Karl, the Universe and everything by Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

Pan Macmillan Australia, 2017. ISBN 9781925481327
"Grab your towel and hitchhike across the galaxy with Australia's most popular scientist Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. Learn about Dr Karl, the universe and everything, and discover how air-conditioning is sexist, how you can kill a spinning hard drive by shouting at it and how space junk is threatening our future capabilities for space travel.
Could there be life on one of Saturn's moons? How much power could you collect from all the lightning on Earth? Why do books have book-smell? Why is 10 per cent of the Earth's land area prone to sinkholes?
Why are some people chronically late? What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning? Why do most people hardly remember anything from the first half-a-dozen years of their life?
How close are we to the Artificial Uterus? Why do some songs turn into "earworms" and stick inside your brain? Why does your hotel room access card get wiped so easily?
And is your home WiFi really spying on you?"(Publisher)
For those of us that can remember Keith Martyn's Almanac that used to come out annually, I think this book has a similar feel. The book is well set out with a very detailed contents page at the front and each chapter varies in length. While it is not a book that a child would pick up and read from cover to cover, it is certainly one that would appeal to children who soak up facts. The text is a good size and title pages separate the chapters. This adds to the appeal of the book as it does not look overwhelming, despite the fact it contains an enormous amount of information. The interspersed illustrations also add to the overall look of the book. I like the personal anecdotes that pop up every now and then. An interesting non fiction addition to a collection.
Kathryn Schumacher