Oliver's Great Big Universe #2: Volcanoes Are Hot! - by Jorge Cham (Hardcover)

About the Book

Eleven-year-old Oliver finds his reputation shattered after a cafeteria catastrophe, so he turns to his quirky geoscientist aunt for help and learns about volcanoes to prepare for the school science fair and a chance to dethrone champion Ana Lâia Quintero in hopes of restoring his social status.

Book Synopsis

This is the second entry in the laugh-out-loud illustrated series that Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney called "mind-expanding and hilarious!"

From the bestselling writer and creator of PHD Comics, Jorge Cham, Oliver's Great Big Universe is a diary-style series following an 11-year-old who's taking on the whole universe--if he can survive middle school first.

After writing his first book, eleven-year-old Oliver is kind of a celebrity around school--no big deal. But when he gets caught in a cafeteria catastrophe, he quickly goes from being the "funny science kid" to one of the "Epic Barf Kids," he result of too much explosive cherry pie in the lunchroom.

Oliver is desperate to restore his reputation--and winning the science fair sounds like the perfect way for everyone to forget about the whole barf thing. There's just one obstacle standing in his way: Ana Lía Quintero, who wins the science fair every year.

Luckily, Oliver has the help of his geoscientist aunt, even though she's a little, um, quirky (scratch that: really quirky). If Oliver has any chance of defeating his archnemesis, he'll have to learn all about volcanic burping and bacteria farts, how Earth's layers are basically like boba tea, and how school cliques and the solar system have a lot in common.

Oliver's Great Big Universe series:
Oliver's Great Big Universe (#1)
Oliver's Great Big Universe: Volcanoes Are Hot! (#2)

Review Quotes

***STARRED REVIEW***
"[A]n entertaining overview with vivid real-life comparisons that will make the information stick...Cham's chatty and accessible text and delightful black-and-white drawings bring the ethnically diverse middle school characters and the scientific concepts to life...will hook readers on science."
-- "Kirkus Review"

About the Author

Jorge Cham is the bestselling, Emmy Award-nominated creator of . . . many things: from the hit PBS show Elinor Wonders Why to the hit nonfiction book for adults called We Have No Idea, along with the hit podcast Daniel & Jorge Explain the Universe and the popular webcomic PHD Comics. He is, without a doubt, an expert on explaining things about the world in interesting and fun ways. He obtained his PhD in robotics from Stanford University and was an instructor and research associate at Caltech from 2003 to 2005. He is originally from Panama.