Stephen Hawking writes a kids' sf trilogy
Stephen Hawking has written a kids' science fiction trilogy called George's Secret Key to the Universe, the first volume of which is to be published in 29 countries this year, with subsequent volumes coming once a year. His goal is to create a rigorously scientific work of sf that turns kids onto sf -- that's my kind of book! Hawking's co-writers are his daughter (who came up with the idea) and the French physicist Christophe Galfard, whose thesis was based on Hawking's work.
Link to George's Secret Key to the Universe, Link to Cosmos article (via Futurismic)The trio wanted to "provide a modern vision of cosmology from the Big Bang to the present day," without presenting it as magic, Galfard said. "All of what we see (in the universe) corresponds exactly to what has happened already," he added.
The sole element of fiction in the book involves supercomputer that opens a door allowing George and his friends to travel into space aboard an asteroid.
"I don't know of any other book quite like George's Secret Key to the Universe," Hawking, 65, said. "I think we may be unique."
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I can think of two friends of mine with kids right off the top of my head that are recieving this book as gifts. Fantastic stuff.
The Little Prince was travelling on an asteroid, wasn't he? In fact he was LIVING on one, if I remember well. But I guess he didn't speak about the universe, he confined himself to telling small secrets about life.
Anyways, I'm sure great readings of the Hawkingian kind await us here too.
First a physicist, then a rapper then a children's author. The man is multi talented for sure.
http://mchawking.com/mp3s/
It says Lucy and Stephen Hawking on the cover, yet this is studiously ignored in the commentary. What's up?
Forget any kids I know. I'd bet it'll be fun for big kids too.
Hi boing boing, I just ask you guys, to put the definition of every abreviation or acronym you make in posts at the begining.
I'm not as soaked in information as you are, I don't even know what an SF is. So please make it a little more accessible.
Greetings, your blog ROCKS!
chico conceptual
I take it Hawking doesn't know Russell Stannard's Uncle Albert series.
The idea is that "Uncle" Albert Einstein recruits his niece Gedanken to help him with thought experiments by actually entering the imaginary scenarios that he thinks up.
There's a review of the first book on New Scientist here.
P.S.
SF = Science Fiction
This is great! My special lady friend's son is a burgeoning science geek. I'll have to recommend this.