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Magic Up Your Sleeve: Amazing Illusions, Tricks, and Science Facts You'll Never Believe
The world of science is often described as magical — but is magic itself scientific? You bet! Award-winning author Helaine Becker teams up with illustrator Claudia Dávila once again to unleash her special brand of humor and facts on young readers. This time around, the duo reveals the science hidden in magic tricks! Becker uses dozens of activities to show how the world of magic manipulates simple scientific principles of illusion and perception to leave audiences baffled. Each activity has been tested, and is clearly explained and designed to provide quick results using a handful of common household materials. A "What’s Going On?" feature accompanies each activity, so whether kids are mystified by a bouncing apple, spun about by an incredible optical illusion, or making spaghetti mysteriously come alive, they always know the science that's at work behind each trick. Whether a science nut or a casual observer looking for amazement, readers find that Magic Up Your Sleeve does the trick.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published March 16, 2010
16 people want to read
About the author
Helaine Becker
98 books78 followersHelaine Becker has written over 70 books, including the #1 National bestseller, A Porcupine in a Pine Tree,and its sequel, Dashing through the Snow, Sloth at the Zoom, Dirk Daring, Secret Agent, the Looney Bay All-Stars chapter book series, non-fiction including Counting on Katherine, Worms for Breakfast and Zoobots (all Junior Library Guild Selections), Monster Science, You Can Read, Lines Bars and Circles, and Boredom Blasters, plus many picture books and young adult novels. She also writes for children’s magazines and for children's television. Her show Dr. Greenie's Mad Lab was a finalist at MIP.com Junior in Cannes.
She has won the Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing for Children twice,once for The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea and once for The Insecto-Files, and the Picture Book of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for A Porcupine in a Pine Tree. She has also won three Silver Birch awards and a Red Cedar award.
Helaine Becker holds U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She attended high school in New York, university in North Carolina (Go Blue Devils!!!!) and now lives in Toronto with her husband and dog, Ella. She has two really handsome sons.
She has won the Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing for Children twice,once for The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea and once for The Insecto-Files, and the Picture Book of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for A Porcupine in a Pine Tree. She has also won three Silver Birch awards and a Red Cedar award.
Helaine Becker holds U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She attended high school in New York, university in North Carolina (Go Blue Devils!!!!) and now lives in Toronto with her husband and dog, Ella. She has two really handsome sons.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 22, 2019
I would use this book for grades 3-5 and even older grades as well.
This is an informational text.
This is a book that displays science in the form of different experiments and illusions. As a result of reading the book , I would have students do their own research and find an illusion or trick that demonstrates a science concept such as something related to physics and force of motion or chemical properties, etc.
I could also utilize this book to teach about math. I would create different math problems based off of the activities resulting from the book such as: Susie shared her experiment with 1/3 of the class which 1/2 of the section she shared it with participated in the experiment. What fraction of the class actually participated in her experiment. I would create more problems like this so the students could do a full activity based off of it.
This was a wow book to me because these were the types of experiments and illusions I saw as a kid that really drew me in to loving science. They are so much fun and I was able to not only form bonds with my teachers and students over doing them, but also learn a lot about different science concepts that have definitely stuck with me. I would love to pass that love of science down to my students, and this is a great way to initiate it!
This is an informational text.
This is a book that displays science in the form of different experiments and illusions. As a result of reading the book , I would have students do their own research and find an illusion or trick that demonstrates a science concept such as something related to physics and force of motion or chemical properties, etc.
I could also utilize this book to teach about math. I would create different math problems based off of the activities resulting from the book such as: Susie shared her experiment with 1/3 of the class which 1/2 of the section she shared it with participated in the experiment. What fraction of the class actually participated in her experiment. I would create more problems like this so the students could do a full activity based off of it.
This was a wow book to me because these were the types of experiments and illusions I saw as a kid that really drew me in to loving science. They are so much fun and I was able to not only form bonds with my teachers and students over doing them, but also learn a lot about different science concepts that have definitely stuck with me. I would love to pass that love of science down to my students, and this is a great way to initiate it!
December 9, 2010
Another fantastic boredom buster book from author Helaine Becker filled with the colorful eye-catching illustrations of Claudia Davila. Who doesn't like magic tricks, illusions and quirky science facts? I loved books like this when I was a kid and my kids do to.
This book is divided into six sections: Optical Illusions, Read Their Minds, Science Stunners, Math Magic, Show-Stopping Science and Magician's Survival Guide where a kid can prepare a stellar show . The tricks are really cool, like The Levitating Ice Cubes, Flower Power, I've Got Your Number and The Force is With You.
Every time my kids pick up this book they can spend hours doing the tricks. It even inspired my daughter to put on a magic show, replete with the magician's kit--hat, magic wand, cape and table. Not only does the book show you how to do the tricks, but it also explains how or why the tricks work. It equips a kid to wow their friends. As I watch my kids having fun doing the tricks, that is, assembling all the supplies they need (yes, my kitchen table can look messy afterwards!) it relieves me that they are learning and discovering new things, and keeping busy rather than watching TV, which I try to keep to a minimum.
Interspersed throughout the book are fun facts about the topic that makes up the magic trick. For example, for Flower Power, which is a trick that makes flowers grow, there is a fun fact about bamboos, stating that they grow so quickly you can actually hear it getting taller! Certain species can grow as much as 121 cm in one day.
As you can see, kids will learn many new things while having fun doing their tricks. An excellent book for the kid who likes to keep busy doing super fun stuff. Highly recommended!
This book is divided into six sections: Optical Illusions, Read Their Minds, Science Stunners, Math Magic, Show-Stopping Science and Magician's Survival Guide where a kid can prepare a stellar show . The tricks are really cool, like The Levitating Ice Cubes, Flower Power, I've Got Your Number and The Force is With You.
Every time my kids pick up this book they can spend hours doing the tricks. It even inspired my daughter to put on a magic show, replete with the magician's kit--hat, magic wand, cape and table. Not only does the book show you how to do the tricks, but it also explains how or why the tricks work. It equips a kid to wow their friends. As I watch my kids having fun doing the tricks, that is, assembling all the supplies they need (yes, my kitchen table can look messy afterwards!) it relieves me that they are learning and discovering new things, and keeping busy rather than watching TV, which I try to keep to a minimum.
Interspersed throughout the book are fun facts about the topic that makes up the magic trick. For example, for Flower Power, which is a trick that makes flowers grow, there is a fun fact about bamboos, stating that they grow so quickly you can actually hear it getting taller! Certain species can grow as much as 121 cm in one day.
As you can see, kids will learn many new things while having fun doing their tricks. An excellent book for the kid who likes to keep busy doing super fun stuff. Highly recommended!
December 16, 2010
A very clever combination of science and illusion with useful tips and ideas for young magicians.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews