Jan's Big Bang (First Novel) - Softcover

"Jan is a lively character and her antics are funny."--Denise Parrott "Canadian Materials "

..".the novels in this series provide good transition material for children who are moving from picture books to novels. Children who read these novels all by themselves will, like the narrators, feel justifiably proud of themselves."--Barbara Novak "London Free Press "

"This book made me feel inspired to try science experiments... I recommend this book...because of the easy reading and the fun story."--Leah Weelaufer (aged 10) "Whig-Standard "

"This enjoyable novel's centreal themes--protecting the environment and the importance of perseverance--are well developed. The book is also quite humourous. The fact that the two budding scientists are girls is another plus, given that the disciplines of math and science are sometimes still considered to be male preserve. Recommended."--Dorothy Golke "Canadian Book Review Annual "

...such books teach young readers new words and they give young readers practice in developing automatic recognition of sight words, needed to help them attain fluency.
Jan and Sarah overcome each obstacle in a way that young readers will find satisfying and have just enough adventures to keep readers turning the pages. Carlos Freire's illustrations support the text with interesting details.--Canadian Childrens Literature

"It is very difficult in this genre to find good books, with good writing and believable characters. Hughes has succeeded admirably... join Jan and Sarah on their adventures. You'll get a big "bang" out of it."--Lethbridge Herald

Jan and her friend Sarah volunteer to be the only third graders to have a project in the school science fair, only to discover it is far more difficult than they expected to come up with an experiment that isn't dangerous and doesn't upset their families. Jan and her friend Sarah volunteer to do a project for the school science fair, only to discover it is far more difficult than they expected to come up with an experiment that isn't dangerous and doesn't upset their families