They Saw the Future : Oracles, Psychics, Scientists, Great Thinkers, and Pretty Good Guessers [Hardcover]

Kathleen Krull (Author), Kyrsten Brooker (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

Can anyone predict the future?

Meet twelve mind-boggling personalities who seemed to know how. Among them are:

The ancient Maya, who invented a remarkably accurate calendar that gave a date for the end of the world: December 21, 2012.

Leonardo da Vinci, the great artist, who drew detailed sketches of tanks, machine guns, and helicopters...four centuries before they were invented.

Nostradumus, the sixteenth-century French doctor whose amazing predictions included the rise of Adolf Hitler.

Jeane Dixon, a wealthy socialite who, on November 22, 1963, looked into her lunch of eggs florentine and announced, "Something dreadful is going to happen to the president today."

Did they always get it right? How did they know? Were they psychic? Or did they simply combine knowledge, sensitivity, inspiration, and some good old-fashioned luck to see into the unknown? Kathleen Krull and Kyrsten Brooker's entertaining and enlightening book may just hold the answers to these and other fascinating questions.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Is there anyone who can suppress even the tiniest prickle of wonder when hearing of a prediction come true? Anyone whose ears do not perk up when the horoscope is read? Behind a sophisticated sniff of disapproval over psychic hotlines, isn't there just a tinge of curiosity? The idea that someone may be able to predict the future is at once terrifying and thrilling. Since the beginning of time, kings, colonizers, and commoners have sought the wisdom of special people who claimed to see into the future. Astrologers, oracles, numerologists, scientists, writers, artists, healers... are they true prophets or just astute observers of human nature? This fascinating book explores the lives of 12 visionaries, from 700 B.C. to the present, including Hildegard, Black Elk, Nostradamus, Jules Verne, and Jeane Dixon. Offering just a few tantalizing tidbits about each, award-winning author Kathleen Krull asks more questions than she answers. What is to be made of these predictions, when a portion are eerily correct, others close but not quite accurate, and the rest wildly untrue? Readers of all ages will devour this rich, gorgeously illustrated book and its provocative hints at powers beyond this world. (Ages 10 to 14) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Krull follows her witty series of cameo biographies (e.g., Lives of the Presidents) with another engrossing volume, this one devoted to 12 individuals who envisioned the future, sometimes with startling accuracy. Subjects run from the oracles of ancient Greece to Leonardo da Vinci and Nostradamus, from the medieval prioress Hildegard of Bingen to Marshall McLuhan. Krull's style is as compelling as her material; she re-creates the locale and era of each subject, often using a second-person address to situate readers directly within the culture. Remaining healthily skeptical throughout, Krull chronicles both the seers' hits (e.g., Jeane Dixon's vision of JFK's assassination) and their misses (Dixon said China would start WW III in 1958). And she raises intriguing questions: "Did [Jules] Verne really see the future, or were his fictional descriptions so detailed that people used them as blueprints?" Brooker's (Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street) pensive, mixed-media portraits may not possess the cheeky insight of Kathryn Hewitt's work for the Lives books, but they cast an appropriately dreamy, otherworldly mood. A safe prediction: readers won't be able to tear themselves away. Ages 10-14. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689812957
• ISBN-13: 978-0689812958
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,420,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

KATHLEEN KRULL is well known for her innovative, award-winning nonfiction for young readers, which includes the successful Lives of... series. Kathleen Krull lives in San Diego, CA. Visit her at www.kathleenkrull.com AND http://facebook.com/kathleen.krull

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Skillfully written by Kathleen Krull, April 4, 2000

By 

blue (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Saw the Future : Oracles, Psychics, Scientists, Great Thinkers, and Pretty Good Guessers (Hardcover)

How many times have we been scared, fascinated, or just plain amazed by psychics and people who seemed to see the future and predict what was going to happen? Kathleen Krull, the writer of the great "Lives of..." series, outlines the subject perfectly clearly with this book, which goes over events that date as far back as Ancient Greece and as recent as the present, that seemed to do with mysticism and people who seemed to see life through a crystal ball, and it's easy to get intrigued by, or at least interested in. This book is highly recommended for anyone, from kids who want to have their parents read to them or adults. Even those who aren't interested in the psychic arts will love it. I guarantee!

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and informative (with neat illustrations!), September 15, 2011

By 

Barbara B. (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Saw the Future : Oracles, Psychics, Scientists, Great Thinkers, and Pretty Good Guessers (Hardcover)

I have to admit that part of the reason I love Kathleen Krull's books is that she chooses great artists to do the illustrations. In her "Lives of ..." series, Kathryn Hewitt does the honors but in this one Kyrsten Brooker shows an equal skill, with a touch of whimsy and color that is thoroughly delightful.

Of course, the content is the major drawing card of this book and I have to admit it is very very good -- planty of good solid info on people through history who seemed to be able to "see the future." Krull is open minded about the subject, never trying to convince the reader that these seers were actually seeing the future or merely making guesses, etc. Her historic and biographic information appears to be accurate (I'm familiar with a couple of the topics and those were 'spot on.') yet she doesn't overload us with a ton of boring facts. As in all her books, she makes sure women are included in the list of subjects.

I know this book is supposed to be for young readers, but they would have to be quite smart young people -- Krull NEVER talks down to them. In fact, as one other reviewer mentioned, this is a great book for adults who want an entertaining overview of the lives of these interesting people!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adults will even like!, March 30, 2009

By 

Abstractia (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Saw the Future : Oracles, Psychics, Scientists, Great Thinkers, and Pretty Good Guessers (Hardcover)

As an adult, I have a short attention span and don't have time for reading books over 100 pages. So when this book was on sale at my local library, I picked it up knowing I could easily read 10 pages at a time (about each chapter length), still get the facts and not take weeks to finish the book (as I have about 7 "started" already.)
I rated it 4 rather than 5 only because it's a juvenile category book, but small children may not be able to understand it (under 5 yrs of age).
A great intro to things "metaphyscial" or "psychic" without being branded as such. Enough to pique one's curiousity about studying more of each person. I learned of a few seer's I hadn't know of before also! Cute illustrations as well.