2030: A Day in the Life of Tomorrow's Kids

by Amy Zuckerman, James Daly, John Manders (Illustrator)

Overview

Winner of the 2012 Grand Canyon Reader Award for a Non-fiction book

Global events and new technology change how we live from moment to moment. So, what will our world be like in twenty years? Come take a look as futurists Amy Zuckerman and James Daly examine what a kid's daily life might be like in the year 2030. Inspired and informed by trends and scientifi c and technological research, 2030 is not only a peek at some cool future gadgets (talking dog collars, cars that drive themselves), but also a thoughtful examination of how our lives might be impacted as we adjust to environmental change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399187261
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/19/2009
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	93 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Amy Zuckerman is an award-winning business writer who specializes in technology and trends. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

James Daly is the publisher of Edutopia magazine and founder of Business 2.0. He lives in Alameda, California.

John Manders has illustrated many books for children, including Prancing, Dancing Lily, by Marsha Diane Arnold. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-5

A talking dog, a housecleaning robot, and a three-dimensional "data orb" are among the many cool features that kids might enjoy in the future, according to this lighthearted look at 2030. The breezy narrative follows one boy through a typical day, highlighting many interesting aspects of his world. Fanciful cartoon drawings show a lively and appealing world full of new and intriguing activities that correspond neatly to modern equivalents. Schools are now made from plasticized blocks that snap together, for example, while recess features virtual batting practice and a "smart trampoline." Recreational activities include magnetized hovering skateboards and a virtual-reality "Fanta-trek Center." Some social changes are briefly noted, such as new career paths and the increase of marriages between different ethnicities. Interaction with the natural world is not mentioned, although many of the new technologies have eco-friendly components and the food is all meatless and delicious. Illustrated sidebars provide a bit of additional information or background, but the emphasis here is more on what new technologies will do, rather than how they will work. The one exception to the fun comes in an inset paragraph about overpopulation and starvation in Africa, a jarring bit of realism in this otherwise worry-free existence. The day ends with a neat twist as the boy reaches for his favorite type of entertainment, which the final page turn reveals as "reading a book."-Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR

School Library Journal

This peek into the future comes to read more like a cautionary tale than a revel in the phantasmagoria down the road. It starts innocently-the day still breaks with the sun, though now there's a "data orb" to immediately plug one into the constant stream of communication and information. Various labor- and energy-saving devices abound, and changes to the population pyramid and urban design are noted. But life gets awfully virtual: No need to go to Egypt to see the Sphinx, it comes to your classroom via hologram; why go to the playing field when you can take virtual batting practice? Broccoli now tastes like French fries, malls (yes, still malls) are "the size of a small town" with "moving racks so you don't have to walk." Your watch beams health information-"and even your feelings"-directly to your doctor. Despite such sobering data as the effects of AIDS on Africa, the zippy text and Manders's electric artwork combine for a relentlessly chirpy treatment. It comes with an extensive bibliography; sadly, neither 1984 nor Feed made the cut. (Informational picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews