Science FACTopia!: Follow the trail of 400 STEM-tastic facts

by Rose Davidson, Andy L Smith (Illustrator)

An enthralling and hilarious journey through the worlds of space, animals, engineering, numbers, machines, and more in 400 connected facts! Science FACTopia! is the sixth title in the bestselling FACTopia! series, which has sold over 100,000 copies to date. Here you’ll find an ingenious trail of 400 facts about space, animals, rocks and crystals, virtual reality, the body, coding, 3D printing, engineering, plants, fungi, math, and more, where each fact is connected to the next in hilarious and unexpected ways. You’ll meet a parrot called Squawkzilla, find out about the fastest muscles in the body, discover gems that can change color, and learn about black holes that “burp.” Lavishly illustrated with witty illustrations that combine artwork and photography, and verified by the experts at Encyclopaedia Britannica, Science FACTopia! brings STEM topics to life, with facts kids will be desperate to share with their friends and family.

208 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2024

Reviews

[Shilo Quetchenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

We really enjoyed this one, much as we enjoyed the previous history factopia. Sometimes reading too many facts in a row could leave me feeling weirdly disconnected, but kiddo (9) was very much into all the facts and insisted we continue until we finished it. The facts were all quite interesting and we both learned a lot.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Britannica Books for providing an early copy for review.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives random facts about science, the earth, the universe, animals, trees, and the ocean. We can learn about astronauts, sloths, weird plants, tennis, rabbits, polar bears, and new technology. The illustrations and photos are eye-catching and colorful. Each factoid is short; just one sentence that tantalizes your brain to learn more! The factoids are arranged so that each fact leads into the next with one small thing in common.

However, I have to wonder just how much of this book is true, and how much is just guess-work and theories. The book does not always make it clear which factoids are theories and which are backed up by empirical data. It makes me wonder how far the reader can really trust the information when it is not presented clearly. There is a page that says that the universe is billions of years old. It is worded as if that statement is a fact, but it's really just a theory. One theory among many other theories regarding the origins of the universe. So what other things in this book are being worded as statements, presented as facts, but they aren't?
It seems like every science book that I read these days has this same problem. Stick to the facts, people! Or word the sentence so that it is clear what is theory and what is fact. You would think that scientists would care about being clear and truthful.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Lisa Gisèle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed are all my own.

I have loved every FACTopia book I have reviewed so far, and Science FACTopia was no different.
I always learn loads of new facts and very few facts repeat themselves.
These books are an asset for every classroom.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first FACTopia book, and my middle schooler and I both really enjoyed the format -- and all the facts! We're definitely interested in reading the whole series now.


(I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

[Tahlia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

[Kitchen Sink Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is back. FACTopia. And this is the sixth book in the series, yes sixth of what will be an eight-book series. How have the authors managed this? By creating a fact book series which takes one set of facts per book and presents them. It all began with us being encouraged to FACTopia Follow the Trail of 400 Facts. Then came Return to FACTopia Follow the Trail of 400 More Facts; Gross FACTopia Follow the Trail of 400 Foul Facts; Animal FACTopia Follow the Trail of 400 Beastly Facts and History FACTopia Follow Ye Olde Trail of 400 Facts leading us to Science FACTopia Follow the Trail of 400 STEM-tastic Facts. Each book presents facts to young readers with a novel exploratory trail. The aim is to encourage exploratory learning, add in some stunning visuals (in this title from Andy Smith), information with depth (from Rose Davidson and the Britannica Group) and round it all off by making sure it is engaging. It is.

As you choose your path through these latest 400 facts this time you are navigating facts about science and other STEM subjects. The interconnected facts in this title include the topics of space, animals, engineering, numbers, machines and so much more. Curious about how rock crystals are formed, what virtual reality is, how the body works, how to code… Want to know more about the advances in 3D printing, engineering or what botanists know about fungi? Open this book and choose your path, then do it all again. With so much to choose from, so many routes for the curious mind to follow there is seemingly an endless supply of facts to link and learn. I discovered that the horseshoe crab has bright blue blood and that scientists can use it to test new vaccines to make sure they don’t contain harmful bacteria. That fact gave me the chance to follow a path to ‘Medical Marvels’ where I learnt that one of the ingredients in aspirin is also in clover, beans, and peas?! From there I followed the fact trail to find out what advances researchers are making with various forms of AI including BirdNET an AI that can identify birds from their songs, this led me to turn the page to a brand new set of facts all about birds. Ingenious!