From School Library Journal
Grade 5–8—George and Annie, the middle-school cosmologists in the Hawkings' George's Secret Key to the Universe (S & S, 2007), return in a sequel that, if not spellbinding, will please fans of the first book. Annie's scientist dad, Eric, is called from the UK to America to oversee a robot probe bound for Mars. Soon after, Annie invites George to visit and join her on a "cosmic mission." When he arrives, she shows him a coded message she thinks may have come from aliens, which she found on her father's broken super-laptop Cosmos. It suggests that if they can't crack the code, Earth will be destroyed. With the help of Emmett, a super-geek genius, they repair Cosmos and can once again travel the planets and stars. Meanwhile, Eric's robot probe arrives on Mars and behaves bizarrely. Brief essays on cosmology interspersed between the chapters expand on the topics Annie, George, and Eric mention, plus color photos of heavenly phenomena. Fun cartoon drawings throughout carry along the unsubtle tale whose message seems to be "Wow! Isn't science great?"—Walter Minkel, Austin Public Library, TX END
Product Description
George is heartbroken when his friend Annie tells him that she's moving to the United States. Her father, Eric, has gotten a job searching for signs of life in the universe. Before they go, Eric gives George a gift: The User's Guide to the Universe, with all the information George could ever need for a cosmic journey. And George is going to need it. When Annie believes that she's being contacted by aliens with an urgent message, George joins her in the United States. Before long, George, Annie, Cosmos (Eric and Annie's super-intelligent computer), and Annie's irritating cousin Emmett are off on a cosmic treasure hunt through outer space to save the Earth. This second science-filled adventure includes essays written by leading scientists about the universe and space travel, culminating with Professor Hawking's essay "How to Travel Across the Universe Using Just Your Mind." The book is packed with illustrations, diagrams, and full-color photos of outer space. Lucy Hawking is a coauthor of George's Secret Key to the Universe and the author of two adult novels. She is a journalist who has written for British newspapers and an administrative staff member of the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge. She has one son. Stephen Hawking is a coauthor of George's Secret Key to the Universe. He is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. He is widely regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Einstein. His adult book A Brief History of Time sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. Simon &
