ReadItDaddy's First Book of the Week - Week Ending 9th September 2016 - "Pinball Science - Build your Own Pinball Machine" by Ian Graham, Nick Arnold and Owen Davey (Templar Publishing)

Our First Book of the Week this week genuinely took us by surprise. How can you fit a pinball machine into a book?
The answer is inside "Pinball Science - Build your Own Pinball Machine" by Ian Graham, Nick Arnold and Owen Davey.

The book describes all the interesting science-ey type stuff that goes into making sure a pinball machine works in the way it does, examining the science of force, energy and motion to explain the theory behind the (very enjoyable) practical side of building a table.

Of course, the first thing children will want to do is get that pinball table built. The science can wait, there's makin' to do!

We spent a very enjoyable (if slightly fiddly) couple of hours putting together the awesome table from the sturdy card parts and the container that ships with the book. Can you REALLY build your own table? Really? You bet..!

Charlotte sure plays a mean pinball!

It works surprisingly well too. The marble pings around, the flippers work, the awesome spiral chute works as well as the spinning targets and bumpers. We were utterly delighted with how brilliant the finished model is.

Back to the science, and some brilliant diagrams and explanations of how things really work and why...

Fantastic illustrations from Owen Davy help to bring the science to life!

It's a superb and gorgeous book. I've been a Pinball fan for a very long time and loved all the classic Bally / Midway 'movie' tables (probably spent a bit TOO much of my college time playing these in the Student Union Bar).

Forces and gravity are your friends when it comes to pinging a ball around a table

We were quite literally bowled over by this book. What an utterly amazing and fantastic idea!

Wow. This has to be a shoe-in for "most innovative book design of the year" surely?

Charlotte's best bit: Playing pinball and pinging the ball up the spiral chute (trickier than it sounds!)

Daddy's favourite bit: Building the table and reading all the 'cool science' behind pinball machines.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Templar Publishing)

"Pinball Science - Build your own Pinball Machine"

Written by Ian Graham and Nick Arnold

Illustrated by Owen Davy

Published by Templar Publishing

Publication Date: 8th September 2016