make a brand new generation of readers laugh, think and, best of all, want to read more!


Add to this Frank's inventions/creations Klink and Klank, the Frog and Toad of robots with the ability to think for themselves using "a biophysical model from human neuroscience." Frank has the Bots read Isaac Assimov's I, Robot and memorize the Three Laws of Robotics before setting them to work. Besides the SmartBots, there is an endless parade of inventions and experiments from a "Model-Train Shoe Delivery System" to a "Double Helix DNA Slide" and "Dimetrodon Phone" in the shape of an actual dinosaur, the fin-like backbone serving as a video screen that allows Frank to see and talk to his globetrotting parents. Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor is a book filled with things that will engross, engage and even inspire readers to do a little science of their own.
Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor truly is filled with scientific details on so many levels that kids won't even realize all the information within. One of my favorite subtleties comes when Mr. Chimp pulls a small, metal box out of his pocket and dips into with a stick. When he removes the stick, it's covered in ants, and he proceeds to lick it like a lollipop. Maybe Mr. Chimp's snacking habits will even lead readers to learn about Jane Goodall, the first scientist to record animals using tools after observing. In 1960, Goodall observed a chimpanzee as he stripped the leaves off a twig, stick it into a termite hole then eat the bugs that clung to it. One thing is for sure, readers will be counting the days until the next book in the Frank Einstein series hits the shelves!
Source: Review Copy