New Releases by John Farndon

It''s the year 1492, the height of the Aztec Empire, and Ten Vulture is learning to become a priest—and a deadly warrior. On his adventures, he has to learn a secret language and rituals and make human sacrifices to the gods. Visit the largest city in the Americas and take part in the ultimate bloodletting ceremony alongside Ten Vulture. You''ll need a courageous heart and a strong stomach!

It''s 1718 and the world goes dark for Jamie Flynn, who''s been snatched from the docks to join Blackbeard''s crew of the fearsome pirates. Join him on board as he learns to fight with a cutlass and pistol, and follow him as he storms a treasure ship and shares in the spoils. You''ll need your sea legs and strong nerves to live like a Caribbean pirate!

At the age of five, Takeshi joins the other youngsters in a samurai''s castle to train as a noble fighter. Join him in action as he fires arrows while riding on horseback and defeats three foes in bare-handed combat. Take on the samurai''s "way of the warrior" lifestyle and it will make you strong—but always remember that honor can be more important than life.

Travel down the Nile and into the heart of an ancient tomb with young Neferu, who is training to mummify a great pharaoh. Look over his shoulder to witness the dog-headed Anubis weighing the heart of a corpse, or the brains being removed and the body wrapped. Unlock the secrets and rituals as you see how to prepare for the afterlife in Ancient Egypt more than three thousand years ago. But make sure to keep safe by using spells from the Book of the Dead!

Without archaeology, ancient cultures would remain a mystery to us. Ancient weapons, treasures, and even human remains await young archaeologists who crack the pages of this truly captivating book. One hundred facts offer an understanding of the study of archaeology as well as some of the amazing discoveries that archaeologists have unearthed. Activities and quizzes keep the reader engaged, while historical photographs and detailed illustrations enhance each fascinating fact. This volume is a perfect introduction to archaeology and a valuable support to the social studies curriculum.

How does a giant cruise ship stay upright? Just how big is an aircraft carrier? How are submarines powered? Join the Stickmen for a close look at how watercrafts work, though be careful—you may get into deep water!

Climb into the cabs of the world''s fastest trucks. They may be big, but these machines can really move! Roar off in the three jet engines of the Shockwave—powered to 376 mph (605 km/h)! Ride in the Banks Sidewinder Dodge Dakota, which set a world record at 217 mph (349 km/h)! Go off-roading in the fastest off-road terrain conqueror, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. Colorful illustrations capture these swift, powerful beasts on the road and off, while interesting text features highlight jet propulsion, turbocharging, and great truck racers past and present.

How do planes stay in the air? What is vertical takeoff? How does a pilot control altitude in a hot-air balloon? Join the Stickmen to find out how mechanisms work. Get an insider''s view of these airborne wonders!

Motorcycles are made for speed—but some get there louder and faster than others! You''ll need your toughest gear to ride the turbo-charged MTT Turbine Superbike Y2K—perhaps the most powerful (and expensive) road bike ever. Blow past speeds of 200 mph (320 km/h) with the Kawasaki Ninja of the Night. Ride the world''s fastest production motorcycle, the Suzuki Hayabusa, and hit 188 to 194 mph (303 to 312 km/h). Hang on tight as detailed illustrations take you on the road, around the track, and across salt flats on these powerful bikes. Get the latest facts on how they reach those extreme speeds—and stay on the road.

Jump behind the wheel of the sleekest, swiftest automobiles, both on and off the race track. Prepare to burn up the tarmac in the Bugatti Veyron—the latest version of the first supercar reaches 269 mph (433 km/h)! Race in the Ultimate Aero, whose carbon-fiber body weighs less than its driver. Get an adrenaline rush in the jet-powered Thrust SSC, it carries the world land speed record of 760.343 mph (1,223.65 km/h)! These streamlined supercars blast off the page in true-to-life illustrations alongside facts about top design technology, such as wind-tunnel testing and scissor doors.

"Original edition copyright 2015 by Hungry Tomato Ltd."--Title page verso.

"Each spread of this high-energy book profiles a different plane and delves into records it has broken, stunts it has performed, and other amazing feats related to its speed"--Provided by publisher.

Join the savvy Stickmen on a fun tour of modern cars and locomotives. See the inner and outer workings of these vehicles. The Stickmen share facts (and jokes), explain functions, and occasionally get doused in oil!

From the ever-curious mind that brought you the bestselling Do You Think You''re Clever? comes a brand-new trip to the far reaches of the intellectual universe, courtesy of even more notoriously provocative Oxbridge interview questions. How would you poison someone without the police finding out? (Medicine, Cambridge) What makes a strong woman? (Theology, Oxford) Instead of politicians, why don''t we let the managers of IKEA run the country? (Social and Political Sciences, Cambridge) How do you organise a successful revolution? (History, Oxford) Whether you''re interested in going to Oxbridge or just want to give your brain a workout, join polymath John Farndon on another exhilarating journey through the twists and turns of thought, and explore just what it means to be genuinely clever – rather than just smart.

How to have a super-smart baby in 50 bite-sized chapters. From pregnancy to toddlerhood, Super Bright Baby: 50 Things You Really Need to Know will help parents nurture their child''s burgeoning mind. Expert author John Farndon recommends strategies--including ways to bond, intelligence--building play and teaching your child to read--that can be used throughout every stage of a baby''s development. With a timeline covering learning and growing milestones, boxes outlining the scientific facts for each topic, and quotes from leading childcare experts, this book is the smart choice for parents who want a great future for their children.

Discover the planets in our solar system and the moons that orbit around them, as well as other amazing features of our solar system, such as asteroids, comets, and meteoroids, in a way that explains and entertains, making non-fiction fun! In this book, students will be taken off to space, to explore Mercury and Venus, stopping off at Earth and our Moon, and then on to Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and the dwarf planet Pluto! Filled with question and answer segments, colorful illustrations, spot and count features, fun facts, and projects, young readers will enjoy this interactive and educational book and its activities. With rich language and eye-popping graphics and treatments, children of all learning styles will connect with this text!

The ultimate photographic guide to the world of rocks and minerals, explaining their formation and classification, and instructing the amateur geologist on how to identify, extract and home-test samples safely.

Explains what stars are and discusses how galaxies are organized.

What happens if I drop an ant? What books are bad for you? What percentage of the world''s water is contained in a cow? The Oxbridge undergraduate interviews are infamous for their unique ways of assessing candidates, and from these peculiar enquiries, professors can tell just how smart you really are. John Farndon has collected together 75 of the most intriguing questions taken from actual admission interviews and gives full answers to each, taking the reader through the fascinating histories, philosophies, sciences and arts that underlie each problem. This is a book for everyone who likes to think they''re clever, or who thinks they''d like to be clever. And cleverness is not just knowing stuff, it''s how laterally, deeply and interestingly you can bend your brain. Guesstimating the population of Croydon, for example, opens a chain of thought from which you can predict the strength of a nuclear bomb ...and that''s just the start of it.

The ancient birthplace of some of the world''s major religions and now a modern nuclear power, India is experiencing spectacular economic growth. In twenty-five years its population will overtake that of China, making it one of the most populous and rapidly-developing countries in the world. We all need to know more about this intriguing country. John Farndon explores the changing face of modern-day India and its fundamental contradictions. The country is leading the world in cutting edge technology and research, but it is also home to 40 per cent of the world''s malnourished children. It is a liberal democracy, yet its political processes are influenced by some of the most conservative religious ideas in the world. The booming economy is at times both global and archaic. Getting to the heart of these inconsistencies, Farndon gives a fascinating insight into the country as it is now and as it will be in the future, and reveals how the changes in India will affect us all.

"Explores and explains physics concepts--including energy, motion, simple machines, gravity, flight, electricity, and magnetism--and provides experiments to aid in understanding physics"--Provided by publisher.

Presents an introduction to the solar system and provides information on the Sun, its planets, and their moons.

This book introduces the fields of astronomy, science, natural history, geography, the earth sciences, history, botany and human biology.

From the extraordinary distance our food can travel to reach our tables to the remarkable benefits of eating avocados, John Farndon shows the amazing, often shocking, truth behind the food we eat. Covering everything from the big businesses that control food production around the world to the dangers of food dyes, this book reveals the complex facts behind the simplest of meals.

Iran’s President Ahmadinejad shocked the world when he described the Holocaust as a myth and called for Israel to be “wiped off the map.” Could Iran build and use nuclear weapons? How would we be affected if Iran cut off oil supplies? Many see Iran as part of the “axis of evil,” and America is not alone in arguing that it presents a huge danger. But is Iran really the rabid Islamic dog that some paint it? Or is it in fact the most prosperous, sophisticated, cultured nation in the Middle East, despite its president’s belligerence? This book gives you the facts and lets you form your own opinion.

How did the Universe begin? Who first measured the distance to a star? What is the mysterious force called dark energy? This title tells the amazing story of astronomy, from the ancient belief that all the planets revolve around Earth to the latest discoveries about how fast the universe is expanding.

What is light and where does it come from? Can light be slowed to a stop? How do scientists plan to make an invisibility cloak? This book explains how scientists realized that all light comes from atoms and how one day they might use light to teleport obje

The small format books in this series cover 1000 topics each, are suitable for family use and ideal for homework projects for Key Stages two and three.

The direct correspondence between image and text and consistent format make these books ideal for the emergent reader and mathematician.