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William J. Boerst is the author of several books for young readers, including biographies

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This book is about the life of famous novelist, H. G. Wells. Wells wrote many books like "The Time Machine" and "War of the Worlds," just to name a few. He even didn't remember any teachings in his school. Wells actually had no job, but then he started writing books. After he wrote "The Time Machine," he was called my many a novel writing genius. He even started mass producing books in WWI.

I did like this book, because it was about the writer of "The Time Machine," one of my favorite books/movies. However, the book kind of got a little slow at moments. For example, in one part of the book it keep talking a about a fact over and over again, which wasn't even very important to his life ether. It did, however, have some interesting facts like; Wells didn't have a job until he wrote "The Time Machine." Even in the back of the book it has all the names of Wells's big works, so you can pick this book up at a near by library and enjoy it.… (mere)
 
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AndrewH.BG3 | Oct 11, 2016 |
Lauren Fields
EDLS 6710
February 4, 2013

Isaac Newton: Organizing the Universe is a good description of Newton’s life and accomplishments. The cover is a little awkward. The background and lettering are bold bright colors, while the foreground is images of faded original documents and a washed out portrait of Isaac Newton. The images are aesthetically incongruous, but promise an accurately researched biography. Boerst succeeds. The story is detailed and insightful. There is a table of contents to clarify the structure of the book. If one was interested about one period or deed in Newton’s, the table of contents would direct a reader to that information. If one was unfamiliar with the subject though, the chapter titles would not be helpful. Further there is a helpful index for those who want to find out about a specific publication or Newton’s association with another scientist. The book unfortunately does not have a visual index. This is a failing, because of the wonderful portraits, paintings, and original documents that enhance the story throughout. There is a timeline in the back of the book to simply refer to if the reader has any sequential questions. This is useful, because while everyone’s lives are chronological is difficult to convey that in the telling of a life. Events overlap, people meet years before their association is meaningful. Boerst does a fair job of streamlining Newton’s history, but there are places in the book that seem to jump around. That is a difficulty of the genre. Boerst tries to contextualize Isaac Newton. The reader is left with a moderate understanding of the world that Newton lived in and the scientific knowledge of his time. There are a few informational inserts. They are well constructed, but the text is at times dense and informative. So, the boxes with a color background, seem out of place. The author may well have just incorporated them into the body of the book. There is a bibliography and a list of sources (like endnotes without the notations in the text). The book is well researched and quotes original sources. However, this makes parts of the book a little difficult to read. English was different three hundred years ago. Some quotes are hard to follow and are not explained. One hopes this would not deter a young reader, but it may inhibit their ability to relate the Newton. One of the ways to engage a reader in a biography is to have them identify with the subject. Isaac Newton was a rare genius who lived a long time ago, but Boerst describes him as a lonely, sad, and misunderstood child. The latter most kids can relate to their own lives. Unfortunately, unmodified quotes distance the man, when they are meant to reveal him. Overall, this would be a good book to begin to deepen a student’s cursory understanding of the life and times of Isaac Newton, but with no prior knowledge, it may be hard to follow.… (mere)
 
Markeret
L_Fields | Feb 4, 2013 |
A very good and surprisingly detailed (though still basically just an overview) look at one of the most important astronomers of history. It goes through Tycho Brahe's entire life, also including sections explaining about the different instruments astronomers used around that time.

The amount of information is just right for a person mildly interested in Tycho Brahe or the history of astronomer, but it might be lacking if you're hardcore.
½
 
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BrynDahlquis | May 6, 2012 |
This is an excellent children's biography of Edgar Rice Burroughs. A quick, fun read that informs about his life and writings. It also introduces the many worlds of ERB to new readers, though it is Tarzan-centric. However, even though a brief guide, it still tackles the controversies and complaints about ERB, which some others prefer to simply avoid. This book is a welcome part of the World Authors set and ERb is worthy of the study as he remains one of the bestselling authors in modern times.
 
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kurvanas | Jun 7, 2008 |

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Statistikker

Værker
9
Medlemmer
148
Popularitet
#140,180
Vurdering
½ 3.5
Anmeldelser
4
ISBN
15

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