WHY SPACE WILL FREAK YOU OUT: THE SCARIEST, STRANGEST PARTS OF THE UNIVERSE, by Kimberly K. Arcand, Megan Watzke, Robert Ball, Sourcebooks Explore, Feb. 10, 2026, Paperback $12.99 (ages 6-10)
Space is wondrous, but it’s also got a creepy side. Find out how in Why Space Will Freak You Out: The Scariest, Strangest Parts of the Universe, by Kimberly K. Arcand, Megan Watzke and Robert Ball.
In this photo-illustrated outer space book by two NASA scientists, readers will have a blast exploring the scary, creepy, horrific parts of the universe. From rotten-egg moons to zombie planets to spaghettification to real-life death stars, they’ll find out just how bonkers space truly is. Open this book if you want to be freaked out just a tad . . . and make sure to read with the lights on!
Topics include:
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- The terrifying two-faced planet (Mercury)
- The stormiest world in the solar system (Jupiter)
- The anti-freeze and fertilizer moon (Titan)
- The saltwater tomb (Enceladus)
- The planet cloaked in darkness (Tres-2B)
- A world being eaten by its own star (Wasp-12B)
- An expanding, exploding brain in space (Eta Carinae)
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—Synopsis provided by Sourcebooks Explore
This highly visual book about space focuses on the more sinister aspects of the universe. Authors Kimberly K. Arcand and Megan Watzke write in a conversational style that plays up the spooky while explaining the science behind it. The text is perhaps a bit too advanced for the publisher’s suggest 6-year-old audience, but if read with a more advanced reader, it’s engaging enough to hold interest. Illustrator Robert Ball gives the universe a bit of personality while staying true to real elements.
Why Space Will Freak You Out is a book kids will immediately want to read. A great title, cover and inside art paired with fascinating facts make it a winner.
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