Following up on the New York Times bestselling Atlas Obscura Explorer's Guide for the World's Most Adventurous Kid, with more than 200,000 copies in print, here is a globe-spanning history of invention like no other. This illustrated and STEM-oriented exploration of the planet’s 50 most interesting inventions and scientific discoveries sends middle-grade readers on an unforgettable trip around the planet and across time.
Each spread focuses on a world-changing technology and how it led to or influenced the tech or discovery on the next page. Starting with the very first invention, fire, readers will spelunk the Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa for evidence of humankind’s earliest control of flames, then learn how fire is necessary to create another essential tech: glass, including the modern-day glass bridge in Zhangjiajie, China, that offers a crystal-clear (and terrifying!) view of the chasm 1,300 feet below.
As you gaze at comets through telescopes, create unbreakable codes, zap space garbage with lasers, and break supersonic records in the world’s fastest car, gorgeously illustrated scenes will transport readers across continents and centuries into a world of wonder and discovery.
- Books
- Middle Grade Non-Fiction
- The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World
The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World
Author(s)
Publisher
Genre(s)
Age Range
8+
Release Date
August 12, 2025
ISBN
978-1523516889
Buy This Book
The team behind the bestselling Atlas Obscura presents a kids’ illustrated STEM-oriented exploration of the world’s most interesting technologies, inventions, and scientific discoveries.
Editor reviews
2 reviews
Perfect for Curious Minds
(Updated: June 07, 2026)
Overall rating
5.0
Writing Style
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
5.0
Learning Value
5.0
The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World does a great job explaining major inventions from humankind and enticing readers to be curious. I liked that the book provided a comprehensive overview of humanity's achievements around the world and throughout history. The language was informative, clear, and the tone conversational, making it an interesting read to get absorbed by.
Small features that were a nice touch were telling the longitude and latitude of where the invention took place, a general highlighted word map for visualization, and where the invention can be found today, as well as the status of availability for the public to view them.
The book didn’t try to chart inventions linearly or within branches, but gave a rather circular impression of how one invention inspired another or evolved into something completely different over time.
Overall, this was an interesting and informative read. It would pair great with Susan Wise Bauer’s Story of the World series. Perfect for curious people, trivia, history, engineering, and STEM fans.
Small features that were a nice touch were telling the longitude and latitude of where the invention took place, a general highlighted word map for visualization, and where the invention can be found today, as well as the status of availability for the public to view them.
The book didn’t try to chart inventions linearly or within branches, but gave a rather circular impression of how one invention inspired another or evolved into something completely different over time.
Overall, this was an interesting and informative read. It would pair great with Susan Wise Bauer’s Story of the World series. Perfect for curious people, trivia, history, engineering, and STEM fans.
entertaining and educational look at inventions/sciences
(Updated: June 07, 2026)
Overall rating
5.0
Writing Style
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
5.0
Learning Value
5.0
THE ATLAS OBSCURA EXPLORER'S GUIDE TO INVENTING THE WORLD is a clever middle grade non-fiction book that walks readers through some important historical and modern inventions. For instance, the book covers things like wires, maps, and fire, as well as video games, computers, and AI.
What I loved: This is a great encyclopedia-type read for children who love to know about inventions and the world around them. The story takes these important inventions and describes ways that they are used with lots of cool and interesting facts. Every page is in full color with detailed illustrations to help bring it all to life. There's a lot to learn throughout, and it encourages readers to take a look at world around and consider all the inventions that compose it.
While the pages are not all-encompassing, it can give a great starting point plus cool facts, and readers can then find more information on their own. With illustrations and conversational/explanatory tone, this will keep young readers engaged and flipping through to learn about lots of different inventions and sciences.
Final verdict: THE ATLAS OBSCURA EXPLORER'S GUIDE TO INVENTING THE WORLD is an engaging and educational examination of important inventions with lots of interesting facts and colorful illustrations. Recommend for younger middle grade readers.
What I loved: This is a great encyclopedia-type read for children who love to know about inventions and the world around them. The story takes these important inventions and describes ways that they are used with lots of cool and interesting facts. Every page is in full color with detailed illustrations to help bring it all to life. There's a lot to learn throughout, and it encourages readers to take a look at world around and consider all the inventions that compose it.
While the pages are not all-encompassing, it can give a great starting point plus cool facts, and readers can then find more information on their own. With illustrations and conversational/explanatory tone, this will keep young readers engaged and flipping through to learn about lots of different inventions and sciences.
Final verdict: THE ATLAS OBSCURA EXPLORER'S GUIDE TO INVENTING THE WORLD is an engaging and educational examination of important inventions with lots of interesting facts and colorful illustrations. Recommend for younger middle grade readers.
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