Flick a Switch

Children's Literature

Why does the light go on when you flick a switch? Here's where you can find out—step by step. Follow the switch to find the electrons that pass through the insulated wires in the junction box to the circuit breaker panel to the outside wires to the pole's transformer through distribution lines to the power substation to the transmission substation to the power plant to the turbine and rotor powered by one of many fuels. Each book in this series "traces the path of a science-based act backwards, from its result to its beginning." Spreads explain individual steps in the process, each spread ending with the same question that begins the section on the next step. Sidebars discuss related information including alternating current, direct current, and nuclear power plants. More spreads detail other ancillary subjects like watt-hour meters, alternate energy sources, and power outages. "The Big Picture" is a spread summarizing the whole process. This 48-page, large-format book also includes two pages of facts and figures, a glossary, an index, and sources for more information. Other titles in the "Step Back Science" series include Answer the Phone, Bite into an Apple, and Open a Newspaper. 2004, Blackbirch Press/The Gale Group, Ages 9 up.
—Chris Gill