What do you think?
Rate this book
A gentle wizard
An entertaining and personal introduction to Einstein's universe. Starting with a walk through Bern in 1905 and ending with the recent discovery of gravitational waves from colliding black holes, this book exposes the theory of Relativity in a readable style. Supported by insightful and zany illustrations, this is a great science story for everyone and anyone.
As a young boy, Jack is sent to deliver a set of pictures to a house on Princeton's Mercer Street. The house is quite ordinary, but the man who lives there is not. Far from it. It is Albert Einstein, perhaps the smartest man in the world. The man that bent space and warped time.
The first chance meeting leads to an unexpected friendship. Jack becomes a regular visitor to the famous professor's home. Together they set out on a journey that explores the professor's ideas about space, time and gravity. The journey takes them to the edge of reality, where clocks grind to a halt and stars collapse onto themselves to form holes that aren't quite holes.
This is a blend of fact and fiction. The science is very much real. So are most of the characters; including Einstein himself, his assistant Helen Dukas, Robert Oppenheimer and John Wheeler. The story builds on things that actually happened, although perhaps not in this particular order or involving precisely these individuals. Jack is entirely fictional. He had to be.
"Great fun. Great science. A compelling story for everyone."
Professor Ray d'Inverno, author of "Introducing Einstein's relativity"
As a young boy, Jack is sent to deliver a set of pictures to a house on Princeton's Mercer Street. The house is quite ordinary, but the man who lives there is not. Far from it. It is Albert Einstein, perhaps the smartest man in the world. The man that bent space and warped time.
The first chance meeting leads to an unexpected friendship. Jack becomes a regular visitor to the famous professor's home. Together they set out on a journey that explores the professor's ideas about space, time and gravity. The journey takes them to the edge of reality, where clocks grind to a halt and stars collapse onto themselves to form holes that aren't quite holes.
This is a blend of fact and fiction. The science is very much real. So are most of the characters; including Einstein himself, his assistant Helen Dukas, Robert Oppenheimer and John Wheeler. The story builds on things that actually happened, although perhaps not in this particular order or involving precisely these individuals. Jack is entirely fictional. He had to be.
"Great fun. Great science. A compelling story for everyone."
Professor Ray d'Inverno, author of "Introducing Einstein's relativity"
150 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2017
1 person is currently reading
708 people want to read
About the author
Nils Andersson
6 books38 followersNils Andersson is a real life Professor of Mathematics and a leading authority on Einstein's theory of relativity and extreme astrophysics. At work he worries about black holes, dead stars, white dwarfs and waves of gravity. In his spare time he likes to read - always did, ever since he was little. He continues to be excited by books for younger readers, great stories that inspire developing minds and make the next generation fall in love with books.
A house full of books made him wonder what it would be like to write one of his own. So, with a bit of help from his 7-year old daughter, he did. The result is a collection of madcap adventures of Professor Kompressor, an excellent but accident prone inventor.
The Professor is a fictional character (certainly not based on the author!) and his adventures are completely made up. Yet, the various episodes draw on ideas from science and the modern world. The aim (if there is one!) is to show that you can have a lot of fun with science and technology, especially if you allow for a bit of creative mis-interpretation.
A house full of books made him wonder what it would be like to write one of his own. So, with a bit of help from his 7-year old daughter, he did. The result is a collection of madcap adventures of Professor Kompressor, an excellent but accident prone inventor.
The Professor is a fictional character (certainly not based on the author!) and his adventures are completely made up. Yet, the various episodes draw on ideas from science and the modern world. The aim (if there is one!) is to show that you can have a lot of fun with science and technology, especially if you allow for a bit of creative mis-interpretation.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 13, 2017
This was actually a dnf for me - although I did almost get to the very end. I believe I had 50 pages left, so I feel like I have a very good grasp on the book to write a proper review. In the end it just failed to hold my attention and I lost interest.
This book needs 2 ratings, otherwise it wouldn't be fair.
4 stars - if this book is used as a supplemental reading material for middle grade physics class.
2 stars - for leisure reading
And I was going for leisure reading.
