Science – Page 20 – Unleashing Readers

The Book of Heroines: Tales of History’s Gutsiest Gals & The Book of Heroes: Tales of History’s Most Daring Dudes from National Geographic Kids

February 12, 2017February 1, 2017 by Kellee

Nonfiction Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

The Book of Heroines: Tales of History’s Gutsiest Gals
Author: Stephanie Warren Drimmer
Published November 8th, 2016 by National Geographic Children’s Books

The Book of Heroes: Tales of History’s Most Daring Guys
Author: Cristpin Boyer
Published November 8th, 2016 by National Geographic Children’s Books

The Book of Heroines Summary: Everybody needs a role model! Discover true stories of superstars, war heroes, world leaders, gusty gals, and everyday girls who changed the world.

From Sacagawea to Mother Teresa, Annie Oakley to Malala Yousafzai, these famous females hiked up their pants and petticoats or charged full-speed ahead to prove that girls are just as tough as boys…maybe even tougher. Complete with amazing images and a fun design, this is the book that every kid with a goal, hope, or dream will want to own.

The Book of Heroes Summary: Everybody needs a role model! Discover the true stories of superheroes, rebels, world leaders, action heroes, sports legends, and many more daring dudes, all of whom played their part to make their mark, make a contribution, and make the world a better place.

From Abraham Lincoln to Sitting Bull, Stephen Hawking to Galileo, these cool guys had the boldness, bravery, and brains to meet the challenges of their day. With a fun design, engaging text, and high-quality photographs, this is ultimate hero guide and keepsake for 21st century kids .

Review: As I’ve stated over and over, I am so impressed with all the new National Geographic Kids books that I have encountered over the last couple of years. With this text, I specifically found the way that the publisher/authors structure the texts makes them so thematic-based thus accessible and informative. The books also have something for everyone as so many different types of heroines/heroes are featured from scientists, historical heroes, political heroes, and more! I cannot wait to put these in my classroom and find out how to use them with students!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Teachers will find this book irreplaceable! It has so much information to fit into so many different units, connect with so many different texts, and relates to so many parts of history. These texts could also be used as the basis of a inquiry project where students use these texts as previews and they choose a theme or a hero/heroine and complete a research/inquiry project around it or maybe even create a text set around the theme or the person.

Discussion Questions: Which heroine/hero do you think changed history the most?; If you were to take part in an inquiry project about one hero/heroine, who would you like to learn more about?; Why did the author/publisher choose to structure the text in the way they did? What other structures could they have chosen? Which do you feel would have had a bigger impact?

Flagged Passages:

Read This If You Love: Biographies, History, Women’s Rights, Science, Animals, Mythology

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Karen at Media Masters Publicity for providing copies for review!**

Teaching Guide for Red’s Planet: A World Away From Home by Eddie Pittman

November 18, 2016 by Kellee

Red’s Planet: A World Away From Home
Author and Illustrator: Eddie Pittman
Published April 19th, 2016 by Amulet Books

Summary: Red, a quirky, headstrong 10-year-old, longs to live in her own perfect paradise far away from her annoying foster family. But when a UFO mistakenly kidnaps her, Red finds herself farther away than she could have possibly imagined—across the galaxy and aboard an enormous spaceship owned by the Aquilari, an ancient creature with a taste for rare and unusual treasures. Before Red can be discovered as a stowaway, the great ship crashes on a small deserted planet, leaving her marooned with a menagerie of misfit aliens. With her newfound friend, a small gray alien named Tawee, Red must find a way to survive the hostile castaways, evade the ravenous wildlife, and contend with Goose, the planet’s grumpy, felinoid custodian. Surely this can’t be the paradise she’s looking for.

Teaching Guide:

Pittman’s new graphic novel series will be a big hit with adventure and sci-fi lovers!

The teaching guide can also be viewed here.

Recommended For:

Oh, Ick!: 114 Science Experiments Guaranteed to Gross You Out! by Joy Masoff

November 16, 2016 by Kellee

Nonfiction Wednesday

Oh, Ick!: 114 Science Experiments Guaranteed to Gross You Out
Author: Joy Masoff with Jessica Garrett and Ben Ligon
Published November 1st, 2016 by Workman Publishing Company

Summary: From the bestselling author of Oh, Yuck! and Oh, Yikes! here is an A-Z compendium of hands-on grossness.

Featuring 114 interactive experiments and ick-tivities, Oh, Ick!delves into the science behind everything disgusting.

Stage an Ooze Olympics to demonstrate viscosity and the nature of slime. Observe how fungi grow by making a Mold Zoo. Embark on an Insect Safari to get to know the creepy crawlies around your home. And learn what causes that embarrassing acne on your face by baking a Pimple Cake to pop—and eat. Eww!

Review: I always struggled with science, but I think if I had done more science experiments, putting the facts and information that I couldn’t memorize into practice, I would have been able to understand the concepts and information better. Books like Oh, Ick! and its companions Oh, Yuck! and Oh, Yikes! make science interesting thus helping kids put science into action and moving the information from short term to long term!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I would love to see some of these icky experiments used in the classroom! Although the experiments are alphabetical by topic, the index gives teachers the ability to search for what they need. Want to teach about B cells and scabs, why not do “Spaghetti Scab Dinner?” Sound waves? Why not try “Sick Sounds?”

Flagged Passages:

Read This If You Loved: Gross and interesting science experiments

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Estelle from Workman Publishing for providing a copy for review!**

Teaching Guide for Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

October 21, 2016 by Kellee

Ada Twist, Scientist
Author: Andrea Beaty
Illustrator: David Roberts
Published September 6th, 2016 by Abrams Books for Young Readers

Summary: The creators of the New York Times bestselling picture books Rosie Revere, Engineer and Iggy Peck, Architect are back with a story about the power of curiosity in the hands of a child who is on a mission to use science to understand her world. Ada Twist, Scientist, from powerhouse team Andrea Beaty and David Roberts, is a celebration of STEM, perseverance, and passion.

Like her classmates, builder Iggy and inventor Rosie, scientist Ada, a character of color, has a boundless imagination and has always been hopelessly curious. Why are there pointy things stuck to a rose? Why are there hairs growing inside your nose? When her house fills with a horrific, toe-curling smell, Ada knows it’s up to her to find the source. Not afraid of failure, she embarks on a fact-finding mission and conducts scientific experiments, all in the name of discovery. But, this time, her experiments lead to even more stink and get her into trouble!

Inspired by real-life makers such as Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie, Ada Twist, Scientist champions girl power and women scientists, and brings welcome diversity to picture books about girls in science. Touching on themes of never giving up and problem solving, Ada comes to learn that her questions might not always lead to answers, but rather to more questions. She may never find the source of the stink, but with a supportive family and the space to figure it out, she’ll be able to feed her curiosity in the ways a young scientist should.

Iggy Peck and Rosie Revere have earned their places among the most beloved children’s characters, and they have inspired countless kids and adults to follow their dreams and passions. Now in her own charming and witty picture book, determined Ada Twist, with her boundless curiosity for science and love of the question “Why?,” is destined to join these two favorites. The book is the perfect tool to remind both young girls and women that they have the intelligence and perseverance to achieve their dreams.

Teaching Guide:

Beaty and Roberts’s books promote creativity, scientific thinking, and identity, so I was so happy and proud to be able to write the guide for Ada Twist.

You can also view the teaching guide here. Guides for Ada Twist‘s companion books, Iggy Peck and Rosie Revere, can be found here.

Recommended For:

Never Insult a Killer Zucchini! by Elana Azose & Brandon Amancio

October 12, 2016 by Kellee

Nonfiction Wednesday

Never Insult a Killer Zucchini!
Authors: Elana Azose and Brandon Amancio
Illustrator: David Clark
Published February 9th, 2016 by Charlesbridge

Goodreads Summary: This is one science fair you’ll never forget!

When Mr. Farnsworth, the science-fair judge, declares that he loves zucchinis, the Killer Zucchini is smitten. As the judge makes his way through the exhibits alphabetically—A (antimatter), B (bionic limb), C (cloning)—the Killer Zucchini tries to show his affection. But when Mr. F gets to K and admits he likes to eat zucchini with ranch dressing, the Killer Zucchini gets steamed and attempts to exact his revenge on the snack-loving judge using the other science-fair projects as his means to an end.

Hilarious havoc ensues as the entire science fair is destroyed by his wrath.

Engaging backmatter provides the science behind the science fair entries created by the characters in the story.

Review: My favorite part of this book isn’t even the Killer Zucchini found in the title but all of the supporting science fair experiments. While they all seem like mad science, in the back of the book, the authors have back matter explaining how each of the science fair experiments are based on real science. For example, even though Killer Zucchinis aren’t real, carnivorous plants are, a laser that erased ink was invented in 1968, and Florida’s Mag Lab can shrink a quarter!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: What a great STEM resource! This text will be a perfect read aloud and science text before starting science fair experiments. It can get the brain turning and even give some ideas (though some are quite extreme science!). Hopefully your science fair will not end up anything like this one though!

