Black Holes

In another stellar performance, the creators of The Space Atlas tackle a mystifying phenomenon--black holes, which the kid-tailored narrative descriptively refers to as ""ravenous monsters lurking in secret places"" and ""the ultimate sinks of the cosmos."" Deftly distilled brief blocks of text and captions accompany technically sophisticated photographs and painstakingly detailed, realistic art, while diagrams further clarify the concepts introduced. Using the publisher's trademark visually-oriented format, the authors examine the roles of such luminaries as Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking in piecing together the intricate puzzle explaining the formation, composition and power of black holes. Among the many tantalizing issues raised are a theory that ""wormholes"" or ""tamed"" black holes may provide the key to traveling through time, and the notion that our universe itself is a giant black hole. Notable design features include a double-spread fold-out at the book's midpoint; abundant use of dramatic black backgrounds; and a snazzy jacket with a diecut black hole. Ages 12-up. (May)