Sixth-grader Simon Bloom can't believe his luck when he finds a book that enables him to control the laws of physics. By simply reciting the formul...
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May 11, 2008
Jennifer
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Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
What would you do if you could control the laws of Physics?
Simon Bloom is an average eleven-year-old boy that dreams of being able to fly and instantaneously travel to the moon. But as a 6th-grader, he doesn't know anything about the laws of Physics. Nor has he ever noticed the woods at the end of Van Silas Way. And not just any woods. These woods have trees as big as the Redwoods, yet no one seems to notice them. Then one fateful d More...
What would you do if you could control the laws of Physics?
Simon Bloom is an average eleven-year-old boy that dreams of being able to fly and instantaneously travel to the moon. But as a 6th-grader, he doesn't know anything about the laws of Physics. Nor has he ever noticed the woods at the end of Van Silas Way. And not just any woods. These woods have trees as big as the Redwoods, yet no one seems to notice them. Then one fateful d More...
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Jan 19, 2012
Chris
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Well, I couldn't get through this one. I started off loving the wit and attitude of the narrator. Definitely in the Douglas Adams vein of humor. However, my issue with this book was that it read like a half-hearted Harry Potter knock-off. Strange considering it's a book about physics and Potter is about magic. But, the characters here "invoke" "formulae" in a small clearing, atop tree stumps. Simply replace invoke with cast, and formulae with spells and it's another Harry Pot
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Jul 19, 2008
Patrick
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This is a kids book, targeted at about the 10-14 year old crowd, but I think it is going to draw a much larger audience. A series of science lessons rolled into a science fiction/science-fantasy story, it offers an incredibly imaginative perspective on the universe and how it operates. This is the story of Simon Bloom, a sixth grader who finds a book that allows him to control gravity and other physics-based laws of the universe. Adventure, and a good amount of humor, create a well told story
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Apr 04, 2008
Alex
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(3 1/2 stars)
Have you ever seen the inside of a teacher's edition of a school book? Not only does it have the answers to all the question, it also provides more knowledge and material than the regular edition; when Simon Bloom accidentally gets the Teacher's Edition on the Book of Physics, his life is changed profoundly. For this Teacher's Edition actually holds the real secrets of the universe, and gives the reader an understanding of- for example how to manipulate gravity. At fir More...
Have you ever seen the inside of a teacher's edition of a school book? Not only does it have the answers to all the question, it also provides more knowledge and material than the regular edition; when Simon Bloom accidentally gets the Teacher's Edition on the Book of Physics, his life is changed profoundly. For this Teacher's Edition actually holds the real secrets of the universe, and gives the reader an understanding of- for example how to manipulate gravity. At fir More...
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Dec 07, 2008
Eva
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As a child, I was stunned when I first came across the teacher’s edition of one of our elementary school class’s textbooks. Good lord, all the answers were in there! Our teacher didn’t need to know it all off the top of her head after all. Although, knowing Ms. Hernandez, she probably did anyway.
Even more powerful and useful is the tome 6th-grader Simon finds in a mysterious – or rather, it finds him (chooses him, as it turns out) by falling out of a rent in space/time and falling More...
Even more powerful and useful is the tome 6th-grader Simon finds in a mysterious – or rather, it finds him (chooses him, as it turns out) by falling out of a rent in space/time and falling More...
Oct 09, 2011
Nix
rated it:
Simon Bloom, The Gravity Keeper by Michael Reisman details the life of Simon Bloom, who finds an amazing Teacher's Edition of Physics which allows him to control some parts of physics. He has to protect the Teacher's Edition from falling into the wrong hands - but who are the wrong hands?
This book breaks the fourth wall by having an actual character called the Narrator. The characters visit the Narrator and watch their story play out in real time. I found this fascinating. Not More...
This book breaks the fourth wall by having an actual character called the Narrator. The characters visit the Narrator and watch their story play out in real time. I found this fascinating. Not More...