You could also have students choose one of the experiments to learn more about instead of reading the back matter. It would be a good science/language arts cross curricular research assignment. (The book is also in alphabetical order!)

Discussion Questions: Which of the experiments is the most dangerous?; Why does the girl win the fair?; Which of the experiments would you like to learn more about?

Flagged Passages:

Read This If You Loved: Science texts and picture books

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Elana for providing a copy of the text for review!**

The Dino Files: A Mysterious Egg by Stacy McAnulty

August 18, 2016July 28, 2016 by Ricki

The Dino Files #1: A Mysterious Egg
Author: Stacy McAnulty
Illustrator: Mike Boldt
Published: January 19, 2016 by Random House Kids

Summary: What if a fossil in your backyard . . . came to life?!

Frank’s grandma is a famous paleontologist (that’s a dinosaur scientist). But she’s also an adult who makes up rules. Rules like: no digging for dinosaur bones when you have a sunburn. That means Frank is stuck playing inside with his annoying cousin, Samantha. But then Grandma finds a fossil of an egg! And when Frank and Sam sneak into the dino lab late at night, they find something even more amazing. . . .

The hilarious Dino Files chapter book series follows a nine-year-old dinosaur expert, his paleontologist grandparents, a cat named Saurus, and fossils that might not be so extinct!

About the Author: Stacy McAnulty is the author of several children’s books including Excellent Ed, illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach; The Dino Files series, illustrated by Mike Boldt; and 101 Reasons Why I’m Not Taking a Bath, illustrated by Joy Ang. Stacy grew up outside of Albany, New York and received my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University at Buffalo. A career opportunity brought her to central North Carolina in 1998. She currently lives in Kernersville, NC with her husband, their three children and two dogs.

Also, Stacy offers FREE Skype interviews and signed bookmarks to any class reading The Dino Files!

Ricki’s Review: This is a hilariously fun series that is sure to be a hit in classrooms. I see it working best in grades 1-4. As a child, I was disappointed when my chapter books no longer had pictures, and this book is a great transitional book because it has the best of both worlds—a great story and pictures to go along with it! Frank reminds me of many kids. He is frustrated by all of the rules set out for him, and he just wants to have fun. He manages to sneak around a bit and something awesome happens with that dinosaur egg (I’ll let you guess)! I also want to put in a plug for the fact that Frank is a cat lover. My son loves cats, and I hate how books/shows always feature males as dog lovers and females as cat lovers. I loved Saurus the cat!

Kellee’s Review: I plowed through this and the sequel because I loved the premise and the characters so much! I love that Frank and Sam represent such different types of kids within each of them and between each of them; I think so many readers will relate to their personalities. I also really liked how dinosaurs are introduced throughout the book without making the book didactical in any way. Instead it is educational and funny! This series is a wonderful introduction to early chapter books also because it is very engaging and will appeal to all kinds of readers.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: This book is a great jump start to researching about dinosaurs! I know a lot of early elementary schools have a big dinosaur unit, and I think this book would appeal to readers of all ages. The book might also work well for a fossil unit, too! It would be interesting to investigate whether it would be possible to hatch a fossilized dino egg. Then, the class could have a discussion about whether this book might be considered realistic fiction or fantasy. Further activities and information is available at: www.thedinofiles.com.

Discussion Questions: What good choices does Frank make? What bad choices does he make? What are the outcomes of his choices?; What words would you use to describe Frank? How is he different or similar to you?; What rules is Frank forced to follow? Do you think these rules are fair?; How do the illustrations enhance your reading experience?

Flagged Passage: “I need to be at that dig site! Instead, I’m stuck inside the museum with PopPop. The good thing is I got my own name tag. Finally.”

Read This If You Loved: Dinosaur Cove by Rex Stone; Dinosaur Trouble by Dick King Smith; Dinosaur Pox by Jeremy Strong

Recommended For:

Check Out the Other Books in the Series!:

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**Thank you to Stacy for providing copies for review!!**

Author Guest Post!: “An Enterprising Young Reader” by Steve Hockensmith, Co-Author of Nick and Tesla’s Solar-Powered Showdown

July 10, 2016 by Kellee

“An Enterprising Young Reader”

Throughout the 1970s, every polyester-clad television program director in Evansville, Indiana, did me a huge favor: They chose not to show Star Trek on their channel. At the time, this seemed like a gross injustice to me – the kind of thing that would (and did) make a budding young nerdling (which is what I was) shake a flabby fist at the heavens and cry “Why, God, why?” But looking back, I can see that my hometown TV stations, by choosing The Beverly Hillbillies and Mr. Ed over Star Trek, where steering me away from TV and toward my destiny.

