Flash Facts

by Mayim Bialik

Overview

Have you ever wondered: What's at the bottom of the sea? Why does polar ice melt? Which tools does a forensics team use to solve a crime?

Well, look no further! Everyone's favorite Scarlet Speedster is here to answer all your burning questions! Barry Allen, with the help of some of his close friends, will take readers on an exciting journey that examines everything from the vast expanse of our galaxy to the smallest living organism known to man.

Curated by award-winning actress and author Mayim Bialik, Ph.D., and featuring stories created by an all-star cast of writers and illustrators, this anthology aligns with Next Generation Science Standards and provides a helpful bridge between the lessons taught inside the classroom and how the things we are learning affect our everyday lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781779503824
Publisher:	DC Comics
Publication date:	02/02/2021
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	364,042
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	7 - 13 Years

About the Author

Mayim Hoya Bialik is best known for portraying Bette Midler as a child in Beaches as well as her subsequent lead role as Blossom Russo in the early-1990s NBC television sitcom Blossom. Bialik most recently appeared regularly on the #1 comedy in America, CBS's The Big Bang Theory, playing neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler, a role for which she has been a four-time nominee for an Emmy and two-time winner of the Critics' Choice Award. She will star in an upcoming multi-camera sitcom, Call Me Kat, airing on FOX in fall 2020. Bialik earned a B.S. from UCLA in 2000 in neuroscience and Hebrew & Jewish studies, and a Ph.D. in neuroscience, also from UCLA, in 2007. Her book about attachment parenting, Beyond the Sling, was published in March 2012 (Simon and Schuster). Her vegan cookbook, Mayim's Vegan Table, was published by Da Capo Press in spring of 2014. Bialik also has two New York Times bestsellers with Girling Up: How to Be Strong, Smart and Spectacular (Philomel Books, 2017) and Boying Up: How to Be Brave, Bold and Brilliant (Philomel Books, 2018).

Editorial Reviews

02/19/2021

Gr 6 Up—DC superheroes such as the Flash, Supergirl, and Cyborg hold forth on climate change, genetics, electricity, subatomic particles, virtual reality, and other STEM topics in this appealing nonfiction comics collection edited by actor Bialik, who holds a PhD in neuroscience. Each chapter was created by a different set of writers and artists, resulting in an enjoyable variety of storytelling and visuals, from illustrations that mimic the look of existing DC TV shows, like Teen Titans Go! or DC Super Hero Girls, to anime-esque drawings to dreamy depictions of ocean zones. Those unfamiliar with the wide array of DC superheroes may wish for a guide to keep characters straight. However, DC Universe fans will enjoy this well-put-together compilation and will appreciate the superheroes' conversational tone and humor as they use real-world examples to bring science to life. Vibrant visuals will keep readers engaged even when, at times, clunky scientific explanations drag down narrative flow. Both the main cast and secondary characters are racially diverse, and women are depicted as actively taking part in STEM fields. A preface and afterword by Bialik, as well as sections containing references, experiments and activities, and short biographies of the writers and artists, are included. VERDICT An upbeat, colorful comic book—themed guide to important STEM subjects. Hand to superhero fanatics interested in learning more about science.—Pearl Derlaga, York County P.L., VA

School Library Journal

2021-01-13
Flash, Batman, and other characters from the DC Comics universe tackle supervillains and STEM-related topics and sometimes, both.

Credited to 20 writers and illustrators in various combinations, the 10 episodes invite readers to tag along as Mera and Aquaman visit oceanic zones from epipelagic to hadalpelagic; Supergirl helps a young scholar pick a science-project topic by taking her on a tour of the solar system; and Swamp Thing lends Poison Ivy a hand to describe how DNA works (later joining Swamp Kid to scuttle a climate-altering scheme by Arcane). In other episodes, various costumed creations explain the ins and outs of diverse large- and small-scale phenomena, including electricity, atomic structure, forensic techniques, 3-D printing, and the lactate threshold. Presumably on the supposition that the characters will be more familiar to readers than the science, the minilectures tend to start from simple basics, but the figures are mostly both redrawn to look more childlike than in the comics and identified only in passing. Drawing styles and page designs differ from chapter to chapter but not enough to interrupt overall visual unity and flow—and the cast is sufficiently diverse to include roles for superheroes (and villains) of color like Cyborg, Kid Flash, and the Latina Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. Appended lists of websites and science-based YouTube channels, plus instructions for homespun activities related to each episode, point inspired STEM-winders toward further discoveries.

Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews