George's Secret Key to the Universe

This book was recommended by Lucas' 5th grade science teacher. I'm glad I read it. (I used to try to convince myself that I must read his books to be certain they contain nothing objectionable, now I just admit I love kids books) The first few chapters were very slow moving. They set up the

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characters of the story. George is a child of two organic loving, technology hating "save the Earth" parents. They shun technology to the point where they use candles instead of light bulbs! Eric, the scientist neighbor who loves to teach. Annie, Eric's annoying but lovable daughter. Mr. G. Reeper (known as Greeper to his students) the science teacher in George's school, Greeper is the villain of the story..OK- you knew there had to be a villain, right? And let's not forget COSMOS, the most amazing computer in the universe. COSMOS, a talking computer with an attitude, reminded me of HAL from Space Odyssey, 2001.
The book told a story of saving the planet and/or searching for other habitable planets. Should we work together to do both? Can technology be a good thing if used correctly?
This book is full of fun scientific information. There are footnotes about the planets, comets, asteroids, matter, black holes and many other astronomical objects. The illustrations that accompany the story are wonderful, courtesy of Garry Parsons. There are several color photos of planets, black holes, comets and other things discussed in the book. Kids learn about astronomy without realizing they are learning! Don't forget to check out the webpage georgessecretkey.com

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This book will teach the budding elementary school aged geek some of the newest theories about black holes. It will teach adults about Stephen Hawking's playful mind and sense of humor.

This book was written for those pre-geek second and third graders who read all the astronomy books in the j520

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section of the library and then pester their parents, teachers and school librarians about the big bang, black holes, comets and life on other planets. I've done stints in elementary school libraries and there are plenty of these kids.

Perhaps some adults may think the story is too young for the science presented -- but I bet these adults haven't worked in school libraries. They don't know about the one "weird kid" who seems to be in almost every second and third grade class in every school in the nation who craves to know the inner workings of the universe and is frustrated that most adults they encounter don't seem to know or care about the questions they have.

My cousin and I were those "weird kids" in our classes. We were mad about science and played "Let's Pretend" long after the other kids our age quit. I can totally imagine him and I pretending that we had an amazing computer that zoomed us out into space and allowed us to ride a comet around the solar system. And in reality, I remember us pretending that we were falling into a black hole at some point.

When I read this book, I felt as if I were eight years old again. I would have LOVED this book. It would have been next to the "Brown Paper School Book" series that I treasured. I felt like I was snooping in on someone else's "Let's Pretend" game.

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This unique story of one boy's awakening to the wonders of astronomy and the latest ideas in astrophysics via his eccentric neighbors and their remarkable computer Cosmos is a fascinating allegory for the power of experiential education. The power of direct experience to inspire deep learning is an

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idea as old as Dewey and is central to this clarion call for scientific literacy and more engaging science instruction. This has the makings of a great educational film or PBS Kids series. (Dr. Kottke, Summer 2008)

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When George's pet pig breaks through the fence into the garden next door, George meets his new neighbours - Annie and her scientist father, Eric - and discovers a secret key that opens up a whole new way of looking at the world. From outer space!

For Eric has the world's most advanced computer,

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super-intelligent Cosmos, who can whisk George and his friends off to any point in the Universe. Suddenly George is on a rollercoaster ride through the vastness of space -- past planets, through an asteroid storm to the very edge of our Solar System and beyond.

But someone else has plans for Cosmos -- plans which will lead Eric and George into terrible danger.

And there is nothing in space more dangerous than a black hole...

This first-ever children's book from Stephen Hawking and his daughter, Lucy, is a gripping and funny adventure with lots of fascinating facts about our Universe and the planets. Includes the latest ideas about black holes from Stephen Hawking, plus full-colour photos of real images from space!

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I bought this for my 6 year old son who has a terrific imagination and loves science. I read a chapter a night to him over the course of a month. He loved the story and the quality time we spent together.
The basic idea of the book is a boy, George, makes friends with a girl, Annie, and her

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scientist father Eric. Eric has created the smartest computer in the world, Cosmos. Cosmos is able to open windows to galaxy where Annie, Eric, and George can explore. During the story they run into the books villian, Dr. Reaper, who steals Cosmos to use it for his own personal gain instead of scientific advancement.

I really like how the book incorporates current scientific theories in a manner a young child can be interested in. There were a few points that I wasn't thrilled about, for example, the idea that the villian was a teacher or that Erics parents were anti-technology.

However, the book has sparked a tremendous interest in space and science in my son and that alone makes the book worth it.

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It changes course of what happens to keep you interested.

George's Secret Key to the Universe is written at a younger reading level, but I think teens would still enjoy it because it has an interesting story and there are several fascinating and beautiful pictures and facts inserted. Stephen Hawking is a well-known genius and the authority on the theory

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of black holes, and just the fact that he had input in a children’s novel gives it some instant appeal!
George’s parents are very concerned about the environment, so they do not use much electricity in their home, they do not drive cars, and they only eat organic vegetables. George really wants a computer, but his parents refuse to get one for him because they believe technology is destroying the world.
George found out that his neighbor owned Cosmos, the most amazing computer in the world. This computer could transport you into outer space, and George learned a lot about the universe, including comets and our solar system. When someone else found out about Cosmos, though, things got dangerous!

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I was actually a little disappointed with this one, but then, I was being rather naive. Not ever having been brave enough to attempt A brief history of time I think I was looking to see some of Hawking's brilliance through a children's novel. But of course, it wasn't like that at all. In fact, it

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was too young and the plot too implausible for me to enjoy it properly - I was itching for something more intelligent (which doesn't happen to me very often!).

