*A copy of this book was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't expect to like this book so much, but Alan Katz is such a great writer! With every turn of a page, you're informed, entertained and grinning widely. His energy is wonderful!

Katz introduces lesser-known inventors who have greatly impacted our lives in a way that is easy to understand, regardless of age. He doesn't make you feel stupid, nor shoves facts in your face. Instead, he relates it back to his life in a humorous way and adds his own commentary.

These are 12 important things in our lives that I didn't really stop to ponder or consider such as windshield wipers, safety belts and microwaves, and to learn the history of such great inventions that have been overshadowed for decades, it's great. I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity to learn, which is something Katz stressed on in this book - always read and never stop learning.

Kids will zip through this excellent middle-grade biography because the author makes the information relevant and relatable. The writing is conversational, the author is totally hilarious (especially when he talks about his own ridiculous inventions or the questions he asks Siri) and there are illustrations, quizzes, fast facts, and activities plus a wealth of fascinating information about each inventor’s life. You’ll read about the inventors of video games, the television remote control, the cell phone, windshield wipers, the first web browser, and the microwave oven. I appreciate that the book includes both men and women inventors! Also of note is that Katz takes us through the process of how each inventor got their idea as well as the final product.

Awesome Achievers in Technology is a collection of short biopics about inventors who are often overlooked: people who invented the windshield wiper, or Scotchguard. I really enjoyed learning about these people, the things they accomplished, and how their inventions changed society. It's interesting and I think kids would find it interesting too. The chapters are packed with information--short enough not to feel as though it dragged, but long enough to include everything you need to know. This would be a great starting off book for kids interested in researching more about a particular inventor or invention.

While the content about the inventors themselves was fantastic, it gets super goofy at the end of each chapter, which I did not enjoy. Katz makes jokes that don't make sense, includes nonsensical stories or activities that vaguely relate to the subject. MAYBE a kid would enjoy this (that's a big maybe), but I felt that was way too over-the-top and didn't come across as genuinely funny. Without those, though, the book is fantastic.

There are many inventors in our world. We usually have no idea who invented everyday things in our life such as “Safeguard” and our current seat belt. This book will tell you the biographies of how they “invented” them. The other inventors included in this book are ones who invented digital or electronic invention. It’s truly fascinating and fun to learn how these inventions came about. Included in this book are illustrations, imagined song lyrics and poems. There are many women inventors in this book, more than usual. I discovered inventions that I had never even thought of or wondered about. I am so glad to have read this book as I learned so much. I appreciate so much more of the technology in the world I live in.

Kids have heard of the big names in Technology: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and, lord knows, Markus Persson (also known as Notch; Minecraft's creator). But have they heard of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the particle physicist who invented the World Wide Web as a way to share information with other scientists? Or Marie Van Brittan Brown, the nurse from Queens who devised the first closed circuit TV system, in conjunction with her engineer husband? Awesome Achievers in Technology is a series of short bios on some of the lesser-heralded names in technology. The book is part biography compilation, part wacky facts and silly stories, and a sprinkling of dad jokes. There are 12 profiles and 13 biographies - Adam Cheyer and Dag Kittlaus, the developers who created Siri, are included together - with black and white illustrations throughout. There are fun asides, including a "Get the couch potato back where he belongs" maze, remote control pop quiz, and wacky poems and stories from Katz's memories.

All in all, a fun addition to biography shelves, and a good way to introduce kids to even more figures in STEM history. Awesome Achievers is going to be an ongoing series, with Awesome Achievers in Science hitting shelves on the same day as Awesome Achievers in Technology.

Display these with David Stabler's Kid series (Kid Scientists, Kid Artists, and others). Good bio compilations are fun to work with in programming, too; start up a scavenger hunt and print up random facts to put around the room for kids to find.

Have you ever heard of Nolan Bushnell, Adam Cheyer, Dag Kittlaus, Nils Bohlin, Roberta Williams, Robert Adler, Mary Anderson, Martin Cooper, Marie Van Brittan Brown, Tim Berners Lee, Shirley Ann Jackson, Percy Spencer, or Patsy Sherman? I hadn’t either before reading this book. But we’ve all been impacted by their inventions – microwave ovens, cell phones, seat belts, Scotchguard, and more. Author Alan Katz has researched these inventors and written their stories in a way that will appeal to older elementary and middle school students. He includes some silliness in his text that will most likely appeal to students in this age-group.

