Title: Awesome Achievers in Technology: Super and Strange Facts about 12 Almost Famous History Makers
Author: Alan Katz
Illustrator: Chris Judge
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Paperback: 112 pages
Source: NetGalley
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)
Everyone has heard the name Steve Jobs, but what about Nolan Bushnell–Jobs’s boss before the invention of Apple, and the founder of the first major video game, Pong? Many of the most relevant figures in tech history have remained in the shadows, but not any longer! From Alan Katz’s new Awesome Achievers series, Awesome Achievers in Technology gives kids a look behind the scenes at 12 lesser-known inventors whose contributions to tech are personally relevant to their lives today. Each figure is given a traditional biography but is also subject to Katz’s unique brand of silliness, with humorous elements such as imagined poems, song lyrics, and diary entries by and about the not-so-famous figure accompanying each bio.
Spot illustrations throughout add to the lighthearted and appreciative humor each figure receives. Reluctant readers and budding tech enthusiasts alike will delight in this imaginative and engaging introduction to a new series of laugh out loud biographies.
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Rating: 3 out of 5
Awesome Achievers in Technology is a collection of short biopics about inventors who are often overlooked: people who invented the windshield wiper, or Scotchguard. I really enjoyed learning about these people, the things they accomplished, and how their inventions changed society. It’s interesting and I think kids would find it interesting too. The chapters are packed with information–short enough not to feel as though it dragged, but long enough to include everything you need to know. This would be a great starting off book for kids interested in researching more about a particular inventor or invention.
While the content about the inventors themselves was fantastic, it gets super goofy at the end of each chapter, which I did not enjoy. Katz makes jokes that don’t make sense, includes nonsensical stories or activities that vaguely relate to the subject. MAYBE a kid would enjoy this (that’s a big maybe), but I felt that was way too over-the-top and didn’t come across as genuinely funny. Without those, though, the book is fantastic.
Purple People Readers 