This is a recollection of Albert Einstein's life and work told from the eyes of Jack, a boy who became genius' friend. The writing is quite pleasant and easy, till you get to the physics theories, explanations and calculations. There was way too much physics in it to be enjoyed just as a regular book. It also feels more like a memoir than a novella, because events are choppy and timeline keeps jumping around.
However, there were some amazing and very quotable passages in this book.
Time passes. Days become months, months turn into years. The past turns into the future. Tomorrow becomes today. Always that way around. Today does not become yesterday. At least not until tomorrow..."
The book was also laced with very nice black-and-white illustrations.
I truly think that this book should become a supplemental reading in schools, as it will give students insight into Albert's life, and show them that even if they don't understand science, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Even the big genius sometimes didn't understand it fully. That is the beauty of it.
This book was provided by StoryCartel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author and the publisher for this opportunity.
My WEBSITE
My INSTAGRAM
My WORDPRESS BLOG
This book needs 2 ratings, otherwise it wouldn't be fair.
4 stars - if this book is used as a supplemental reading material for middle grade physics class.
2 stars - for leisure reading
And I was going for leisure reading.
This is a recollection of Albert Einstein's life and work told from the eyes of Jack, a boy who became genius' friend. The writing is quite pleasant and easy, till you get to the physics theories, explanations and calculations. There was way too much physics in it to be enjoyed just as a regular book. It also feels more like a memoir than a novella, because events are choppy and timeline keeps jumping around.
However, there were some amazing and very quotable passages in this book.
Time passes. Days become months, months turn into years. The past turns into the future. Tomorrow becomes today. Always that way around. Today does not become yesterday. At least not until tomorrow..."
The book was also laced with very nice black-and-white illustrations.
I truly think that this book should become a supplemental reading in schools, as it will give students insight into Albert's life, and show them that even if they don't understand science, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Even the big genius sometimes didn't understand it fully. That is the beauty of it.
This book was provided by StoryCartel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author and the publisher for this opportunity.
My WEBSITE
My INSTAGRAM
My WORDPRESS BLOG
September 7, 2021
This book make you dive in your past, how curious we were to present and future. Wonderful read.
January 27, 2017
I received a free copy of this book from Story Cartel in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
A Gentle Wizard was written by Nils Andersson and illustrated by Oliver Dean. It was published by Speed of Think Publishing in 2017.
Andersson writes about the life of Albert Einstein. He uses Jack, a part-timer at a photographer’s studio, to take a new spin on the life of one of the greatest scientists of all time. We, through Jack, the befriend Einstein, deal with his death, and teach our kids about the scientist.
Jack is the main character of this story. He meets Einstein while running an errand. His first impression is that Einstein’s crazy. But first impressions are often wrong.
Albert Einstein plays a big part in this story. He doesn’t like all the attention he gets and answering all the fan mail. He can seem a bit gruff, but that’s only until you get to know him.
Helen is Einstein’s assistant. She helps the professor in his old age. When the professor dies, she sets to work getting all of his affairs in order. She also enjoys watching over Jack’s twins, Danny and Liz.
Kate is Jack’s wife. She gets him out of tight spots and keeps the kids occupied so that Jack can work. Most of all, she is Jack’s best friend and the one he turns to for help.
This book takes place mostly in Einstein’s house. It is a junky place full of filing cabinets and loose papers. Nonetheless Jack loves to spend time there with the old professor.
The climax of this story is when Einstein dies. Jack has to work through his grief and also make sure that the professor is not forgotten.
I enjoyed this book. I think it was probably meant for younger kids then I am but it is sometimes refreshing to read something light. I think that if your kids are a littleyounger than fourteen then they would like this book.
A Gentle Wizard was written by Nils Andersson and illustrated by Oliver Dean. It was published by Speed of Think Publishing in 2017.
Andersson writes about the life of Albert Einstein. He uses Jack, a part-timer at a photographer’s studio, to take a new spin on the life of one of the greatest scientists of all time. We, through Jack, the befriend Einstein, deal with his death, and teach our kids about the scientist.
Jack is the main character of this story. He meets Einstein while running an errand. His first impression is that Einstein’s crazy. But first impressions are often wrong.
