Switched On, Flushed Down, Tossed Out: Investigating the Hidden Workings of Your Home by Trudee Romanek

by Trudee Romanek

A secret-agent spin on the technology running through a house.Casey, who loves a good spy story, wonders about the mysterious, unseen workings of a home. How does tap water get to the top of an apartment building? Where does his garbage go? And how does his friend's voice come out of the telephone?So begins Casey's dogged investigation into the hidden (and not-so-hidden) workings of the home. Switched On, Flushed Down, Tossed Out follows Casey through sixteen case files investigating such processes Water sources, hot and cold, and how it travels to your taps Sewage treatment and waste water disposal Garbage disposal and recycling Power generation and how electricity travels Telephone, television, and radio transmissions Heating and air conditioning. Each case file offers clear explanations, helpful diagrams, and interesting facts about these and other familiar elements in both houses and apartments. Meanwhile, fascinating sidebars offer surprising examples of household workings throughout history and around the world. A final section offers a glimpse of how our homes may function in the future.Casey soon discovers the only thing more interesting than a mystery is discovering the facts. So, too, will readers be intrigued by Trudee Romanek's funny and informative look into the not-so-secret world behind the walls. Meanwhile, Stephen MacEachern's vibrant cartoon illustrations and clear diagrams will keep even the most hardboiled detective laughing and well informed.

Mass Market Paperback

First published March 5, 2005

About the author

As a kid, Trudee Romanek enjoyed reading, singing, and playing, pretending the porch railing was a horse she could ride and putting on puppet shows. She used to daydream about becoming a veterinarian or a singer, but never a writer. The only children's writers she knew about lived in England.

Her love on books took her to university for English and drama sand into the field of editing, first textbooks and then trade children's books. As the editor of Books from OWL, she learned lots working with talented non-fiction writers such as Jay Ingram, Kathy Ferris, Elizabeth MacLeod, and Sylvia Funston. Once Trudee had a family, she worked from home as a freelance editor of non-fiction and picture books and began to write small projects for magazines and educational publishers. Each project bolstered Trudee’s interest in writing and her confidence in her own abilities until, gradually, writing became her primary focus.

Trudee’s books have been nominated for many awards, including The Science in Society Children’s Book Award, Silver Birch Award, Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award, and Red Cedar Information Book Award, which she won in 2006/2007 for her book Aha! The Most Interesting Book You'll Ever Read About Intelligence.

She has dabbled in writing plays and even a musical and her first novel, Raising the Stakes, was published in October 2015.