Jun 17, 2011
natercopia
rated it:
"Knowledge is power." If Reisman did have an intention of using that quote to sum up this book, I totally believed it. How I wish I could have Simon's third ability to master the space-time formula to go back to school and not give up on 'science'. This is the reason why fiction is so awesome.
Superheroes don't need to get bitten by insects/animals, get chosen 'to be the one' by some alien/god being or a born-mutant. Understanding the basics rule of science, learning and maste More...
Superheroes don't need to get bitten by insects/animals, get chosen 'to be the one' by some alien/god being or a born-mutant. Understanding the basics rule of science, learning and maste More...
May 27, 2011
Sássára
rated it:
Imaginemos um mundo normal: levantamo-nos, vamos à escola, trabalhamos, estamos com a nossa família, voltamos a deitar-nos. E, à nossa volta, continuam a existir aquelas pessoas capazes de fazer algo importante para a História da Humanidade - por exemplo, a descoberta da cura para a SIDA. No entanto, para além deste mundo normal e destas pessoas especiais, existe uma Confederação da qual todos nós somos ignorantes da sua existência. E o que é que ela faz? Controla o Universo.
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Jun 09, 2009
Sandy
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The book itself was actially probably more of a 3.5-star effort considering my usual ranking criteria - pretty entertaining, fun premise, decent enough writing, but a few minor holes and a few instances of over-cheesyness (oh look, yet another author making a tribute to Douglas Adams) that keep it from being distinctly better than average. But I'm rounding up to 4 stars instead of down to 3 on account of the sheer amount of time that my husband and I have spent talking about it. It's a really
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Sep 15, 2009
Robin
rated it: 
Any author who invokes Douglas Adams in the first line of his acknowledgments gets my attention.
One third of the way through, so far, so good. There's some of the usual pre-adolescent friendship traumas, some fun twists on science as we know it, and, much to this reader's great joy, more than a little Daniel Pinkwater-ish-ness (and it's not just the New Jersey setting).
Only two stars because it never really grabbed me, though nothing about it was necessarily bad. There More...
One third of the way through, so far, so good. There's some of the usual pre-adolescent friendship traumas, some fun twists on science as we know it, and, much to this reader's great joy, more than a little Daniel Pinkwater-ish-ness (and it's not just the New Jersey setting).
Only two stars because it never really grabbed me, though nothing about it was necessarily bad. There More...
Aug 18, 2008
Heather
rated it:
6th-grader Simon Bloom unexpectedly gets the Book of Physics, a uniquely powerful book which allows him to manipulate the laws of physics to control his surroundings. Unfortunately, he is not the only one who wants the Book. And some are willing to kill to do it. Newton's Laws and some space-time theory are thrown in, but in such a way that they enhance the story instead of feeling pedantic. Very well done and enjoyable.
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Aug 13, 2008
The Library Lady
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I am not a physics fan--I took a class in high school that probably traumatized me for life when it comes to the subject. But here, physics seemed almost FUN!
Fast moving, characters that are just quirky enough AND a chance to beat the bullies at dodge ball. All in all, a winner.
Fast moving, characters that are just quirky enough AND a chance to beat the bullies at dodge ball. All in all, a winner.
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Jul 09, 2008
Connie
rated it:
I really liked the way the author started with the real laws of physics and sort of bent them to turn them in to super powers. I definitely will read the sequel.
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Apr 29, 2008
Bill
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I liked the action, but the scientific explanations were a bit too...well...scientific!? This will make a great movie and probably a great graphic novel.
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Feb 15, 2010
Jonathan
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 06, 2008
Shelly
rated it:
Interesting twist on science fiction/fantasy. Loved how the story was written with the narrator included.
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Feb 22, 2010
Evelyn
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Interesting book, very creative use of science. I found the "Narrator" business quite an amusing way to break the third wall, and the main characters were the kind of people it is easy to cheer for. Some of the side characters were one-dimensional, but the hooded figure (not using her name, because I don't want to mark this review as having spoilers) felt genuine. It kind of reminded me of James Dashner's The Thirteenth Reality series given that both are whimsical and blur the line
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Jun 17, 2008
Theresa
rated it:
Really liked this one. Narrator was very good and the story was interesting and funny.