Albert Einstein plays a big part in this story. He doesn’t like all the attention he gets and answering all the fan mail. He can seem a bit gruff, but that’s only until you get to know him.
Helen is Einstein’s assistant. She helps the professor in his old age. When the professor dies, she sets to work getting all of his affairs in order. She also enjoys watching over Jack’s twins, Danny and Liz.
Kate is Jack’s wife. She gets him out of tight spots and keeps the kids occupied so that Jack can work. Most of all, she is Jack’s best friend and the one he turns to for help.
This book takes place mostly in Einstein’s house. It is a junky place full of filing cabinets and loose papers. Nonetheless Jack loves to spend time there with the old professor.
The climax of this story is when Einstein dies. Jack has to work through his grief and also make sure that the professor is not forgotten.
I enjoyed this book. I think it was probably meant for younger kids then I am but it is sometimes refreshing to read something light. I think that if your kids are a littleyounger than fourteen then they would like this book.
February 11, 2017
This is a fun, engaging, and comprehensible presentation of Einstein's ideas and personality. The fictitious main character, Jack, befriends Einstein as a young boy and takes interest in his ideas. Jack grows up to be a science writer who covers developments related to these ideas in the decades since Einstein's death. It shows Einstein as a brilliant scientist with a sense of wonder, who enjoyed sailing more than adulation. It's a thoroughly fascinating book. It also has a list of nonfiction books for further reading. Unfortunately, a short passage perpetuates the myth that educated people in Columbus's time believe the earth was flat.
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book through StoryCartel in exchange for this review.
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book through StoryCartel in exchange for this review.
February 5, 2017
I received this eBook via Story Cartel for review.
An enjoyable story showing the "human" side of Einstein via fictional characters while explaining in laymen's terms about his factual theories. This story spans the life of Jack (fictional character) and his friendship with mentor and inspiration - Albert Einstein. We're taken from young Jacks first visit with the professor to Jack in his senior years where he comes full circle seeing what was once upon a time - only a theory. A quick but thoroughly engaging thoughtful read.
An enjoyable story showing the "human" side of Einstein via fictional characters while explaining in laymen's terms about his factual theories. This story spans the life of Jack (fictional character) and his friendship with mentor and inspiration - Albert Einstein. We're taken from young Jacks first visit with the professor to Jack in his senior years where he comes full circle seeing what was once upon a time - only a theory. A quick but thoroughly engaging thoughtful read.
June 20, 2021
This is a pretty sweet book, written in very easy language, and yet conveying some real difficult concepts. It can be enjoyed by anyone who loves physics, and Einstein. I would also like to thank the author for the free copy I got the day the book launched, in International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, India.
May 15, 2020
It's a wonderful book! The book explains Einstein as a person and his various theories in a very good way but it it is aimed to a younger audience
February 7, 2017
Written with sensitivity and a true understanding of Einstein's theories, this book weaves a charming story about Jack's friendship with the great scientist. It is very approachable for younger readers. Because of that, it's a great way to begin learning the thoughts behind the science.
If your child or grandchild is interested in science, I would recommend giving them a copy of the book and reading it together with them. The discussions that arise as the the story unfolds could follow a wide variety of themes beyond the actual science. Friendship, loyalty, and loss would be just a few of the life's lessons that one could discuss with a child. This book provides a great opportunity for parents and grandparents to spend quality time with a child as they discover this amazing relationship between the young photographer and the great genius.
Better yet, give them the book to encourage the joy of learning about science.
I received a free copy of this ebook from Storycartel.com in exchange for an unbiased review.
If your child or grandchild is interested in science, I would recommend giving them a copy of the book and reading it together with them. The discussions that arise as the the story unfolds could follow a wide variety of themes beyond the actual science. Friendship, loyalty, and loss would be just a few of the life's lessons that one could discuss with a child. This book provides a great opportunity for parents and grandparents to spend quality time with a child as they discover this amazing relationship between the young photographer and the great genius.
Better yet, give them the book to encourage the joy of learning about science.
I received a free copy of this ebook from Storycartel.com in exchange for an unbiased review.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews