Authors: Robyn Mundell & Stephan Lacast
Published by: Dualmind Publishing
Publication Date October 1st 2016
Genre: YA Scifi/Fantasy
Rating: 5/5 "I loved it!"
Rating: 5/5 "I loved it!"
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle | Amazon
Paperback
Summary from Goodreads:
Fourteen year-old Bernard is full of out of the box ideas—ideas
that nobody appreciates. Not his ultra-rational father, not his classmates, and
definitely not his teacher, who’s fed up waiting for Bernard’s overdue science
project. You’d think with a hotshot quantum physicist for a dad, the assignment
would be easy as “pi”, but with his relationship with his father on rocky
ground, Bernard is under more pressure than a helium atom.
And Bernard’s impulse control flies out the window when he’s stressed. So instead of turning in his project, he moons the class and gets suspended. Now his dad’s got no choice but to bring him to his work. At the Atom Smasher. It’s the chance of a lifetime for Bernard, who knows smashing atoms at the speed of light can—theoretically—make wormholes. How about that for the most mind-bending science project ever? But when he sneaks into the particle accelerator and someone hits the power button, Bernard ends up in the last place he’d ever want to be.
Inside his father’s brain.
And it’s nothing like the spongy grey mass Bernard studied at school. It’s a galaxy, infinite and alive. Like, people live there. A mysterious civilization on the brink of extinction, as unaware of their host as he is of them. But there’s zero time to process this. Bernard’s about to be caught up in an epic war between the two sides of his dad’s brain over their most precious resource:
Mental Energy.
With his father’s life at stake, Bernard must go up against the tyrannical left side of his father’s brain to save the dying, creative right side. But how the heck is he supposed to do that when he’s just a hopelessly right-brained kid himself?
And Bernard’s impulse control flies out the window when he’s stressed. So instead of turning in his project, he moons the class and gets suspended. Now his dad’s got no choice but to bring him to his work. At the Atom Smasher. It’s the chance of a lifetime for Bernard, who knows smashing atoms at the speed of light can—theoretically—make wormholes. How about that for the most mind-bending science project ever? But when he sneaks into the particle accelerator and someone hits the power button, Bernard ends up in the last place he’d ever want to be.
Inside his father’s brain.
And it’s nothing like the spongy grey mass Bernard studied at school. It’s a galaxy, infinite and alive. Like, people live there. A mysterious civilization on the brink of extinction, as unaware of their host as he is of them. But there’s zero time to process this. Bernard’s about to be caught up in an epic war between the two sides of his dad’s brain over their most precious resource:
Mental Energy.
With his father’s life at stake, Bernard must go up against the tyrannical left side of his father’s brain to save the dying, creative right side. But how the heck is he supposed to do that when he’s just a hopelessly right-brained kid himself?
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My Thoughts
From the very beginning, I loved this novel. I loved the concept. I loved the characters. I loved realizing that my students would love this and that it would be a wonderful tie in with teaching about the brain and even theme in literature.
I have honestly been telling all of my friends that they are required to read this book. I even have one committed to doing so! YES!
OK, the first thing that I want to mention is how realistic the characters are. For example, near the beginning of this book, Bernard moons his whole class. I've actually been mooned by a student. Another thing that you come to expect as a teacher is that students often think creatively when we expect them to think more logically. In my two years as a teacher, I have learned not to ask why a student does something. They either won't know or I really don't want to know. Bernard is a perfect example of this aspect of junior high.
As previously stated, I loved the concept of this book and that it can be used to teach theme. In a sentence, the theme could easily be stated as "It is important to use both creative and logical thinking." This theme is blatantly obvious throughout the entire book. Heck, Bernard is on a mission to save Floyd from only thinking logically! I think that this is an important concept for middle school individuals to consider. It is difficult to mature into adulthood while maintaining a healthy level of creative thinking. I love that this book will inspire children to keep that part of their thinking alive.
I strongly urge you to read this book! Please let me know what you think!
Check out a Q&A with the authors, HERE!
My Thoughts
From the very beginning, I loved this novel. I loved the concept. I loved the characters. I loved realizing that my students would love this and that it would be a wonderful tie in with teaching about the brain and even theme in literature.
I have honestly been telling all of my friends that they are required to read this book. I even have one committed to doing so! YES!
OK, the first thing that I want to mention is how realistic the characters are. For example, near the beginning of this book, Bernard moons his whole class. I've actually been mooned by a student. Another thing that you come to expect as a teacher is that students often think creatively when we expect them to think more logically. In my two years as a teacher, I have learned not to ask why a student does something. They either won't know or I really don't want to know. Bernard is a perfect example of this aspect of junior high.
As previously stated, I loved the concept of this book and that it can be used to teach theme. In a sentence, the theme could easily be stated as "It is important to use both creative and logical thinking." This theme is blatantly obvious throughout the entire book. Heck, Bernard is on a mission to save Floyd from only thinking logically! I think that this is an important concept for middle school individuals to consider. It is difficult to mature into adulthood while maintaining a healthy level of creative thinking. I love that this book will inspire children to keep that part of their thinking alive.
I strongly urge you to read this book! Please let me know what you think!
Check out a Q&A with the authors, HERE!
About the Authors
Robyn Mundell is an award winning playwright. A
graduate of New York University, she performed in dozens of plays in New York
and was part of David Mamet’s Atlantic Theater Company. She studied with such
theater legends as Uta Hagen, Lee Strasberg, and Stella Adler.
Robyn wrote and performed in several of her own plays including Pieces of O and Traveling Bowls of Soup, produced by Pulitzer-prize winner Beth Henley. Traveling Bowls of Soup opened at the Met theater to rave reviews and received several Drama-Logue awards. Robyn has since been selling original screenplays and TV pilots to major film companies and networks. She is the daughter of Canadian Nobel laureate Robert A. Mundell, and is married to actor-playwright Raymond J. Barry. Together, they have four children.
Robyn wrote and performed in several of her own plays including Pieces of O and Traveling Bowls of Soup, produced by Pulitzer-prize winner Beth Henley. Traveling Bowls of Soup opened at the Met theater to rave reviews and received several Drama-Logue awards. Robyn has since been selling original screenplays and TV pilots to major film companies and networks. She is the daughter of Canadian Nobel laureate Robert A. Mundell, and is married to actor-playwright Raymond J. Barry. Together, they have four children.
French-Born Stephan Lacast likes to think of himself as a geek, which depending on your dictionary means either “knowledgeable about computers”, or “boring social misfit.” At the age of twelve his idea of fun was building computers and programming, and by fifteen he was a contributor to a computer magazine. A graduate of Paris-Dauphine University, he holds a Bachelor in Economics, a Master in Business Administration, and a Master of Advanced Studies in Information Systems.
After teaching at Dauphine
University, Stephan went on to work as a consultant and engineer for one of the
top ten Information Technology services companies in Europe, before deciding to
leave Paris and move to the United States.
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