Awesome Achievers in Technology is book one is a new series by Alan Katz. The book includes a pre-view of the second book. I think this would be a great book for an upper elementary or middle school non-fiction section.

I read this book through NetGalley. The book is due out in August. I would not hesitate to add it to my K-12 Christian School library.

I learned a lot by reading this book. I didn't know about most of those people, which made it really interesting - and it didn't hurt that the art was beautiful too.

“Awesome Achievers in Technology” by Alan Katz includes short biographies of people who made advances in technology and thus improved our lives today. The inventions range from video games to windshield wipers, and include both male and female inventors. The book is obviously intended for a young audience. The biographies are long enough to provide facts about each person, yet short enough to avoid tedium. Each biography is followed by silly factoids and math problems or jokes.

I am not sure how the author chose whom to write about. However, I thought some fairly obvious techno-giants were omitted. I also am not sure of the definition of “technology” used in this book, which must be fairly liberal due to the nature of some of the inventions described (such as seatbelts or windshield wipers, lumped in with computer technology and video games). The book seemed to be uneven in scope and quality, probably acceptable if you happen to be a kid looking for short chunks of reading material. It is also the kind of book that might appeal to young boys, with its silliness and oddball facts. Recommended for elementary to middle school grades.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I was disappointed with this book. Some of the chosen achievers were not relatable to how children live today. I can appreciate the effort to highlight some unsung heroes, but I didn’t always seen a connection between youth and these achievers.

Overall the format was clear. The ending felt more rushed than the first people presented. The writing was okay. I think there is potential for children to enjoy, but unsure of relevance.

Stars: ✦✦✦✦✧
So as usual, I'll tell 4.0 things I liked about the book and 1.0 thing I didn't like.

+1 | The concept itself if great. It delves into 12 people who made huge progress in the field of tech, that most people don't know about (I sure didn't - and I study IT!)
+1 | The people in the book were chosen well. All different and unique, yet brilliant in their own way.
+1 | It was short and sweet, definitely not boring, and also will include plenty of pictures.
+/- 1 | It had humor as an element of the book. Personally I didn't like all the additions and I felt like at times it drew the reader away from the main point - but some were hilarious.

Note: review will be published in April on my blog

This book introduces middle grade readers to people in technology who have made amazing progress or inventions:
Nolan Bushnell - cofounder of Atari
Adam Cheyer and Dag Kittlaus - created Siri - you learn the Norwegian original meaning of the name and the person whose actual voice it belonged to
Nils Bohlin - seatbelt
Roberta Williams - Mystery House game
Robert Adler - wireless remote control
Mary Anderson - windshield wiper
Martin Cooper - cell phones and WIFI
Marie Van Brittan Brown - security camera system
Sir Tim Berners-Lee - first Web browser, HTTP etc
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson - AT&T Bell inventor
Percy Spencer - microwave oven
Patsy Sherman - Scotchgard (interesting how the name came about)

I think many of these stories would be interesting to middle schoolers. I am going to have my reader check it out and give me feedback. It is different people than they normally read, and it’s a refreshing list. I’m not sure how the end of these sections will be set in the final book (as I read an uncorrected proof from Net Galley, but the main information is well worth the read). I enjoyed the preview of Scientists as well. Thank you!


Goodreads: skfields

I guess this book is meant more for the Younger audience than my age group, but it was still an enjoyable read.
Kind of informative, and kind of whimsical (especially the notes from the author). And such goofy illustrations.

I give it 4/5 from the perspective of someone in the age group 10-13 because I think they might enjoy it.
Personally, for me it is 3/5.

Thanks to author/publisher/netgalley for an ARC of the book.

While we know all about major companies and its founder , there are so many things are essential to our everyday life that we have never stopped and look up who made it possible. Like the microwave that is essential to everyday life or the fibre optic technologies without which we cannot stay connected.. This book beautifully covers those.

Since this book is for children, i think the author has done an excellent job of covering the important points in a crisp way and not make it like a lesson. If kids are interested they can always find more info themselves.

The sketches and formatting did not come out good in the kindle edition however since its an unedited copy, i am sure it will be ok before final release.

Whenever I get books like this, I start by skimming the table of contents to see if any of the names are any that I recognize. Then I see when i read the book how many of their achievements I know about. This book was no different - of the 12 listed in the table of contents I thought I may have recognized 1 name, but I wasn't entirely sure. Then I read the note from the author that said, "And then there's a giant list of heroic figures that are unknown to most people. Top achievers whose work hasn't been properly celebrated" So maybe it makes sense that I didn't recognize these names upon first inspection. But their achievements I knew all about - Atari, Siri, seat belts, Sierra Online, TV remote, windshield wiper, cell phone, home security system, web browser, fiber optic cables, microwave oven, Scotchguard.

Some of these things I use daily, and still have no idea where they came from or invented them. Well, now I know. Will I remember? We'll see the next time one of their names pops up at trivia. In addition to the information about each inventor, each chapter has some extra details, some fun notes from the author and some illustrations as well. There's also a sneak peak at Awesome Achievers in Science - and wouldn't know you BOTH of the guys mentioned I knew who they were and what they achieved. Guess I'll have to read that one next.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated. This book will be released August 6, 2019 from Perseus Books, Running Press.

This is kind of a cool book of inventors that we often gloss over, even though they are the backs that bigger inventions were created on.

Each of the 12 inventors has a two-three page story about them. We meet Patsy Sherman, who invented Scotchgard. We have Nils Bohlin, who invented the three point seat-belt. We have Mary Anderson who invented the windshield wiper.

And then the author goes off on funny stories, tying in what we just learned with some wild story, such as with Scotchgard, someone who makes sofas that come pre-stained. I didn't find the stories that funny. I think the book would have been fine without them.

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screen-Shot-2019-01-18-at-5.02.52-PM-709x1024.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-4917" />

The pictures are still sketchy, but this is an ARC, so it might be more detailed in the final version.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Book Title: Awesome Achievers in Technology: Super and Strange Facts about 12 Almost Famous History Makers

Note:

1. I read the Uncorrected proof or the Advance Review Copy(ARC). So the review I post here is solely for this version of the book and does not reflect the quality of the future corrected or improvized edition.
2. This review basically highlights the high points of the book as well as the areas which need further nourishment.
3. This book is targeted at Middle-Grade children and falls under the category 'Juvenile-NonFiction'

What is it about?

You have probably heard or even used Apple's AI assistant application popularly known as the 'Siri'. But do you know the brain behind the technology or the person who lent her voice to it?

Henry Ford is considered as the Father of Automobiles and it is a well-known fact. But do we actually know the persons behind the most important safety aspects of any car that whizzes past you on the road? 'Seat belt' and 'Wind Screen Wiper'. Though they constitute a minor part of an automobile, they actually save the lives of over a million people every year.

Their achievements may have gone unheard in this fast-moving world, But thanks to Alan Katz, who made a commendable effort to present us with a compilation of 12 'Awesome Achievers' who have Directly/In-Directly contributed to the betterment of the world we live in today. From the man behind the World Wide Web - the very technology I use to post a review and you use to read it, to the man who made us all become Couch Potatoes by inventing the TV Remote Control, this book lays down the information about 12 such persons and their achievements, the key driving force that led them to invent a solution, and much more.

The Highs:

They say the first impression is the best one and I was really impressed with what the author had to say in the book's preface. Since I'm not allowed to post the exact words without his consent, I'll put it down in my own words.

The way Alan Katz sees, there are 3 types of heroes:

The Fictional Cape-wearing ones, though exciting but not real.
The real-life nation-saving military personnel who deserve the utmost respect.
And then there is this Giant list of Heroic Figures whose crucial achievements have been poorly celebrated.

In the age where we often patronize the reel-life heroes more, I love the fact that he addressed the contributions of the silent achievers and Trailblazers of the world without which some of the technological comforts we enjoy today would cease to exist.

At the end of each chapter, the author presented his very own views/opinions about the achievers which were, most of the time very humorous. I found myself grinning whenever I read his funny suggestions, Crazy ideas, and thoughts. There is definitely this Fun Factor which would allow the child to develop an instant liking to it.

The scope of improvement:

Even though the book is directed at pre-teens, I'd actually like the book to be backed with even more detail about their backstory, the kind of upbringing they had, the numerous failures they incurred during the course of development of the product/technology etc.

I'm not sure whether the Artwork/Illustrations in the book were the rough ones or the actual ones which would later be printed, but they were pretty neat and cute. They could do with a bit of coloring though, but Full Credits to Chris Judge for his superb work.

Please do make a series out of this. I really wish to know about even more 'Awesome Achievers'.

Footnotes:

Although I could've simply just stopped with rating the book, I took time and effort to write this review sheerly because of the author's genuine attempt to educate the younger generation by showing them some of the un-heard but true heroes of the world.

So, When I see an author with such noble intentions, I would go any length to support him and make his voice heard or his work known by the community.