Newton (What Makes Nature Tick) explains the premise of his slim volume in a single sentence in the introduction:""This book is about the rhythm of time, how that rhythm was finally regulated by ...

A lot of nonfiction for kids in upper elementary and middle school is what I think of as "book report books." They're packed with facts, but not presented in a way that makes them very interesting.

Biological timekeeping : the body's rhythms -- Calendar : different drummers -- Early clocks : home-made beats -- The pendulum clock : the beat of nature -- Successors : ubiquitous timekeeping -- ...