SATA
ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: THE BIG BOOK OF MYSTERIES
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: Sevenoaks, Kent, England
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Yorkshire, England; married; children: three sons.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Television producer and author.
AVOCATIONS:Sports, cooking, walking, playing the guitar.
AWARDS:Society of Authors/ ALCS Award for Educational Writing, 2013, for Molecule Mayhem.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2012, review of Matter Matters!; December 1, 2017, review of A Day at the Dinosaur Museum; January 15, 2021, review of Kidstory: 50 Children and Young People Who Shook Up the World; June 1, 2023, review of The Big Book of Mysteries.
School Librarian, Winter 2012, Godfrey Hall, review of Molecule Mayhem, p. 232; Spring 2018, Diana Barnes, review of All Aboard the Discovery Express, p. 47.
School Library Journal, March 2021, Darla Salva Cruz, review of Kidstory, p. 110.
Tom Adams
Tom Adams is a children’s author who juggles his time between writing books and making television programmes. He was born in Yorkshire but now lives in Kent with his wife and their three teenage sons. When he’s not at his desk writing, he’s often scribbling ideas for books and TV shows down in his notebook. He likes lots of sports, cooking, walking and playing the guitar but is slowly realising that his children are better than him at most of these things. He dislikes weeding the garden but does it anyway.
Tom Adams
Agent: Megan Carroll
Tom Adams is an award winning television producer and author. He was born in Yorkshire but now lives in Sevenoaks in Kent. As a television producer he has made documentaries on everything from David Livingstone (I presume) to the Berlin Wall, from the Seven Wonders of the World to the Industrial Revolution. He was inspired to turn his hand to writing children’s books once his son, then 5, started asking questions about how the world worked. He now has nine children’s science and technology books to his name including Feel the Force, Molecule Mayhem (winner of the Society of Authors/ ALCS Award for Educational Writing 2013) and All Aboard the Discovery Express.
Adams, Tom and Flintham, Thomas
Molecule Mayhem
Templar, 2012, pp18 + popups & foldouts, 14.99 [pounds sterling]
978 1 84877 292 2
I have always been an advocate of bringing the fun back into science and so I was pleased to be asked to review this book. Produced by Templar, a company known for the innovative approach, the book is packed with lots of practical ideas and facts that will keep young children fascinated for hours. A popup book, it is full of flaps and things to uncover and so could be a problem in a school library where children would have unsupervised access to the many intricate popup models and paper creations. Also it could easily be damaged by over use. Much better as a classroom book as it will not only stimulate children but also provide lots of ideas for teachers of primary science.
Produced in conjunction with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation which has helped create a website www.made2bmadeagain.org, these experiments are easily possible either at school or in the home. As always they should be supervised by adults, who I am sure will enjoy reading the book just as much as their children.
Created by two authors shortlisted for the 2012 Best Picture Books 4-11 Awards, I thought it was a wonderful book and one that I am sure will inspire young scientists everywhere. A terrific piece of work.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 The School Library Association
http://www.sla.org.uk/school-librarian.php
Source Citation
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Hall, Godfrey. "Adams, Tom and Flintham, Thomas: Molecule Mayhem." School Librarian, vol. 60, no. 4, winter 2012, p. 232. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A312290544/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=27bf74ef. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.
Adams, Tom MATTER MATTERS! Templar/Candlewick (Children's Picture Books) $18.99 8, 14 ISBN: 978-0-7636-6096-3
Lots of flaps and the occasional pull-tab or pop-up don't make these swift passes at chemistry any less superficial. The book skims in no particular order over atoms and elements, states of matter (covering only three), water, air, chemical reactions, acids and bases, biochemistry and radioactivity. Each single-topic spread offers a jumble of cartoon figures and shaped or generic flaps--many of which are hinged to provide additional space for such less-than-rigorously-factual observations as "Soap molecules have long tails that love grease. Their heads love water. They clean by surrounding grease blobs and sticking their tails into them." Similar tidbits scattered on and around the flaps and a scanty assortment of other movable parts offer chemistry basics, introductions to a handful of famous scientists and a few easy demonstrations like the messy but tired Mentos-and-diet-soda geyser. Younger flapoholics are unlikely to absorb much of the content, and older lab rats will do better with more systematic surveys. (Informational novelty. 7-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Adams, Tom: MATTER MATTERS!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2012. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A308116966/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bbe0df86. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.
