Becoming Bionic and Other Ways Science Is Making Us Super

May 8, 2023
Camlot delves into real-life technology to explore the “inventions and advancements that can push us past the limits of the bodies we were born with.” Laden with comic book references (“Would you want to regenerate like Wolverine? Fly like Shazam?”), breezy text discusses the way science can augment the human body and its capabilities in sections about “super” parts, flight, sight, strength, brains, and survival. The sections feature a timeline of historic milestones; newsy paragraphs about current science and technology; and examples of emerging developments, including regeneration, invisible clothing, and brain-to-brain telepathy. Camlot occasionally gestures toward ethical questions, especially in sections on mind control and defying death. Wong’s futuristic visuals, which include human figures of various skin tones, appropriately lean on infographic-like styling. The cool factor is high in this eye-opening portrayal of all the ways science is helping humans “become bionic.” A bibliography and glossary conclude. Ages 8–12.

March 15, 2023
A peek at how advances in medicine and technology are turning imaginary superpowers, from flight to telepathy, into realities. Digging deep into pop culture, Camlot strews her breathless if scantily detailed reports on prosthetic body parts, strength-enhancing exoskeletons, personal jet packs, mind-computer interfaces, and immortality with textual references to superheroes widely known or otherwise--from Batman and Wolverine to Captain Canuck, Nelvana of the Northern Lights, and Klaus Hargreeves from TV's Umbrella Academy ("immortal because neither heaven nor hell wants him"). Aside from the name-dropping, she also tucks some stomach-churning descriptions of select feats or medical experiments into her quick summaries of recent projects and products to pump up audience interest. Better, she invites readers to think about ethical issues or consequences of, for instance, being super strong or immortal. Each chapter also features a useful timeline of historical highlights to provide context. Steering clear of potential trademark obligations, Wong adds disappointingly generic figures in capes and costumes to views of scientists and inventors, diverse in terms of skin color, plus occasional cutaway or schematic images. Fascinating but strains harder than necessary to broaden reader appeal. (bibliography, glossary) (Nonfiction. 8-10)

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