Electrical Wizard
You’re in luck! New York State’s Summer Reading Program is encouraging families to check out books that combine science, creativity, and imagination. Visit your local library tosee how you can spark a reaction!
Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World
Written by Elizabeth Rusch & Illustrated by Oliver Dominguez | Candlewick Press, 2013, hardcover, $16.99, Ages 8-12
Move over, Thomas Edison – Nikola Tesla has an illustrated biography of his own! Edison might be credited with inventing the light bulb, but Tesla discovered AC power, lit the Chicago World’s Fair with electricity, and harnessed the might of Niagara Falls to provide homes all the way to Buffalo with electricity. Read all about this brilliant man’s mechanical mind and decide for yourself who to crown as the king of electricity.
Gravity
By Jason Chin | Roaring Brook Press, 2014, hardcover, $16.99, Ages 3-6
What goes up must come down thanks to the power of gravity! Brightly illustrated objects float into space before falling back to earth aside perfectly attuned text. This non-fiction picture book is accessible to early readers and offers extra facts for those who want to learn more. You won’t find Sandra Bullock between the covers, but it’s still a weightless winner for space enthusiasts.
Weathering and Erosion (That Rocks!)
By Maria Nelson | Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2014, hardcover, $22.60, Ages 5-8
How did the Grand Canyon form? Do glaciers carve out lakes? Are weathering and erosion good for the planet? This 24-page book in the That Rocks! series covers these topics and more with color photos and glossy pages. Includes a glossary of important terms for budding geologists who will be excited to watch the earth move under their feet.
Seed to Plant
By Kristin Baird Rattini |National Geographic, 2014, paperback, $3.99, Ages 6-8
Isn’t it amazing how the tiniest seed can grow into a giant tree? Learn how in this volume of the popular National Geographic Reader series. The high quality photographs and magazine style layout encourage readers to watch their own plants grow. Dig into this book, then dig into the dirt!
The Race to the Moon: An Interactive History Adventure
By Allison Lassieur | Capstone Press, 2014, paperback, $6.95, Ages 8-12
Choosing your own adventures are back with the You Choose series! