Weather Detectives, The [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Mark Eubank (Author), Mark A. Hicks (Illustrator)

Book Description

Follow the adventures of Bryan Bronson and his friends Rudy and Olivia as they experience the wonders of the weather. Their journey takes them from a sandstorm on Mars through the earth's atmosphere to survive a hurricane, tornado, flash flood, avalanche, and more. Along the way they see things as strange as snowflakes the size of pizzas and talk to a man who survived a nine-mile fall from an airplane. As they read about these adventures, kids will learn basic facts about the weather and how it works, including information about atmosphere, pressure, sun, clouds, rain, wind, and snow. Experiments include learning about condensation and evaporation, making your own rain gauge, and much more. The book also includes dozens of interesting weather facts and safety tips. Mark Eubank graduated from the University of Utah in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology. For twenty years he owned and operated WeatherBank, Inc., a weather consulting firm. Mark was the weatherman for KUTV for twenty-two years and is currently the weatherman for KSL TV in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mark A. Hicks is an award-winning illustrator who has done work for many books, magazines, advertising firms, puzzles, and games. He lives with his family in Arizona.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6 - Two young weather detectives traveling with an astronaut friend begin their investigations on Mars. After escaping a dust storm by calculating its speed, the group explores assorted weather phenomena on Earth. The three go from Florida, where they learn about cloudbursts and hurricanes, to Alabama to find out about freezing rain. As they crisscross the U.S., they experience the highest and lowest recorded temperatures, huge hailstones, snowflakes as large as pizzas, and the Chinook winds. Tips for surviving tornadoes and hurricanes are included. Simple experiments, activities, and additional facts are set aside in boxed sections. Playful cartoon watercolor-and-pen illustrations, dialogue bubbles, and the enthusiastic writing style add to the fun. There is a table of contents, but no index, thus consigning this accessible book to browsing. - Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Inside Flap

Introduction Chapter 1 Atmosphere and Weather Chapter 2 Water Cycle and Rain Chapter 3 Freezing Rain Chapter 4 Wind Chapter 5 Lightning Chapter 6 Tornadoes Chapter 7 Hail Chapter 8 Northern Lights Chapter 9 Ice Chapter 10 Falling through a Storm Chapter 11 Snow Chapter 12 Chinook Wind Chapter 13 Lake Effect Chapter 14 Temperature Chapter 15 Flash Floods Chapter 16 Sun Chapter 17 Weather Balloons Chapter 18 Legends and Predictions Conclusion

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith, Publisher (April 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586854127
• ISBN-13: 978-1586854126
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,094,693 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what a fun book!, July 19, 2004

By 

Karoline Love (Denver, Co) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weather Detectives, The (Paperback)

I loved this book, my 9 year old son and I did the experiments together and he couldnt wait come home from school and see what we got to do next, this book was well written and makes learning and teaching how weather works fun and interesting for everyone. I loved it so much I bought a copy for his teacher.... This a a must have if you have children!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clue in to "The Weather Detectives", June 6, 2004

By 

K. Walker "chocolate lover" (Woods Cross, Utah USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Weather Detectives, The (Paperback)

I love "The Weather Detectives"!! It has a clever plot--three globe-trotting kids who keep getting caught in extreme storms. The main character, Brian Bronson, reminds me of Encyclopedia Brown or The Great Brain. My children (ages 16,15,13,and 11)enjoyed reading it and my two youngest have especially enjoyed doing the experiments from the book. "The Weather Detectives" is a great tool for helping kids understand how our weather works and what conditions produce certain kinds of weather--like tornados, hurricanes, and thunderstorms--especially when they can do the experiments and make it a hands-on learning experience. I wish we'd had this book when a couple of my kids did weather units in science! The only thing I wonder is: where are these kids' parents and why are they letting them run around the world without supervision?!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that keeps kids coming back to it, February 19, 2010

By 

amazonbuyer - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Weather Detectives, The (Paperback)

We purchased this and many other books for a class project on weather. The other books were very good quality, but this was the favorite. The kids were reading it for pleasure, not just to glean information for the project. The weather project has come and gone and yet the kids keep going back to read this book. It is never in the class bookshelf for long.

When the authors say that "The Weather Detectives" is full of fun filled facts, they are not exaggerating. I'm still hearing the kids discussing various stories that captured their imaginations. The results of the Chinook Wind seemed to fascinate them the most. The Chinook Wind can change the temperature rapidly. In chapter 12 the temperature from 50 degrees below zero to 51 degrees above zero overnight as a result of the snow-eating Chinook. The rapid temperature change causes a tree to explode.

"The Weather Detectives" does an outstanding job of explaining various weather phenomena in a down-to-earth, clear and memorable fashion. The facts are woven into stories that are interesting and well illustrated. This is a book that should be in every classroom and is bound to be a classic.