A young scientist lives up to his nickname in this clever, accessible book.
A spunky young scientist with an affinity for corny jokes, experiments and the natural world investigates summer vacation and all the mysteries it brings.
Adam Anderson, a middle schooler, is a scientific sleuth whose love for and skill in the subject have earned him the nickname Einstein. The name fits so well that even his veterinarian father, Matt, and journalist mother, Emily, use it—and in Simon’s (Our Solar System, 2014, etc.) engaging book, it’s easy to see why. Einstein educates readers and his little brother, Dennis, about the science behind everyday occurrences. When Dennis laments the sounds his chair produces as he pushes it back, his brother corrects him: “The chair’s not noisy….The sound is from the friction of the chair legs against the floor,” he says, and he then explains the concept of friction, which leads readers into the first mystery facing Einstein and his best friend and partner in science, Paloma Fuentes. Scheming classmate Stanley, who fancies himself the next wunderkind inventor, creates frictionless Rollerblades to “go farther and faster than anyone ever has.” Einstein and Paloma investigate and quickly repudiate this claim, saving others from wasting money on the noninvention. Other mysteries and riddles include a machine that shrinks objects to miniscule dimensions, a classmate’s howling dog whose affliction suspiciously appears when Stanley is nearby; a store that sells a bat’s egg, and a universal solvent. Clues and cases fill Einstein’s summer and capture the reader’s interest. Simon presents Einstein’s adventures and explorations in an accessible format: Each tale is a self-contained chapter that includes a scientific mystery, questions about its resolution, the subsequent explanation and a related experiment for readers to complete at home. The author thoughtfully formats questions and solutions on separate pages to allow space for readers to hypothesize before confirming the answer. The science is challenging, but Simon’s explanations keep the topics light and fun yet educational. Illustrator O’Malley’s scattered black-and-white sketches work in concert with Simon’s robust descriptions to help visualize the action. Hopefully, this little Einstein isn’t done yet.
A young scientist lives up to his nickname in this clever, accessible book.Pub Date: March 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-1936503056
Page Count: 102
Publisher: StarWalk Kids Media
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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