Having said that, the storyline was engagingly written and the characters generally likeable. And as it built towards the climax, I genuinely did want to know what happened. I think that if the book had been aimed at an older audience, with a more plausible plotline, it would have been a really good book. But as it is, I'm not sure I'll be too worried about getting the sequel. Maybe I'll have to get brave in the library some day or see if I can find a suitable e or audio version of Hawking's "real" work...

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I love it because cosmos opened a door to the universe

Follows the adventures of a young boy and his neighbor friend as they travel through a computer portal into outer space, where they explore such mysteries as black holes and the origins of the universe, while trying to evade an evil scientist.

Annie wants to follow in her father Eric's footsteps and be a scientist and they embark on a journey through the universe while learning about physics, time and the universe

A fun read. Would be a great book for children interested in science.

George's Secret Key to the Universe by Stephen Hawking is an interesting book about a very cool branch of science which is space and all the bodies in it. This book does have a plot but it also comes with pictures of all the planets and comets that are named in the book many interesting facts about

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space. The protagonist is a young boy who is George and one day when he visits his neighbor, he learns of a supercomputer that they own of that can create portals to many places in space. This provided George an easy way to learn everything there is to space and helped him enter the science fair which allowed him to win the grand prize a computer! George's parents were the type of parents which were very eco friendly and went on all the protests and this made George not very proud of his parents. For as long as he could remember, he wanted a computer because he was very interested in technology. The antagonist, interestingly, is one of George's teachers who has long known about this supercomputer and has been trying to steal it for many years. To find out if George's teacher actually stole the supercomputer that could provide George a computer, you should read this book. This book is for younger kids but it provides a refreshing story for young adults and an iota of facts about space that makes just about everyone who reads this book go "wow".

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A wonderful young adult introduction to the fun of science. A fun read for adults too!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because I believe that it was very informational and well-written. Two main things that I enjoyed about this book was the writing and the illustrations. Throughout the novel, the author kept true to his reader's level. The book was written for grades 3-5 and I believe

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that the language was challenging, yet still appropriate for the readers. Additionally, the author introduces topics that students may have never heard of. Other than discovering just planets, Annie and George come upon black holes. This is great for the readers because it expands their language development and their knowledge about space. Lastly, I enjoyed the illustrations because they were appropriate to the plot. These illustrations were more like photos and they offered an accurate visual aid for the readers to use. For example, if the student did not understand what a black hole looked like, the illustrator provided context through the use of pictures. The overall idea of this book was to describe George and Annie's adventure, while simultaneously teaching children about our universe.

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I loved this book because it always had me laughing. I liked the authors' writing style because it is necessary to keep young (and old!) readers engaged while presenting these interesting science concepts. I also liked the use of illustrations and text features in this book. Sometimes paragraph

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form is not the best way to relay information. The authors understood that charts and diagrams are sometimes the best way to showcase information or assist the text. The purpose of this book was to keep students entertained while relaying important scientific topics.

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George's Secret Key to the Universe is a kids book that explains astrophysics to kids and gets them excited about science. George lives with his eco-friendly parents who hate science because technology is destroying the earth. To George's great excitement, a new neighbor, Eric, moves in with his

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daughter, Annie. Eric is a scientist and he owns Cosmos, the world's smartest computer. Cosmos takes George and Annie on journeys through outer space and the reader learns all about the vast reaches of the galaxy. Meanwhile, the evil science teacher at George's school aligns himself with the school bullies to steal Cosmos.

The story was average, the illustrations were nice, and I like reading about astrophysics, but I am not smart enough to understand it unless it is written for kids, so that was nice.

I think there should be a sequel where Cosmos takes George and Annie on a journey into the mysteries of the soil and plant growth, so we can all learn about the amazing discoveries in biology. I know it isn't as glamorous as outer space, but it bothered me how earth science was portrayed. George's parents were eco-friendly hippies who wouldn't use any technology and grew their own food. The book made them seem somewhat ignorant and unintelligent because all they knew how to do was grow their own food. Why do astrophysicists get all the glory?

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My first take is that this is an excellent exposure to science--and especially astrophysical science--and that it should be read by all children as early as possible. But I intend to give it to a special young friend of mine and see how she likes it. The plot is that a boy, whose parents are pretty

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close to being Luddites, stumbles into a family of scientists. Meanwhile he's harrowed by a teacher, and some bullies, at school and finds himself drawn into a conflict he can't quite understand....all the while he's learning about stars and planets and comets and black holes...and how dangerous outer space can be to the unprepared. And, by paying attention, he learns enough physics to save the good scientist from the machinations of the bad scientist. Combining action and information in the same story is a challenge; I enjoyed it, but will a child? I'll save my rating until I learn the answer to that question.

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A great book that combines Sci-Fi with real science! Definitely a good read to teach children the key to the universe.

Review from my 11-year-old son:

This book is the first in a 6-book series. It follows a boy named George, who with his friend Annie, go on secret
adventures across the solar system, while preparing George for a school science presentation.

Warnings (spoilers):
Annie’s dad falls into a black hole,

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and it seems as if he might have died.
George is bullied on his way home from school.
On his first cosmic journey, George (and Annie) find themselves in an asteroid storm.
(I read this book when I was 8; and I did not have any problems with it.)

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A space fantasy travel theme with factual reference material for outer space and the solar system; story suitable for middle school ages and bright younger children; colour photographs of planets, comets and the Milky Way. Adventure in space travel. No rating until the book is evaluated by my

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grandchildren for the storyline and the astrophysics.

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