FROM HERE TO THERE
The Story Of How We Transport Ourselves and Everything Else
Viking/Smithsonian
The Story Of How We Protect, Repair, and Make Ourselves Stronger
Viking/Smithsonian
HERE THERE BE MONSTERS
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Hundreds of years ago, there were many unexplored regions of the world. These areas were left blank by mapmakers . . . but something sinister was out there. Sailors claimed that these faraway places were inhabited by mysterious beasts and sea serpents. To warn of the dangers lurking on land and under the sea, mapmakers wrote words that would chill the hearts of even the bravest explorers: Here There Be Monsters.
One of those monsters caused fear in sailors all over the world. It had huge eyes, an enormous head, and a razor-sharp beak. Most terrifying of all were its tentacles and slithering arms, each lined with hundreds of suckers. The creature was strong enough to grab an entire ship and drag it down—along with all the men on it—to the dark depths of the ocean. This monster was the legendary kraken.
Weaving scientific discovery with historical accounts—along with the giant squid’s appearance in film and literature--Here There Be Monsters explores the mystery of this creature in fascinating detail. Readers will find that the monster remains hidden no longer, because scientists have finally seen the kraken with their own eyes . . . alive and rising up out of the sea.
KIRKUS REVIEWS writes: In an engaging, fast-paced text, Newquist chronicles how centuries-old myths about a sea monster known as the kraken transformed into the modern study of Architeuthis dux, the giant squid. Until the 1870s, when dozens of giant squid were sighted and more mysteriously washed up dead on coasts around the world, scientific knowledge of the creature was fragmentary, and speculations about it were based more on fiction than facts. Even now, despite enormous advances in underwater exploration technology, the creature remains shrouded in mystery. A live squid was not observed until 2004, by Japanese scientists. The author does a commendable job of packing a great deal of information into a compact narrative. He seamlessly moves among exploration of history, mythology, film, literature and scientific discovery; the discussions of how everyone from Alfred, Lord Tennyson to Jules Verne to Walt Disney kept the myth of the ferocious kraken alive in people's imaginations are especially interesting. The book is abundantly illustrated with charts, maps and photographs.
According to Newquist "One of the things that I write about in "Monsters" is that humans have been to the moon six times and retrieved more than two thousand rocks. The moon is 250,000 miles away from earth. Yet scientists have collected only about two dozen specimens of the colossal squid, a creature that lives less than one mile under the ocean. It's very weird that we have more specimens from a place that is a quarter of a million miles away than we do of one of the biggest creatures on the earth, even though it lives right here in our oceans."
From Legends & Leeches to Vampires & Veins
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Written in the same vein as Newquist's award-winning The Great Brain Book, this look at blood explores the myths, the legends, and the very real science that have always surrounded the gallon of red, sticky liquid that courses through your body every minute of the day.
Readers will meet the doctors and scientists who have tried to unravel the secrets of blood for centuries, beasts who need to drink blood to live, the amazing things that blood does as it pulses alongs thousands of miles of vessels, and a few mythological creatures that might not be so mythical after all.
Out now with some great reviews:
KIRKUS REVIEWS writes: “Newquist expands considerably on the premise that “There is more to blood than that it’s red and kind of gross” without neglecting to keep the “kind of gross” parts in view. Along with a suitably gore-spattered parade of Aztec and other bloodthirsty gods and blood rituals throughout history, the author takes quick looks at various kinds of blood in the animal kingdom and at vampires in modern pop culture. He also recaps the development of our understanding of blood and the circulatory system from ancient times through the scientific revolution, and thence on to modern uses for blood in medicine and research. In considerably more detail, though, he tallies blood’s individual components and the specific functions of each in keeping our bodies alive and healthy. This transfusion of information offers a rewarding experience to readers whether they’re after the specific differences between blood types and other biological data or just gore’s icky lore. It's nicely enhanced by a generous array of photographs, microphotographs and artists’ renderings.”
A Guide To The Ways In Which We Go
St. Martin's Press
Have you been attacked by an alligator? Been burned at the stake? Inhaled sarin gas? Been exposed to anthrax? No, you haven't, or you'd be dead.
This Will Kill You reveals the intriguing facts behind the many ways humans bite the dust in encounters with deadly bugs, hungry predators, natural disasters, and freak occurrences. Thoroughly researched and illustrated, not to mention thoroughly hilarious, this book describes in deathly detail what happens to the body when it’s struck by lightning, slimed by a dart frog, or flung from a mountaintop.
Written by HP Newquist and Rich Maloof, no other book has ever peeked under the Grim Reaper's robe in such a straightforward and irreverent way. With a foreword by Peter M. Fitzpatrick M.D. of the Mayo Clinic , an afterword by funeral director Bill McGuinness, lists of history’s most notable deaths, and a unique death rating system, everything you need to know about the ways in which we go are included in these pages.
Macmillan (with Marc Aaronson)
"A great writer named Alan Bennett once said that the fun of writing is finding out things you didn't know you knew. FOR BOYS ONLY is about another kind of fun: Finding out things. Because if there is one thing that boys like more than having stuff, it is finding out about stuff. Trust me, I've got three boys of my own, and that's something I know."
— Mike Lupica, author of Travel Team, Heat, Summer Ball, and the new Comeback Kids series
“How could you not love a book with monsters, treasures, disasters, tricks, weapons, and Lamborghinis—a must have book for every boy adventurer.”
— Jon Scieszka, author and Guys Read program founder
Chinese translation.
A lot of people all over the world have been saying nice things about it. For instance:
The American Library Association Nomination: "Best Books For Young Adults" for 2006.
The National Science Teachers Association and the Children's Book Council: Outstanding Science Book.
The Childrens Book-of-the-Month Club: Main Selection.
The Midwest Book Review: "An excellent owner's manual."
The School Library Journal: "An excellent resource" and "a handsome addition" to any library.
Booklist: With an appealing, colorful design and a flashy cover, this in-depth introduction to the human brain and its remarkable powers will attract browsers, but strong readers are its best audience. The clever, kid-friendly anecdotes amid the anatomy lessons also enhance accessibility.
Not only that, but it's already been translated into Korean and Arabic.