Penny, The Review Group's reviewer Penny for Your ThoughtsThe Review Group
Children's ✦ Penny’s Take

Secret Science

Dara Ó Briain · 2018
77/100
👍 Worth It

Dara Ó Briain's comedic instincts are perfectly calibrated for this age group — the humor is never forced, and it genuinely lowers the barrier to topics like aerodynamics and cell biology that can feel intimidating in a drier format. The visually rich double-page spreads invite the kind of casual browsing that builds scientific curiosity over time. A few minor factual errors and inconsistent typography stop it just short of excellent, but it is still a strong shelf pick for kids 7 to 12.

✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety95
substance76
craft76
originality74
accuracy72
hype78
age-fit84
human-eye78
Penny’s verdict77
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