Have you ever wondered from what height you would need to drop a steak for it to be cooked when you hit the ground? There’s a book that can answer questions just like that.

I recently got to reading the book What If? by Randall Munroe, the creator of the webcomic xkcd, a satirical take on science and life questions. I enjoyed how the book took real life outlandish scenarios and used scientific concepts to explain them in detail while still being funny and engaging at the same time. The hypothetical scenarios are submitted by readers. Overall, this book is sure to give you a good laugh while opening your eyes to the great, wide world of science.

One of my favorite hypothetical questions from the book was what would happen if a baseball was pitched at 90 percent of the speed of light. I enjoyed how it gave a step-by-step, detailed explanation of what would happen. I also enjoyed the sarcastic humor, as with the rest of the book. The descriptions also paint a good mental picture of what would happen in the questions, helping to keep the book interesting.

Comics are interspersed between the questions as well, keeping the book engaging by helping to convey the outlandish nature of the questions. They will also keep you laughing as you read, as they will occasionally accompany the text with a sarcastic or witty joke.

The book greatly appealed to my sense of humor, with its sarcasm and dry wit. The book even has the bonus of connected online resources and interactive games. These activities connect to the questions in the book, such as a calculator to see how far you could throw various objects, but come with a humorous twist.

Overall, What If? was a great and entertaining read, and I would recommend that more teens look into reading this book, as well as the other books in the series. These include What If? 2 and How To. Both deal with more hypothetical scenarios, approached with the same sense of humor. Not only is this book a great resource, it also helps you to gain a greater enjoyment of science, but above all, What If? is a hilarious book that you can read anytime.

What If? by Randall Munroe is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.