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Sep 23, 2008
i give up, i can't say that there was anything wrong with it - I just never got into it.
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Mar 31, 2008
Ryder
rated it:
This book is so good that if you read it, it will be in your top five book list instantly!
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Apr 10, 2010
Jess
rated it:
How do you ignore a book with a title like that? I thought the was a FANTASTIC kids book! Ok, probably more middle school, but I loved it too. Simon finds this book (or rather it finds him) called the Teacher's Edition of Physics. With it, he can control gravity, velocity and other "ity" words that made me glad I didn't take physics. That aside, I loved the characters and thought the book itself was super funny. Definitely recommend it to 10+. Any younger than that and they might
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May 08, 2011
Madigan
rated it:
Simon Bloom's life is turned upside-down when he discovers the "Teacher's Edition" of his classroom physics textbook, which magically gives him power over the laws of physics. He manipulates gravity and friction, allowing him to float, fly, zoom or slow down. After accidentally eavesdropping on a group of excessively silly senior wizards sporting wacky psuedo-medieval names, he finds himself unavoidably caught up in the action.
The evil Sirabetta is able to control several dif More...
The evil Sirabetta is able to control several dif More...
Jan 15, 2009
Jessica
rated it:
A way to introduce kids to science fiction. The author lists The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy as one of his greatest inspirations. Now having read Guide, I can see how this book tried to mimic the spastic writing style found in the Guide. While Gravity Keeper is OK, and I think the 11-12 year old crowd would enjoy it, I thought it was trying too hard, and never fully explained why we should care so much about this world he created. Still amusing in some parts.
Jan 08, 2009
Annie
rated it:
This is a book that is actual science fiction. No aliens, no space travel, though there is some time travel, but overall, it's a bit off because the physics knowledge and interest necessary to stay interested in this book is not taught below a sixth grade level, but that's the age of the protagonist. Oh well. You can't win them all. It was interesting enough for a sciency kid who either doesn't mind reading about younger kids.
Mar 20, 2009
Monica
rated it:
I liked how science laws and principles were integrated into this junior fiction story. I think it would have been better if it was made a little shorter. There was too much in the middle with the kids trying out the same formulas over and over to get out of trouble. The names were a bit confusing. I loved the sparrow character though! He cracked me up, especially as voiced by the reader in the audio version.
Nov 27, 2008
Catherine
rated it:
One of those spoofy sci-fi books, but it's packed with action, and its not-of-this-world elements are creative and compellingly developed. I think the Artemis Fowl crowd might latch onto it. Simon's favorite book, btw, is "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy". A lot of kids may not be old enough to appreciate the reference (although maybe they would if they've seen the movie), but I thought it was a great touch.
Jun 25, 2010
Josh
rated it:
What is most enjoyable about this book is the extra comments and the writing style. The story itself is also interesting involving much breaking through the fourth wall. The concept (a little boy finds a teachers edition of physics which actually allows him to rewrite the laws of physics in the real world) is also very well executed and an intriguing concept. Highly enjoyable.
Jan 21, 2012
Taryn
rated it:
Simon Bloom was an action packed book. There were many "battle" scenes with things exploding, bursting into flames and flying through the air. The scientific parts of the books would be hard for many students to follow. Looking past that, it would be a great book for both boys and girls at a 5th or higher reading level.
Mar 30, 2011
Jen
rated it:
Ty has to read 2 Sasquatch Award books this year. This is one he chose. It looked interesting so i decided to read it with him. It is pretty good so far. Ty is 3 chapters in and is loving it so far, which is saying a lot from him and reading. :)
I finished this book. They did a good job of breaking down the physics so that even I could understand. :) There is a lot of action is this book and they do a pretty good job of keeping it exciting.
I finished this book. They did a good job of breaking down the physics so that even I could understand. :) There is a lot of action is this book and they do a pretty good job of keeping it exciting.
