Welcome to the Future: Robot Friends, Fusion Energy, Pet Dinosaurs, and More!

by Kathryn Hulick, Marcin Wolski (Illustrator)

Overview

Have you ever wondered what the future may look like? In this book, you'll explore 10 ways technology could alter our way of life. The challenge for you is to decide which changes you want for yourself and the world. 

In the future, will we teleport from place to place, keep dinosaurs as pets, or 3D-print our dinner? Will we live on Mars or upload our brains to computers? Could we solve climate change by making all our energy from mini stars we build here on earth? In this book, you'll meet the scientists working to bring science fiction to life and learn how soon we might have amazing new technology. You'll also delve deep into questions about right and wrong. Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. How can we build the best possible future for everyone on Earth?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780711251243
Publisher:	Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Publication date:	11/30/2021
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kathryn Hulick is a freelance writer, editor and former Peace Corps volunteer. She writes regularly for Science News for Students and Muse magazine. She has also published numerous nonfiction books on topics such as video games, artificial intelligence, energy technology and dinosaurs. Hulick’s favorite part of writing about science is getting to speak with researchers in many different fields. Once, she spoke with an expert on parallel universes while he was shoveling snow from his driveway. Another time, she called a biologist who was out in the field in Africa, watching a herd of elephants. In addition to writing, she enjoys hiking, gardening, painting and reading. Hulick lives in Massachusetts with her husband, son and dog.

Marcin Wolski is a graphic designer and illustrator from Sopot, Poland, whose clients include The Economist, Nature, The Guardian and Finance Asia.

Editorial Reviews

“Optimistic”—Kirkus Reviews

"Welcome to the Future is an exciting journey through the technologies of tomorrow, tackling fun questions like "will we live on Mars in homes made of fungus?". The book lays out the possible promises and perils of future tech, encouraging the next generation to consider what is at stake and the role they play in how technologies will impact us in the future."—Kelly Weinersmith,, author of The New York Times best-seller Soonish

"Welcome to the Future is an entertaining exploration of what lies ahead. It's a cool visit to tomorrow from where you are today!"—E. Paul Zehr, PhD, author of Chasing Captain America & Project Superhero

From the Publisher

2021-06-29
Forget personal jet packs, flying cars, and food pills—welcome to a coming world of robot servants, gene splicing, really long life spans, and fusion power.

In what is more a set of speculative thought pieces than specific predictions, Hulick gathers sound-bite quotes from dozens of researchers and embeds them in general ruminations on the directions that new technology seems to be taking us in fields from cybernetics and space colonization to the search for better energy sources. A focus on the positive leads her to mention but downplay troubling issues such as the already-scary hackability of the internet of things and the near possibility (more likely probability) of “designer babies.” She also argues that artificial intelligence will never trump the human sort because it intrinsically lacks “common sense” and lays out a broadly brushed future scenario in which robots will do all the work while people, on universal basic incomes, enjoy a “never-ending vacation.” Sure. She also regards the use of wind and other renewable power sources as just placeholders until atomic fusion becomes practical, and looks to next-generation 3-D printers she calls “maker machines” to feed the world. Wolski’s blocky paintings, more retro than futuristic, add unimaginative images of generic gizmos or human figures of diverse racial presentations playing with a pet robo-dog, strolling among dinosaurs, climbing out of TARDIS-like teleportation booths, posing in lab coats, or rumbling past on a toddler assembly line. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An optimistic if superficial overview of our brave new (technological) world. (Speculative nonfiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews