What do you think?
Rate this book
Trailblazers: Stephen Hawking: A Life Beyond Limits
Bring history home and meet some of the world's greatest game changers! Get inspired by the true story of a famous scientist who changed our understanding of physics forever. This biography series is for kids who loved Who Was? and are ready for the next level.
In 1974, Stephen Hawking shook the world of physics. His theory on black holes went against everything the science community accepted as fact. How did he make such revolutionary discoveries? From a childhood spent building model airplanes to recognition as one of the greatest scientists of his time, Stephen's genius and endless curiosity powered his work. Find out how this boy who loved science became one of history's greatest trailblazers!
Trailblazers is a biography series that celebrates the lives of amazing pioneers, past and present, from all over the world. Get inspired by more Neil Armstrong, Jackie Robinson, Jane Goodall, Harriet Tubman, Albert Einstein, Beyoncé, and Simone Biles. What kind of trail will you blaze?
In 1974, Stephen Hawking shook the world of physics. His theory on black holes went against everything the science community accepted as fact. How did he make such revolutionary discoveries? From a childhood spent building model airplanes to recognition as one of the greatest scientists of his time, Stephen's genius and endless curiosity powered his work. Find out how this boy who loved science became one of history's greatest trailblazers!
Trailblazers is a biography series that celebrates the lives of amazing pioneers, past and present, from all over the world. Get inspired by more Neil Armstrong, Jackie Robinson, Jane Goodall, Harriet Tubman, Albert Einstein, Beyoncé, and Simone Biles. What kind of trail will you blaze?
192 pages, Paperback
Published May 5, 2020
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Alex Woolf
301 books45 followersAlex Woolf is a prolific, award-winning author of books for adults and children. In his non-fiction he has written on subjects as diverse as sharks, robots, asteroids, flying reptiles and chocolate. His novels span a range of genres, including crime, mystery, science fiction, historical fiction, steampunk and horror.
Alex is a regular author for Fiction Express, online publishers of interactive stories for schools. Fiction Express is read by more than 150,000 students from 20 countries. Two of his stories have won reader awards. In 2021, he won the prestigious ASE award for his non-fiction book Think Like a Scientist. His horror novel, Soul Shadows, was shortlisted for the Falkirk Red Book Award. Bestselling crime author Peter James described his novel Aldo Moon as “a real delight, witty, ghostly and at times deliciously ghastly”.
Alex is a regular author for Fiction Express, online publishers of interactive stories for schools. Fiction Express is read by more than 150,000 students from 20 countries. Two of his stories have won reader awards. In 2021, he won the prestigious ASE award for his non-fiction book Think Like a Scientist. His horror novel, Soul Shadows, was shortlisted for the Falkirk Red Book Award. Bestselling crime author Peter James described his novel Aldo Moon as “a real delight, witty, ghostly and at times deliciously ghastly”.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 13, 2020
More in-depth than I expected. Hugely inspiring and a great biography of an incredible human being.
Well, hardly anyone will NOT know the name 'Stephen Hawking'. I even checked with my nine-year-old and yes, he knew the name too.
As a film fan, I've seen the Eddie Redmayne portrayal. I've not read A Brief History, though one day I aspire to be brave enough! This copy made its way to me via a publisher, and before I put it in the hands of my son or school's library, I wanted to have a flick.
I ended up reading the entire thing. This isn't a Horrible Histories laugh-a-thon non-fiction. It's serious, though also informal enough to feel approachable.
Taking the usual route of biographies, we hear of Stephen's experiences as a boy after World War Two, his education and lack of academic rigour (hope for us all!), university life and how he came to settle on physics and cosmology as his passions. The topics everyone wants to be covered, are so. His health conditions and how he kept working and raising a family despite everything. His achievements in his field.
It's a full life lived, and a full life is covered. I loved the format too, broken down into subheadings, with quotes from Stephen regularly sprinked, a sense of humour and fun apparent. Changes in font, illustrations and lots of explanations (some of which I followed) made this as accessible as the material is ever going to be for a young readership.
Such a complex topic, but the author doesn't shy away from including mind-expanding and head-scratching concepts. And bravo to him, there will be children out there inspired to learn more, who may grasp this instantly, who see themselves in Stephen or who take comfort from someone achieving against the odds.
Timeline, glossaries, further reading, with names and dates, it's a fully realised biography well laid-out for 8-14 year olds. Excellent job. Taught me quite a lot too.
With thanks to Little Tiger for providing a sample reading copy.
Well, hardly anyone will NOT know the name 'Stephen Hawking'. I even checked with my nine-year-old and yes, he knew the name too.
As a film fan, I've seen the Eddie Redmayne portrayal. I've not read A Brief History, though one day I aspire to be brave enough! This copy made its way to me via a publisher, and before I put it in the hands of my son or school's library, I wanted to have a flick.
I ended up reading the entire thing. This isn't a Horrible Histories laugh-a-thon non-fiction. It's serious, though also informal enough to feel approachable.
Taking the usual route of biographies, we hear of Stephen's experiences as a boy after World War Two, his education and lack of academic rigour (hope for us all!), university life and how he came to settle on physics and cosmology as his passions. The topics everyone wants to be covered, are so. His health conditions and how he kept working and raising a family despite everything. His achievements in his field.
It's a full life lived, and a full life is covered. I loved the format too, broken down into subheadings, with quotes from Stephen regularly sprinked, a sense of humour and fun apparent. Changes in font, illustrations and lots of explanations (some of which I followed) made this as accessible as the material is ever going to be for a young readership.
Such a complex topic, but the author doesn't shy away from including mind-expanding and head-scratching concepts. And bravo to him, there will be children out there inspired to learn more, who may grasp this instantly, who see themselves in Stephen or who take comfort from someone achieving against the odds.
Timeline, glossaries, further reading, with names and dates, it's a fully realised biography well laid-out for 8-14 year olds. Excellent job. Taught me quite a lot too.
With thanks to Little Tiger for providing a sample reading copy.
August 28, 2020
Excellent biography of eminent cosmologist Stephen Hawking, explained clearly for a middle grade and teenage readership. My full review is available on my blog:
http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....
http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....
January 26, 2021
This book tells the life story of this great astronomer from his birth to the end of his days. However, this book is written in a quite simple and understandable language, that curious children could process. I think to enjoy this book, the child needs to know a little bit of physics and be interested in space and black holes. This book not only shares the parts of Stephen’s life but also explains his discoveries, that are quite technical. I really liked the illustrations in this novel, they make the whole book less textbook-like and more enjoyable to read.
As an adult, I really liked the knowledge I was able to gather from this book. Stephen Hawking was a charismatic, funny, and intelligent person, and I respect his bravery and strength. I was very happy and inspired by his inventions and personality, and I think not only children, but adults should familiarise themselves with this incredible person’s life and achievements. Do give this book a go, and hopefully, the next generation can continue his great work. 🙂
As an adult, I really liked the knowledge I was able to gather from this book. Stephen Hawking was a charismatic, funny, and intelligent person, and I respect his bravery and strength. I was very happy and inspired by his inventions and personality, and I think not only children, but adults should familiarise themselves with this incredible person’s life and achievements. Do give this book a go, and hopefully, the next generation can continue his great work. 🙂
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews