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We all know them—the sandcastle smashers, the avid piñata bashers, the kids who thrill to watching videos of wrecking balls in action and avalanches. Rather than be concerned about boys and girls who are drawn to destruction, parents, teachers, and other significant adults should encourage their fascination. Because the more curious they become, the more they’ll want to learn about how things blast apart, wear away, topple, shatter, and self-destruct. And they just might grow up to be a scientist or inventor who applies that knowledge to building stronger buildings, designing better products, and making the world a safer place.





A how-things-work look at how things don’t work, Break Down! is aimed at middle-graders who build towers of blocks just to knock them down, get excited about a trip to the junkyard to see a car crusher at work, and wonder why toilets get clogged. Written in a high-energy, kid-friendly style by award-winning science journalist Mara Grunbaum and filled with incredible photos and fun facts, it covers all kinds of things that crash, crumble, and break (including some by design, like bike helmets) as well as colossal disasters, both natural and those due to epic human error (like the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, which took out entire city blocks in Boston, killing 21 people and injuring at least 150 more). While indulging their curiosity about everything from what loggers did before chainsaws to the inner workings of a cracked cell phone screen, kids will get a crash course in the science and technology behind explosions, implosions, crashes, crushes, demolition. and decomposition.



Packed with photos, in-depth explanations, real-life stories, and hands-on activities to captivate kids and help them understand the forces that break things down and explore ways to prevent them.