'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Monday 17 January 2011

KBR Recommends Summer Reads: Non-Fiction

We love non-fiction books at KBR - and this amazing line-up will keep the kids busy for hours. Hours, I tell you! These books run the gamut from primary school to YA - and adults will love them, too.

Amazing stuff you never knew you needed from the same brains that brought you The Encyclopedia of Immaturity! None of them exists as an actual product, but in a funnier world, they would all be household essentials.

This compendium was created over by an all-star team from Klutz and IDEO, the world's foremost product design firm. Each of the inventions was actually built in the legendary IDEO workshop before being photographed (usually in action) and described on its own page. 
Title: The Klutz Book of Inventions
Publisher: Klutz, A$32.99RRP
Publication Date: 1 October 2010
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781591748793
For ages: 8+
Type: Info book   
This book is available online

Winner of the Junior Aventis Prize for Science Books in 2007, Can You Feel the Force? is the ultimate fun-filled science book that puts the fizz back into Physics, now in paperback

Physics doesn't just happen in a lab – it happens in the kitchen, in your bath, in a car! Join a thrilling high-energy journey through time, space and beyond and find out about the physical forces that make our world what it is.

Find out how science affects everything, from roller-coasters to fighter pilots. Crammed with fascinating physics facts and interactive experiments. A totally cool look at physics!
Title: Can You Feel the Force?
Author: Richard Hammond
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley, A$16.95RRP
Publication Date: 22 November 2010
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781405358064
For ages: 7+
Type: Info book   
This book is available online

How to Do Everything is a fantastic and unique combination of reference material, fun facts, exciting activities and instructions for life. It covers everything from boiling an egg to making a movie so you'll never be stuck wondering what to do with the kids again.

Each activity has special feature boxes that explain the historical, scientific, technological and global significance, making it an up-to-the-minute activity book like no other, ideal for the Internet generation of today.

Readers of all ages will be inspired by the array of informative and fun-filled activities packed into every page, from making puppets to writing haiku.
Title: How To Do Everything
Author: John Woodward
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley, A$29.95RRP
Publication Date: November 2010
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781405357906
For ages: 8+
Type:
Info Book

You are just 101 Things away from global fame (and possibly world domination). Inside this book is everything you need to transform yourself from mere mortal into exciting, dynamic total superhero material. Make things, learn amazing tricks, and be inspired by genius ideas in order to complete the transition from ordinary person to object of worship and admiration.

Develop your ... Stealth, Telepathy and Powers of Persuasion. Then ... select a sidekick and groom your dark side before learning to fly (etc.) Your days as mere mortal are over. Learn, make, practise and cheat your way to hero (or evil villain) status. What are you waiting for?
Title: 101 Things to Do to Become a Superhero
Author: Richard Horne
Illustrator:  Helen Szirtes
Publisher: Bloomsbury, A$15.99RRP
Publication Date: 1 December 2010
Format: Soft Cover
ISBN:9781408802571
For ages: 8+
Type: Info book   

Includes 365 hilarious pranks-that's a prank for every day of the year. See which prank you could try out on your birthday, your friend's birthday or Christmas Day. Includes reversible maths workbook' jacket so kids can hide it in plain sight. Play pranks and score laughs from your friends and family! Your day can sometimes be a total drag, but with some creative thinking and the help of the pranks in this book, you can make it a barrel of laughs.

Get your friends in on the act. Pranks are ranked so kids can determine the likely level of punishment, from the most benign (Clean Your Bedroom) to the most dare-devilish (Xtreme Grounding Guaranteed)! So, prank at your own risk!

Title: K-Zone Prank Patrol
Publisher: Scholastic, A$14.99RRP
Publication Date: October 2010
Format: Soft Cover 
ISBN: 9781741695465
For ages: 8+
Type: Info Book

The 8th annual of the most unbelievable facts and oddities ever recorded! Includes Eye-catching 3D lenticular cover plus full-colour photo interior!


