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    Hidden Systems

    Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day (A Graphic Novel)

    Author Dan Nott
    Hardcover
    $23.99 US
    RH Childrens Books | Random House Graphic
    6.5"W x 9.38"H x 1.02"D  
    On sale Mar 14, 2023 | 272 Pages | 9780593125366
    Grade 7 & Up
    Reading Level: Lexile GN1320L | Fountas & Pinnell Z
    FOC Feb 13, 2023
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    We use water, electricity, and the internet every day--but how do they actually work? And what’s the plan to keep them running for years to come? This nonfiction science graphic novel takes readers on a journey from how the most essential systems were developed to how they are implemented in our world today and how they will be used in the future.

    What was the first message sent over the internet? How much water does a single person use every day? How was the electric light invented?

    For every utility we use each day, there’s a hidden history--a story of intrigue, drama, humor, and inequity. This graphic novel provides a guided tour through the science of the past--and reveals how the decisions people made while inventing and constructing early technology still affect the way people use it today.

    Full of art, maps, and diagrams, Hidden Systems is a thoughtful, humorous exploration of the history of science and what needs to be done now to change the future.
    Dan Nott is a cartoonist, illustrator, and educator living in Vermont. Dan’s short comics and illustrations for investigative journalism have appeared in The Nib and Spotlight PA and in publications for WBUR and NJ Advance Media, among others. Dan graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies and was the lead writer and cartoonist for its free nationally distributed comic on US government called This Is What Democracy Looks Like. Dan teaches classes on making comics and comics history.  View titles by Dan Nott
    • NOMINEE | 2026
      Washington Evergreen Young Adult Book Award
    • SELECTION
      New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
    • AWARD
      NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
    • AWARD
      National Book Awards
    • SELECTION | 2024
      NSTA-CBC - Outstanding Science Trade Book
    • HONOR | 2023
      NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
    "Hidden Systems is the book I’ll use to teach my kids how the internet works....incredibly readable." —The Verge

    ★ “The true power of comics is on display here, with complex, difficult-to-comprehend structures presented both through a variety of metaphors and by placing those metaphors in context with simplified renditions of their real physical appearance.” —Booklist, starred review

    “Performs a valuable service.”— Kirkus Reviews

    “A necessary introductory approach to everyday systems that briefly interrogates the bias and inequalities imbedded within them.” —Publishers Weekly
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    additional book photo

    About

    We use water, electricity, and the internet every day--but how do they actually work? And what’s the plan to keep them running for years to come? This nonfiction science graphic novel takes readers on a journey from how the most essential systems were developed to how they are implemented in our world today and how they will be used in the future.

    What was the first message sent over the internet? How much water does a single person use every day? How was the electric light invented?

    For every utility we use each day, there’s a hidden history--a story of intrigue, drama, humor, and inequity. This graphic novel provides a guided tour through the science of the past--and reveals how the decisions people made while inventing and constructing early technology still affect the way people use it today.

    Full of art, maps, and diagrams, Hidden Systems is a thoughtful, humorous exploration of the history of science and what needs to be done now to change the future.

    Author

    Dan Nott is a cartoonist, illustrator, and educator living in Vermont. Dan’s short comics and illustrations for investigative journalism have appeared in The Nib and Spotlight PA and in publications for WBUR and NJ Advance Media, among others. Dan graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies and was the lead writer and cartoonist for its free nationally distributed comic on US government called This Is What Democracy Looks Like. Dan teaches classes on making comics and comics history.  View titles by Dan Nott

    Awards

    • NOMINEE | 2026
      Washington Evergreen Young Adult Book Award
    • SELECTION
      New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
    • AWARD
      NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
    • AWARD
      National Book Awards
    • SELECTION | 2024
      NSTA-CBC - Outstanding Science Trade Book
    • HONOR | 2023
      NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children

    Praise

    "Hidden Systems is the book I’ll use to teach my kids how the internet works....incredibly readable." —The Verge

    ★ “The true power of comics is on display here, with complex, difficult-to-comprehend structures presented both through a variety of metaphors and by placing those metaphors in context with simplified renditions of their real physical appearance.” —Booklist, starred review

    “Performs a valuable service.”— Kirkus Reviews

    “A necessary introductory approach to everyday systems that briefly interrogates the bias and inequalities imbedded within them.” —Publishers Weekly

    Photos

    additional book photo
    additional book photo
    additional book photo
    additional book photo

    Additional formats

    • Hidden Systems
      Hidden Systems
      Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day (A Graphic Novel)
      Dan Nott
      $18.99 US
      Paperback
      Mar 14, 2023
    • Hidden Systems
      Hidden Systems
      Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day (A Graphic Novel)
      Dan Nott
      Ebook
      Mar 14, 2023
    • Hidden Systems
      Hidden Systems
      Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day (A Graphic Novel)
      Dan Nott
      $18.99 US
      Paperback
      Mar 14, 2023
    • Hidden Systems
      Hidden Systems
      Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day (A Graphic Novel)
      Dan Nott
      Ebook
      Mar 14, 2023

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