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    George's Secret Key to the Universe
    George's Secret Key to the Universe
    George's Secret Key to the Universe
    Audiobook5 hours

    George's Secret Key to the Universe

    Written by Stephen Hawking and Lucy Hawking

    Narrated by Hugh Dancy

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Stephen Hawking, author of the multi-million copy bestselling A Brief History of Time, and his daughter Lucy explain the universe to readers of all ages. George's parents, who have always been wary of technology, warn him about their new neighbors: Eric is a scientist and his daughter, Annie, seems to be following in his footsteps. But when George befriends them and Cosmos, their super-computer, he finds himself on a wildly fun adventure, while learning about physics, time, and the universe. With Cosmos's help, he can travel to other planets and a black hole. But what would happen if the wrong people got their hands on Cosmos? George, Annie, and Eric aren't about to find out, and what ensues is a funny adventure that clearly explains the mysteries of science. Garry Parsons' energetic illustrations add humor and interest, and his scientific drawings add clarity; there are also eight 4-page full-color inserts of scientific photos.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateOct 23, 2007
    ISBN9780743571623
    Author

    Stephen Hawking

    Stephen Hawking was a brilliant theoretical physicist and is generally considered to have been one of the world’s greatest thinkers. He held the position of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge for thirty years and is the author of A Brief History of Time, which was an international bestseller. His other books for general readers include A Briefer History of Time, the essay collection Black Holes and Baby Universes, The Universe in a Nutshell, The Grand Design, and Black Holes: The BBC Reith Lectures, as well as the books in the George’s Secret Key series. He died in 2018.

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    Reviews for George's Secret Key to the Universe

    4/5

    190 ratings19 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Really great. Helped me understand all that sciency-stuff I never understood. I hope there will be more of them.
    • 5/5
      Review from my 11-year-old son:This book is the first in a 6-book series. It follows a boy named George, who with his friend Annie, go on secretadventures across the solar system, while preparing George for a school science presentation.Warnings (spoilers): Annie’s dad falls into a black hole, and it seems as if he might have died. George is bullied on his way home from school. On his first cosmic journey, George (and Annie) find themselves in an asteroid storm. (I read this book when I was 8; and I did not have any problems with it.)
    • 4/5
      A great book that combines Sci-Fi with real science! Definitely a good read to teach children the key to the universe.
    • 3/5
      George's Secret Key to the Universe is a kids book that explains astrophysics to kids and gets them excited about science. George lives with his eco-friendly parents who hate science because technology is destroying the earth. To George's great excitement, a new neighbor, Eric, moves in with his daughter, Annie. Eric is a scientist and he owns Cosmos, the world's smartest computer. Cosmos takes George and Annie on journeys through outer space and the reader learns all about the vast reaches of the galaxy. Meanwhile, the evil science teacher at George's school aligns himself with the school bullies to steal Cosmos.

      The story was average, the illustrations were nice, and I like reading about astrophysics, but I am not smart enough to understand it unless it is written for kids, so that was nice.

      I think there should be a sequel where Cosmos takes George and Annie on a journey into the mysteries of the soil and plant growth, so we can all learn about the amazing discoveries in biology. I know it isn't as glamorous as outer space, but it bothered me how earth science was portrayed. George's parents were eco-friendly hippies who wouldn't use any technology and grew their own food. The book made them seem somewhat ignorant and unintelligent because all they knew how to do was grow their own food. Why do astrophysicists get all the glory?
    • 5/5
      I loved this book because it always had me laughing. I liked the authors' writing style because it is necessary to keep young (and old!) readers engaged while presenting these interesting science concepts. I also liked the use of illustrations and text features in this book. Sometimes paragraph form is not the best way to relay information. The authors understood that charts and diagrams are sometimes the best way to showcase information or assist the text. The purpose of this book was to keep students entertained while relaying important scientific topics.
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book because I believe that it was very informational and well-written. Two main things that I enjoyed about this book was the writing and the illustrations. Throughout the novel, the author kept true to his reader's level. The book was written for grades 3-5 and I believe that the language was challenging, yet still appropriate for the readers. Additionally, the author introduces topics that students may have never heard of. Other than discovering just planets, Annie and George come upon black holes. This is great for the readers because it expands their language development and their knowledge about space. Lastly, I enjoyed the illustrations because they were appropriate to the plot. These illustrations were more like photos and they offered an accurate visual aid for the readers to use. For example, if the student did not understand what a black hole looked like, the illustrator provided context through the use of pictures. The overall idea of this book was to describe George and Annie's adventure, while simultaneously teaching children about our universe.
    • 4/5
      A wonderful young adult introduction to the fun of science. A fun read for adults too!
    • 4/5
      A fun read. Would be a great book for children interested in science.
    • 5/5
      This book was recommended by Lucas' 5th grade science teacher. I'm glad I read it. (I used to try to convince myself that I must read his books to be certain they contain nothing objectionable, now I just admit I love kids books) The first few chapters were very slow moving. They set up the characters of the story. George is a child of two organic loving, technology hating "save the Earth" parents. They shun technology to the point where they use candles instead of light bulbs! Eric, the scientist neighbor who loves to teach. Annie, Eric's annoying but lovable daughter. Mr. G. Reeper (known as Greeper to his students) the science teacher in George's school, Greeper is the villain of the story..OK- you knew there had to be a villain, right? And let's not forget COSMOS, the most amazing computer in the universe. COSMOS, a talking computer with an attitude, reminded me of HAL from Space Odyssey, 2001.The book told a story of saving the planet and/or searching for other habitable planets. Should we work together to do both? Can technology be a good thing if used correctly?This book is full of fun scientific information. There are footnotes about the planets, comets, asteroids, matter, black holes and many other astronomical objects. The illustrations that accompany the story are wonderful, courtesy of Garry Parsons. There are several color photos of planets, black holes, comets and other things discussed in the book. Kids learn about astronomy without realizing they are learning! Don't forget to check out the webpage georgessecretkey.com
    • 4/5
      I love it because cosmos opened a door to the universe
    • 3/5
      I was actually a little disappointed with this one, but then, I was being rather naive. Not ever having been brave enough to attempt A brief history of time I think I was looking to see some of Hawking's brilliance through a children's novel. But of course, it wasn't like that at all. In fact, it was too young and the plot too implausible for me to enjoy it properly - I was itching for something more intelligent (which doesn't happen to me very often!).Having said that, the storyline was engagingly written and the characters generally likeable. And as it built towards the climax, I genuinely did want to know what happened. I think that if the book had been aimed at an older audience, with a more plausible plotline, it would have been a really good book. But as it is, I'm not sure I'll be too worried about getting the sequel. Maybe I'll have to get brave in the library some day or see if I can find a suitable e or audio version of Hawking's "real" work...
    • 4/5
      George's Secret Key to the Universe is written at a younger reading level, but I think teens would still enjoy it because it has an interesting story and there are several fascinating and beautiful pictures and facts inserted. Stephen Hawking is a well-known genius and the authority on the theory of black holes, and just the fact that he had input in a children’s novel gives it some instant appeal!George’s parents are very concerned about the environment, so they do not use much electricity in their home, they do not drive cars, and they only eat organic vegetables. George really wants a computer, but his parents refuse to get one for him because they believe technology is destroying the world.George found out that his neighbor owned Cosmos, the most amazing computer in the world. This computer could transport you into outer space, and George learned a lot about the universe, including comets and our solar system. When someone else found out about Cosmos, though, things got dangerous!
    • 5/5
      Formidable ! ce livre explique clairement beaucoup de choses avec un trame d'histoire plutôt bien développée .
    • 4/5
      It changes course of what happens to keep you interested.
    • 4/5
      I bought this for my 6 year old son who has a terrific imagination and loves science. I read a chapter a night to him over the course of a month. He loved the story and the quality time we spent together. The basic idea of the book is a boy, George, makes friends with a girl, Annie, and her scientist father Eric. Eric has created the smartest computer in the world, Cosmos. Cosmos is able to open windows to galaxy where Annie, Eric, and George can explore. During the story they run into the books villian, Dr. Reaper, who steals Cosmos to use it for his own personal gain instead of scientific advancement.I really like how the book incorporates current scientific theories in a manner a young child can be interested in. There were a few points that I wasn't thrilled about, for example, the idea that the villian was a teacher or that Erics parents were anti-technology.However, the book has sparked a tremendous interest in space and science in my son and that alone makes the book worth it.
    • 5/5
      I LOVE this book!
    • 5/5
      This book will teach the budding elementary school aged geek some of the newest theories about black holes. It will teach adults about Stephen Hawking's playful mind and sense of humor. This book was written for those pre-geek second and third graders who read all the astronomy books in the j520 section of the library and then pester their parents, teachers and school librarians about the big bang, black holes, comets and life on other planets. I've done stints in elementary school libraries and there are plenty of these kids. Perhaps some adults may think the story is too young for the science presented -- but I bet these adults haven't worked in school libraries. They don't know about the one "weird kid" who seems to be in almost every second and third grade class in every school in the nation who craves to know the inner workings of the universe and is frustrated that most adults they encounter don't seem to know or care about the questions they have.My cousin and I were those "weird kids" in our classes. We were mad about science and played "Let's Pretend" long after the other kids our age quit. I can totally imagine him and I pretending that we had an amazing computer that zoomed us out into space and allowed us to ride a comet around the solar system. And in reality, I remember us pretending that we were falling into a black hole at some point. When I read this book, I felt as if I were eight years old again. I would have LOVED this book. It would have been next to the "Brown Paper School Book" series that I treasured. I felt like I was snooping in on someone else's "Let's Pretend" game.
    • 4/5
      Follows the adventures of a young boy and his neighbor friend as they travel through a computer portal into outer space, where they explore such mysteries as black holes and the origins of the universe, while trying to evade an evil scientist.
    • 3/5
      George's Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy Hawking, aided and abetted by her father Stephen, is a slightly odd hybrid of textbook and kids' adventure story. George has eco-warrior type parents who regularly take part in protest marches, believe science is dangerous, and - to his frustration - don't allow things like TVs or computers in the house. When mysterious new neighbours move in next door, George discovers a key to an entirely new world of scientific wonder, and ends up being catapulted into adventure.This is a decent enough kids' story, but its tone is slightly oddly placed - it veers between trying for advenure/thriller, but regularly segues into slightly preachy, worthy and patronising asides on how Science is Pure Dead Brilliant So It Is, as well as the occasional fact/textbook like page thrown in for good measure. While I have no problem at all with the message, it was all presented a bit too worthily for my liking - however, I think there's every chance the 6-7 year old me would probably have eaten it up. Be interesting to see how it is received and whether having the Hawking name attached to it makes a significant difference to its reception. This is intended as the first in a trilogy, with presumably the later two books covering other aspects of science (this one is predominantly astronomy/cosmology)(There's a great bit where the whole plot hinges on the revelation that black holes emit Hawking Radiation, and the self-referential smugness of the authors almost makes the book implode in on itself)