The Great Brain Book, The: an Inside Look at the Inside of Your Head HP Newquist; Keith Kasnot and Eric Brace

The anatomy, functions, surgery, care and feeding, historical discovery, and imminent improvements of this complex and powerful organ in an "oh-wow!" package. High interest with just a touch of yuck.

Understanding the brain is one of the biggest challenges facing scientists. We still don't know how the brain creates thoughts! Newquist peels back the layers of the brain to explain what it's made of, how it works, and how to make your brain work for you. From eyeballs to neurons, vivid illustrations show pieces of its complex structure.
The historical chapter details how Egyptians scooped out the brains of mummies, and how phrenology developed. Brain surgery and brain abnormalities are explained, as is the function of sleep and dreams. An informal and intriguing look inside your head.

HP Newquist is the author of more than a dozen books, hundreds of magazine articles, and several film documentaries. His most recent book is Scholastic’s “The Great Brain Book” which the National Science Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Council chose as an outstanding science book for 2006. In order to write “The Great Brain Book,” Mr. Newquist learned everything he could about the brain, even spending several days in a hospital operating room watching brain surgery.

His other books include “Virtual Reality” (also for Scholastic), which incorporated 3-D images and glasses to give young readers an in-depth and entertaining look at the world of modern technology; “Space” written with CNN anchor Lou Dobbs; “The Yahoo! Ultimate Reference To The Web,” a guide to the best websites on the Internet (a Book Of The Month Club Main Selection); “The Way They Play” series, which teaches students how to play music like their favorite musicians; and “The Brain Makers,” a history of man’s quest to create thinking machines. His writing been translated into languages including Japanese, Arabic, Chinese, and even Indonesian.

He has written documentaries and consulted for The Disney Channel and PBS, is a contributor to the Encarta Encyclopedia, and has worked with Universal Studios in creating theme park rides. All of these came about because of Mr. Newquist’s experience as a writer!