What Would Happen?: Serious Answers to Silly Questions

by Crispin Boyer

Overview

Ever wondered what would happen if some cool or crazy things were possible? Like what would happen if: you got sucked into a black hole; dinosaurs still existed; humans could fly; you could communicate with dolphins; or you could dig a hole through to the center of the Earth?

Get ready to explore all kinds of scenarios that would or could happen if the world was just a slightly different place. Each scenario is examined with real scientific, historical, and cultural facts in mind. This out-of-the-box book encourages readers to cultivate a better understanding of the world as it is – and as it could be!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781426327704
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/11/2017
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

CRISPIN BOYER lives in Xcalak, a small fishing village in Mexico, where he writes about history, wildlife, and technology. He and his wife live on the Caribbean coast with their flock of hens, a turkey, two roosters, and a guard goose. His 2013 cover story forNational Geographic Kids magazine, "Return of the Missing Lynx," won an Eddie Award for Best Single Article, Youth/Teen. The American Library Association chose his Book This or That? as one of 2015's top picks for reluctant young adult readers.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Reality Checked! 6

Feeling Iffy: Getting the Most From What Would Happen? 8

Chapter 1 Your First 10

What if you ate nothing but ice cream? 12

What if you had wings like a bird? 14

What if you never aged? 16

Body Oddities 20

What if you had a prehensile tail? 22

What if you never bathed? 24

Power Up 26

What if you had gills like a fish? 28

Chapter 2 Wonders of the Worlds 30

What if you grew up in outer space? 32

What if scientists discovered life on another planet? 34

What if you owned your own spaceship? 36

What if you were the first person to walk on Mars? 38

Cosmic Errors 40

What if you rode an elevator to space? 42

What if you went skydiving on a planet made of gas? 46

What if you got sucked into a black hole? 48

What if you traveled to the edge of the known universe? 50

Chapter 3 Second $$$ $

What if an asteroid hadn't wiped out the dinosaurs? 54

What if mosquitoes went extinct? 56

Lost and Found 58

What if we could speak with dolphins? 60

The Eyes Have It 62

What if Bigfoot turned out to be real? 66

What if you were raised by wolves? 68

Chapter 4 Time Warped 70

What if Neanderthals never went extinct? 72

What if everyone on Earth spoke the same language? 74

What if you had a time machine? 76

What if Christopher Columbus never landed in the Americas? 78

What if the Louisiana Purchase never happened? 80

What if the South had won the American Civil War? 82

Tasks From the Past 86

Chapter 5 Tech Checked 88

What if the Internet was never invented? 90

What if you took a time machine back in time and met yourself? 92

What if cars drove themselves? 94

Ready for Liftoff 96

What if you had an invisibility cloak? 98

What if machines became as smart as humans? 100

What if you could teleport anywhere you wanted? 104

What if you were bionic? 106

Chapter 6 $$$ $

What if the Earth was flat? 110

Alternate Worlds 112

What if the Earth suddenly stopped rotating? 114

What if the sun suddenly disappeared? 116

What if you dug a hole to the other side of the Earth? 120

Earth Oddities 122

What if global temperatures keep climbing? 124

What if the Earth had rings like Saturn? 126

What if you drained all the world's oceans? 128

Chapter 7 Worst-Case Scenarios 130

What if you forgot your parachute when skydiving? 132

What if the Yellowstone supervolcano had a super-eruption? 134

What if aliens invaded Earth? 136

Doomsday Scenarios 140

What if you stepped in lava? 142

What if you were lost at sea? 144

What if we ran out of fossil fuels? 146

What if you were struck with amnesia? 148

Chapter 8 Reality Chucked 150

What if you were related to royalty? 152

What if everything was free? 154

What if you got caught in a bunch of helium balloons? 156

What if zombies attacked? 158

What if you found buried treasure? 162

What if you could wield the Force? 164

What if you could control your dreams? 166

Happily Ever After 168

Index 170

Photo credits 174

Credits 176