Einstein and the Time Machine

Gr 3–5—Weaving a tale of physics and family, this biography of Albert Einstein presents a pithy overview of the genius's life while touching on its most potent moments. It is not, as the title would suggest, an examination of Einstein's theory of relativity but rather an exploration of the events of Einstein's life (though the theory does, of course, make an appearance). Growing up, marriage, discoveries, and disappointments are marked with emotion and humor through a first-person narrative. The Quentin Blake—esque illustrations are lighthearted and whimsical. Between chapters, Novelli offers some harder scientific explanations of the work Einstein produced through his life. The prose is at times clunky (like an adult talking to a child in a too-loud, too-slow voice), and the connection of the interchapter science summaries to the main text is not always clear, but the facts are all there, even if the tone sometimes underestimates the intelligence of readers. Especially moving is the reminder that this great scientist sought asylum in the United States during a tumultuous time in history, making the work appropriate for current events discussions. A "Relativity Dictionary" provides some excellent encyclopedic descriptions of terms and topics that pop up throughout the volume.