Oliver's Great Big Universe #3: Evolution Changes Everything!

"Mind-expanding and hilarious! I got smarter reading this!" --Jeff Kinney, author of the international bestselling series Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Science meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid in this original illustrated middle-grade fiction series that blends science with narrative from bestselling author-artist Jorge Cham, the Emmy Award-nominated creator of PBS's Elinor Wonders Why

Oliver needs a new computer because nobody wants to play with him as every move and save takes way too long. To raise money, he has the brilliant idea to write another book and sell it at school. So, he picks a topic he thinks lots of kids will like--animals.

But when he starts to think about it, he wonders where do animals come from, and that leads him to wonder where life comes from and how animals evolve. Subjects range from the origins of life (primordial soup and life in early Earth--mostly scum/bacteria) to small organisms and fish to dinosaurs, of course! Mass extinctions. Cats, dogs, horses and chickens. And oh yes, people!

Along with making his new book, Oliver's also doing chores for neighbors to make money, including odd jobs for the old cat lady down the street, who, as it turns out, is a retired paleontologist. (Not just any paleontologist, but as it's revealed later, a famous one.) As Oliver does chores for her, she fills him in on the history of life on earth.

Meanwhile, Oliver is doing great with his group of friends. But as they all get excited to help him with the book, this causes trouble, leading to a mild breakup of the group which all gets resolved at the end in typical Oliver-esque humorous fashion.

With laugh-out-loud humor and cartoon-style illustrations from bestselling writer and the creator of PHD Comics Jorge Cham, Oliver's Great Big Universe is a STEAM-themed, diary-style series following one kid who's taking on the whole universe--if he can survive middle school first.

More from Oliver's Great Big Universe series:
Oliver's Great Big Universe (#1)
Oliver's Great Big Universe: Volcanoes Are Hot! (#2)

Author: Jorge Cham
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Published: 09/16/2025
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.11h x 5.51w x 0.87d
ISBN: 9781419764066
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2025
School Library Journal 10/01/2025 pg. 55

About the Author
Jorge Cham is the bestselling, Emmy Award-nominated creator of . . . many things: from the celebrated PBS show Elinor Wonders Why to the bestselling nonfiction book for adults We Have No Idea, to the podcast ScienceStuff, to the popular webcomic PHD Comics. He is, without a doubt, an expert on explaining things about the world in interesting and fun ways. He obtained his PhD in robotics from Stanford University and was an instructor and research associate at Caltech from 2003 to 2005. He is originally from Panama and now lives with his family in South Pasadena, CA.