A review by jo_king
Zap! by Martha Freeman

4.0

I enjoyed this book, intended for for primary - early middle school readers. It was a easy-to-follow mystery with plenty of information about how power grids and electric circuits work, combined with casual emotional prods such as: "Not having something focused your mind, he thought, like how you think of nothing but food when you're hungry." (p. 41) "It was always true, Luis guessed, but the power outage had made it real: Your world could flip over in an instant." (p. 75) "How was a person supposed to stay brave in a frightening, terrible world?" (p. 179). The author does not shy away from discussing tough subjects such as looting, gang violence, health and racial issues, etc., but does so in matter-of-fact terms that many children appreciate.

I thought the author's choice to use italics to emphasize new concepts rather than the Spanish terms sprinkled throughout was interesting (see https://quartzy.qz.com/1310228/bilingual-authors-are-challenging-the-practice-of-italicizing-non-english-words/ for additional discussion); I especially appreciated the addition of references, appendices, and glossary - as well as practical tips for assembling an emergency kit.