MATILDA MEETS THE UNIVERSE

 by Dom Conlon; 

Illustrated by Heidi Cannon 

                                                                                        

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my weekday Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.

 

Now we don't often get to do Tuesday posts as Mrs H has her car mechanics classes on a Tuesday, and I visit the elderly of the parish taking various gifts. And before you say anything, I don't present them mice. I stopped that after the live one I gave Mrs Hubbard ran up her . . . . well least said about the damage to her mobility scooters brake lines the, the better.

But this week is half term so, rather than let this galaxy-defining adventure review be delayed, we are proud to present to you a possible cure for all those boring science lessons . . . .

AUTHOR:  Dom Conlon

 

Cover art by: Heidi Olivia Cannon    

 

Published by: UCLan Publishing

 

Publication date: Paperback is OUT NOW!!!

 

Paperback ISBN:   978-1-915235-38-1

 

Cover price for Paperback: £7.99

 

Pages: 227

 

Age range:  7 to 12 and upwards

Any dogs or cats? Alas no, but the occaisional alien crops up!

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Very few direction and characters.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Very few as to direction and characters. 

 

 

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to UCLan Publishing and Graeme for asking if we'd Read & Review this epic science-driven publication. 

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review. 

First and foremost, the books we review are those we like and feel our galactic readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their children, friends and students will enjoy.

 

 

The plot

 

Matilda Musk is a Middle Grader girl passionate about science, learning and snacks. In her first book/journal, Meet Matilda Rocket Builder, Matilda wanted to build a spaceship. How difficult could it be? she thought. Well, apparently, it is VERY DIFFICULT indeed. But that didn't deter Matilda. As she said in her journal, difficult isn't the same as impossible. 

 

She's still working on that project, but undeterred, she has decided in the meantime to try something simpler: – preparing to meet alien life!

 

To do this, she enlists her family and friends to help explain and demonstrate – prove or disprove the facts she has researched. She's certainly not going to let a few lightyears stand between her and her goal, especially if she has a fridge full of snacks for the journey!

 

What she learns, and whether she gets to travel to another planet, well, only the science and reading to the ending will reveal. 

 

So, what did we think?

 

Behind every good space adventure is a team of scientists solving the real problems of the universe and space travel. But to understand where we are now, any researcher worth their space dust needs to know where we came from and where we and the universe in which we are a mere speck are headed.

This excellent book explains it all through the eyes and journal of Matilda Musk, a schoolgirl science fan determined to boldly voyage into space to meet alien life, assuming she isn't in the library or in bed.

As Matilda learns the history and gathers information on what it takes to travel and boldly go forth, she also discovers the magnitude of the distances involved and the science behind man's knowledge.

Matilda deftly leads us through it all, told in easy and fun chapters in a logical kids' way. The brilliant artwork throughout the book adds just the right touch to demonstrate some of Matilda's research and also some of her wilder ideas. 

 

So . . . .

Crunch time.

 

I have yet to read a more engrossing science-based adventure. It is a delightful narrative that skillfully weaves science, galactic history and humour into one easy-to-enjoy and understandable volume. 

We loved this loads, though you probably guessed that already. Mrs H is almost as ancient as our galaxy, yet has no head for figures unless they involve cake recipes or fine-tuning our Brough Superior motorcycle. But even she was utterly enthralled by the story and science content. 

This shows that the book is spot on for any and all, especially budding space travellers, Astro scientists and curious kids (of all ages).  

 

So, definitely, a book to buy.

 

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy, please launch yourselves, minding asteroids and comets, to your local independent bookshop. I'm sure there are plenty out there, in this galaxy and elsewhere, and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of science – fact and fiction, mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

 

Dom Conlon's web page can be found HERE or type this:  https://domconlon.com/

 

Heidi Olivia Cannon's web page can be found HERE or type this:  https://heidioliviaillustration.com/

 

UCLan Publishing's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://uclanpublishing.com/

And to round off todays post, here's a picture of me checking if the universe looks the same upside down . . .

Tune in NEXT Monday when we will host the FINALE of the Book Blog Tour for Michael, the Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog!

You just WON'T believe what he gets up to in pursuit of his dream!

If you fancy a taste of what it's all about, tune in to some of the other blogs in the tour . . . .

Till laters!

ERin