Adams, Tom A DAY AT THE DINOSAUR MUSEUM Candlewick (Children's Informational) $18.99 9, 26 ISBN: 978-0-7636-9687-0
Pop-up dinosaurs, both fossilized and fully fleshed out, join Mesozoic contemporaries in a series of museum displays.
The single-topic spreads are up-to-date but designed to evoke the dusty atmosphere of old-style dinosaur halls (emphasizing this conceit, some are even labeled "Rooms"). They combine cramped blocks of information in smallish type with images of beasts and bones done in a style that resembles the faded naturalism of early-20th-century museum murals--or, in the "Fossil Room," a desktop covered in paleontological notes with paper clips and coffee stains. Occasional inset spinners and attached booklets supply additional dino details. A tab-activated flipbook attempts to demonstrate tectonic drift, but readers have to go fairly slowly to assimilate it all, which blunts the effect. Amid pale silhouettes representing modern museum visitors, the prehistoric creatures, nearly all of which are small and drably colored, rear up individually or parade along in sedate, motley groups until a closing display and mention of genetic engineering promise a possible future with pet velociraptors.
It's got a few quirky bits, but it's lackluster overall. (Informational pop-up picture book. 7-9)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
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"Adams, Tom: A DAY AT THE DINOSAUR MUSEUM." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A516024436/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3a09b86c. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.
Hawkins, Emily and Adams, Tom
All Aboard the Discovery Express
Illustrated by Tom Clohosy-Cole
Wide Eyed Editions, 2017, pp32, 14.99 [pounds sterling]
978 1 84780 989 6
As it might be tricky to find the right place for this book in the library, it could be on display until taken out ... It's the size of a picture book for older readers, and takes the reader back to1937 in suitable style. Professor Pendleton has disappeared from the Discovery Express, and we must follow the clues to find out what has happened to him, along with Pierre, the conductor of the train, and young explorer and adventurer, Nancy in her 1930s school uniform, with hat. The clues are in the flaps that look like luggage labels, and introduce the reader to various codes and ways of disguising information. They are not difficult (they have been tested!), although a pen and paper are useful to work some of them out, but you can just turn over the page and find the answer. Along the way there are other flaps to open and interesting information to absorb about inventions across history, by some female as well as male inventors. (Mary Anderson invented windscreen wipers as early as 1902.) The first double spread, for instance, covers the wheel and its uses from making pottery in 3500 BC, via ancient civilisations moving heavy objects on logs, to the invention of the bicycle in its various forms, and ultimately the escalator.
The hunt takes the reader all over the world, and the production is glossy with good use of a 1930s-style font for the words, and matching illustrations. The appeal to a budding scientist or engineer of either gender is evident, and it is good fun to open the flaps and solve the clues.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 The School Library Association
http://www.sla.org.uk/school-librarian.php
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Barnes, Diana. "Hawkins, Emily and Adams, Tom: All Aboard the Discovery Express." School Librarian, vol. 66, no. 1, spring 2018, p. 47. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A532654325/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0d68a9ce. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.
Adams, Tom KIDSTORY Atheneum (Children's None) $21.99 3, 9 ISBN: 978-1-5344-8515-0
Explore the lives of young people who have changed our world.
