I’ve been really insistent that we don’t ‘dumb it down.’ I wanted real stuff in there. “Diagrams about how a toaster or a door buzzer works, or a detailed look at the circulatory system. “I knew I wanted hardcore diagrams to be a part of this,” he said. It’s so great when kids point it out to me: ‘Did you know that Frank Einstein is almost Frankenstein?’ ” Scieszka also had strong feelings about how the books should look. When it came to channeling his scientific enthusiasm into a book format, Scieszka said, “The whole setup came to me with the name. I took a poll of students in an NYU journalism class the other day, and none of them had heard of Tom Swift.” Swift’s Electric Rifle’ not many people know that the idea came from a book series from the 1920s. He invented an electric rifle, and it inspired what we know as the Taser today. Tom Swift was always inventing amazing things and going on these incredible adventures. “And almost all of them mentioned reading the Tom Swift books. “A group of scientists were talking about what had inspired them to enter their field,” he recalled. The “real spark” for the series, Scieszka said, came years ago, when he was listening to a radio interview. “I love the idea that it might connect a kid to something that becomes their lifelong passion.” “It’s a fun way to introduce something like the Large Hadron Collider and subatomic particle physics,” he explained. For Scieszka, “the mix of real science and crazy stuff” is one of the joys of writing Frank’s exploits. He also keeps a bulletin board of intriguing science stories, such as the recently discovered immortal jellyfish, and tales of how some everyday things – cornflakes, bubble gum –were invented. The author has been re-reading works by some of his favorite scientific thinkers, including physicist Richard Feynman, who is the basis for Frank Einstein’s Grampa Al. Scieszka’s new books present an opportunity for him to “mess around with science of all kinds” future volumes will explore topics like geology, astronomy, and energy. And, really, the heart of science is asking questions.” “I wanted them to know that it’s not just about getting the right answer, but that it’s much more important to ask the right questions. “When I was teaching second grade, I taught some science, and the best thing was that the kids were always asking bizarre questions,” he said. Though Scieszka’s career path took a different turn (teacher and then author), the science bug stayed with him. I was pre-med in undergrad my mom told me to be a doctor.” “As a kid I was always digging around in the backyard and looking at ants and frogs, and going fishing. The idea for the series has been brewing in Scieszka’s own creative lab for a while. The stage is set for this trio to work together, as well for them to do battle with Frank’s archnemesis, T. In the first of what the author describes as “action science adventures,” a bolt of electricity from a lightning storm zaps to life Klink and Klank, two robots Frank has crafted in his garage. Here’s a first look at the cover of book one, Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor, illustrated by Brian Biggs.įrank Einstein, Scieszka said, is always eager to explore how things work, and to apply his imagination to his own special brand of inventions. Jon Scieszka’s new series for middle-grade readers, Frank Einstein – about a boy the author calls “a 10-year-old genius, a tinkerer” – launches this fall from Abrams/Amulet.
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