The Science of Science Fiction

School Library Connection September 1 issue

By exploring the intersection between the arts and sciences, this book provides an engaging discussion of how works of science fiction can influence actual scientific innovation and vice versa. This title is best for middle and high school libraries looking to expand their STEAM collection or with a substantial sci-fi fan base in their community. The suggested activities included in this title provide many opportunities for collaboration, high-level thinking, discussion, and debate. Recommended

Booklist, February 2017
“This latest addition to the award-winning Inquire and Investigate series will be a welcome acquisition for librarians wanting to spice up their STEAM collections. Accessible text, multiple subheadings, guiding questions, and follow-up activities, plus a bevy of graphics (sidebars, cartoons, fact blurbs, bulleted lists, charts, graphs, vocabulary lab exercises, scannable QR codes, primary resources), tackle six familiar science fiction themes: cloning, robots, colonizing Mars, interstellar travel, time travel, and aliens. Fictional characters, settings, and gadgets mesh…

Publishers Weekly, February 2017
“In this intriguing addition to the Inquire and Investigate series, Wood explores the science behind cloning, time travel, and other science fiction staples. A nifty timeline contrasting real-world developments with their pop culture predecessors (such as smartwatches and Dick Tracy) sets the stage for discussions of robotics, genetics, astronomy, and the theory of relativity. Comics, sidebars, and experiments offer a variety of approaches to the topics (such as using a microwave and chocolate bar to calculate the speed of light), and QR codes provide links to…

School Library Journal
Gr 6 Up–Blockbuster hits like Star Wars and Jurassic Park have plots, settings, and technology that could exist only in the far distant future. But as science advances and new discoveries are made, fantastical sci-fi technologies might be closer to reality than one may think. This title compares fictional stories with real-life scientific breakthroughs, including artificial intelligence, cloning, space travel, and beyond. Older examples such as H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine and more contemporary movie releases like 2015’s The Martian are cited. After presenting a work of…

Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children's Literature