Books.

I discovered Star Trek during a visit with my grandparents in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville seemed to get all the cool shows Evansville didn’t: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, Wild Wild West, etc. etc. Which was why I had to be pried from the TV set kicking and screaming for every family meal.

My kicking and screaming was loudest for Star Trek, the coolest of the cool. Trek was different for a few reasons. First off, it was objectively good (most of the time, anyway), something that couldn’t be said of monster-of-the-week silliness like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. And second, even though this was in the days before DVDs or even VCRS, I could take Trek home with me.

My grandmother, you see, in addition to having access to way cooler adventure shows (not that she cared), was also a bargain hound. And in one of her many garage sale sorties she bought (for reasons I never learned) a battered old copy of Star Trek 3 by James Blish. Star Trek 3 has nothing to do with the movie Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. The film would come later. Star Trek 3 is a collection of short story adaptations of Trek scripts. So while it would be years before I actually got to see classic episodes like “The Trouble with Tribbles” and “The Doomsday Machine” on TV, I could see them in my mind’s eye whenever I opened the book.

Thanks to Star Trek 3, I knew Trek could always be found on the greatest TV station around: my brain. So I began to explore strange new bookstores. Seek out new libraries and new yard sales. To boldly go where every Trekkie in Evansville had to go: to books.

From 1977-ish to 1985-ish, I read a lot of Star Trek novels. And I got more out of them than a mental rerun of a favorite show. I got adventure and escape. I got a respect for science and teamwork and diversity. I got new ideas and new hope. And I got a doorway.

My interest in Star Trek led to an interest in science fiction in general. Which led to an interest in novels in general. Which led to an interest in writing in general. Which led a career in writing.

Which led to here: me promoting (in an incredibly roundabout way) my new science-based middle grade mystery by reminding teachers that inspiration can come in surprising packages.

How many librarians rolled their eyes when I asked if there were any Star Trek books to check out? How many teachers shook their heads when I said I wanted to skip the pre-approved “classic” and do my book report on science fiction fare like The Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat or Dune Messiah?

I’ll tell you how many. None. I was never discouraged from reading Star Trek tie-in books or SF novels. Or comic books, for that matter. Back in the day, all three were the Rodney Dangerfields of the library – no respect! – yet they opened up new worlds for me. Thank god no one told me they shouldn’t.

What are today’s literary Dangerfields? Manga? Twilight-inspired YA? Online fan fiction? Romance novels? I hope students are being encouraged to boldly pursue whichever might strike their fancy. The results could be out of this world.

Nick and Tesla’s Solar-Powered Showdown: A Mystery with Sun-Powered Gadgets You Can Build Yourself
Authors: Steve Hockensmith and Bob Pflugfelder
Published May 10th, 2016 by Quirk Books

About the Book: Kid inventors Nick and Tesla Holt have outsmarted crooks, spies, and kidnappers. Now they have to crack their biggest mystery yet: Where the heck are their parents? To outwit the criminal mastermind who’s holding their parents hostage, the twins will need all their brainpower, the help of their eccentric Uncle Newt, and an assortment of homemade solar gadgets. Will the Holt family be reunited? Or will a hijacked solar satellite beam down doom from the skies? This adventure – the sixth in the exciting and unique “Nick and Tesla” series – includes instructions for creating a solar-powered hot-dog cooker, alarm, secret listening device, and model car, plus a nighttime signal cannon that fires illuminated ping-pong balls.

About the Author: Steve Hockensmith is a New York Times best-selling author and an Edgar Award finalist. His books include Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls, The White Magic Five and Dime, Holmes on the Range and six “Nick and Tesla” middle-grade mysteries. His coauthor for the “Nick and Tesla” books, “Science Bob” Pflugfelder, is an elementary school teacher in Newton, Massachusetts. A fan of science since the age of six, he promotes Random Acts of Science through instructional videos, public presentations, workshops, and appearances on national televisions shows including Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Dr. Oz Show, and Live! with Kelly & Michael.

Thank you, Steve, for your reminder that there are many different ways to find your passion!

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