The fascinating files of Robert Ripley prove there's nothing stranger than the truth. Turn the pages, if you dare. But watch out! There are more creepy facts and crazy feats than ever before.
Title: Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!
Publisher: Scholastic, A$19.99RRP
Publication Date: September 2010
Format: Hard Cover  
ISBN: 9780545238007
For ages: 8+
Type: Info Book


Find out answers to today's pressing questions like: who are the highest-paid movie stars? Which AFL player has kicked the most goals? What is the world's fastest car? Which country consumes the most junk food? Find out the answers to these questions and many more in Australian and World Records 2011!

The fastest, biggest, greatest and deadliest-they're all in this incredible book!

Title: Australian And World Records 2011
Author: Jenifer Corr Morse
Illustrator: David G Harris   
Publisher: Scholastic, A$14.99RRP
Publication Date: 1 October 2010
Format: Soft Cover 
ISBN: 9781741698121
For ages: 6+
Type: Info Book
You can buy this book online

Packed with information, this book opens before us like a tunnel through space, enabling children to make a fascinating tour of the planets in our solar system.

A fascinating three-dimensional model of our solar system that invites children to study interesting data about each of the planets, this book is a must for schools and for anyone whose child is interested in the workings of the universe. I'm starry-eyed.
Title: Children of the Sun
Author: Arthur John L'Hommedieu
Publisher: Child's Play, A$18.95RRP
Publication Date: 1995
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780859539319
For ages: 4 - 16
Type: Picture Book/Info Book

Why can't elephants jump? Is it because elephants are too large or heavy (after all, they say hippos and rhinos can play hopscotch)? Or is it because their knees face the wrong way? Or do they just wait until no one’s looking? Read this brilliant new compilation to find out.

This is popular science at its most absorbing and enjoyable. That is why the previous titles in the New Scientist series have been international bestsellers and sold over two million copies between them. This is another wonderful collection of wise, witty and oftensurprising answers to a staggering range of science questions, from ‘why is frozen milk yellow?’ to ‘what’s the storage capacity of the human brain in gigabytes?’. Great fun.
Title: Why Can’t Elephants Jump?
Author/ Illustrator: Mick O’Hare
Publisher: Profile Books, A$19.99RRP
Publication Date: October 2010 
Format: Soft Cover
ISBN: 9781846683985
For ages:12+
Type:
Info Books


Thought Stink might run out of fun, cool, weird, and wacky facts? Hardee-har-har! Make way for a second toe-jam-packed, can’t-put-down Stink-O-Pedia!

What mammal could fit fifty people on its tongue? Did you know it’s impossible to snore in outer space? Or that the first lip balm was made of earwax? From B-for-brainy (take a quiz to prove your cat’s a genius) to T-for-treasure hunts (learn the secrets of geocaching) to Z-for-zombie jokes (bad puns to wake the dead), this super-funny compendium is bursting with things to do, things to try, and things that are just plain awesome to know.

With a guide at the end cross-referencing Stink books with relevant entries, this is a must-have for Moody fans, reluctant readers, and kids who are crazy for trivia, superlatives, and other ephemera.
Title: Stink-O-Pedia Volume 2
Author: Megan McDonald
Illustrator : Peter H Reynold
Publisher: Candlewick Press, A$11.95RRP
Publication Date: 1 October 2010
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780763645588
For ages: 6-9
Type:
Info Book

Who holds the record for the most test dismissals by a wicketkeeper? Who is the only batsman to make three double-centuries in a single test series?

Full of terrific trivia and fantastic facts, World Cricket Records 2011 is a celebration of more than 140 years of excellence, featuring a host of records from all formats of the game (first-class cricket, limited-overs, women's and youth internationals), and the stories behind the greatest players to ever bat, bowl or field.
Title: World Cricket Records 2011
Author/ Illustrator: Chris Hawkes
Publisher: Scholastic, A$29.99RRP
Publication Date: November 2010 
Format: Soft Cover
ISBN: 9781741697384  
For ages: 8+
Type: Info Book