Readers will recognize a few names in this collective biography that samples from a range of backgrounds and disciplines, including visual arts, science, activism, drama, and music. The book is divided into five topical sections. Within, each young subject is profiled in a double-page spread that delves into their life and accomplishments. Colorful illustrations are scattered across each spread, often joined by photographs when possible. The diversity in passions is matched by the diversity in geography, time period, and race; several had or have disabilities. Readers will discover contemporaries (Greta Thunberg and Marley Dias) as well as young people who made an impact long ago (Pocahontas and Blaise Pascal). The language throughout is straightforward, and analogies and explanations are written with an age-appropriate tone. For example, when explaining the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in a piece on Dutch environmental activist Boyan Slat, the text relates, “Ocean currents constantly move the waters in the seas around the world. Rubbish gets carried by these currents but ends up gathering together in a few calm spots on the planet, a bit like all the rubbish in your bedroom ending up under your bed”—a simple and child-friendly explanation. Sadly, some facts, such as Pocahontas’ real name, Matoata, are omitted. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.5-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Enjoyable and educational. (timeline, glossary, index) (Collective biography. 9-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Adams, Tom: KIDSTORY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A648127054/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e892e378. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.
ADAMS, Tom. Kidstory: 50 Children and Young People Who Shook Up the World. illus. by Sarah Walsh. 112p. (Stories That Shook Up the World). S. & S./Atheneum. Mar. 2021. Tr $21.99. ISBN 9781534485150.
Gr 4-6--This collection of short biographies highlights the achievements of young people who are changing the world, 'lire design and layout of each profile is reminiscent of a scrapbook. Blocks of text are separated by bright illustrations and photographs. The biographies are organized into categories: "Think & Invent," "Create & Dream," "Hope & Believe," "Lead & Triumph," and "Change & Conquer." The featured children and teens are from various periods of history and from countries all over the world. There are 50 entries and 28 countries represented, including Malawi, Canada, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Brazil, India, Syria, and China. The earliest historical figure profiled is Pocahontas, who was born around 1596. The most recent subject, African American literary activist Marley Dias, was bom in 2005. Some of the people will be familiar (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Emma Watson, Pablo Picasso). Others may be unfamiliar to some, such as Black American artist Skyler Grey, Syrian refugee Mohamad A1 Jounde, and Zambian educational rights activist Thandiwe Chama. A glossary and an index are included. The quick snapshot entries may leave some readers itching to leam more. VERDICT An inspiring compilation of young artists, activists, innovators, inventors, and changemakers. Purchase where Katherine Halligan's Herstory and other biographical anthologies circulate well.--Katharine Gatcomb, Portsmouth P.L., NH
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Cruz, Darla Salva. "ADAMS, Tom. Kidstory: 50 Children and Young People Who Shook Up the World." School Library Journal, vol. 67, no. 3, Mar. 2021, p. 110. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A654790376/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1b31825d. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.
Adams, Tom THE BIG BOOK OF MYSTERIES Nosy Crow (Children's None) $19.99 7, 4 ISBN: 9798887770048
Summary reports on more than 100 unexplained appearances, disappearances, natural phenomena, historical puzzles, and mass delusions.
Loose organization, not to mention the sheer number of entries, makes this heavy reading taken cover to cover but also guarantees there will be something to pique any sort of interest. Leading off with a warning to readers to be skeptical of claims from iffy sources like social media but then loading the unlikelier reaches of what follows with plenty of what-ifs and maybe-so's, Adams pours out reports of sightings or close encounters with UFOs, sea monsters, rains of blood or fish, and ghosts to go with tallies of vanished or never-were places (Atlantis, Hy-Brasil, Veneta), strange artifacts from Nazca Lines to the Voynich manuscript, and more. Cryptids are covered, too--along with Mothman and the Jersey Devil, the author discusses a "Vegetable Man" ("It looked just like a human stick of celery!") in West Virginia. Still, chucking in obvious (in retrospect) hoaxes like Piltdown man, he perceptively observes that the willingness to believe can trump objective reality (one of his more telling cases in point being the way placebo medications sometimes actually work). Imamura mixes diverse human figures into painted representations of creatures fictive or otherwise, atmospheric oddities, and archaeological or geological wonders.
Better for dips than dives but rich fare for fans of the odd and uncanny. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Adams, Tom: THE BIG BOOK OF MYSTERIES." Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A751049886/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=66377642. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.