The Awesome Physics in Your City

By The Amazing Theatre of Physics.

Illustrated by Tomáš Kopecký

Reviewed by Lauren Spencer

The Awesome Physics in Your City is part of the ‘Science is all around us’ series and follows on from the first book, The Awesome Physics in Your Home. The STEAM collection originated with the performance group, The Amazing Theatre of Physics, which travels far and wide, performing entertaining live shows and educating audiences through interactive science experiments. The book was inspired by the importance of understanding the world and the laws of nature, and how this understanding can improve the lives of the people who inhabit it.

The book is divided into ten common urban areas, such as construction sites and playgrounds. Each page opens with an illustrated centrepiece by Tomáš Kopecký. The pictures are bright and playful, with entertaining cartoons depicting familiar scenes that explore the physics found in everyday life. There are small sections of information surrounding the picture, with tabs labelled Sound, Light, Electricity, etc., that provide a brief exploration of how the principles of physics are applied in each scenario.

Each section starts with smaller bites of information and moves on to a deeper discovery of the physics components relating to the topic. For example, section three, ‘At the Amusement Park’, discusses the speed of roller coasters, the forces behind bumper cars, and goes into further detail about the different forms of inertia and how it affects us.

The colourful layout in The Awesome Physics in Your City is engaging and easy to read. Along with the labelled tabs, there is a magnet icon that indicates fun experiments you can try at home. The experiments are simple and low risk, which makes them suitable for most school-aged children.

This book is a fantastic resource for teaching the basic principles of STEAM through hidden science, encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving. It includes a glossary of terms and a great list of links to websites and videos that explore more science-based experiments. The Awesome Physics in Your City demonstrates that science is everywhere and an integral part of our everyday lives.

This is a fun, entertaining and informative book for any science lover and would be a perfect addition to any science classroom.

Albatross Media 2025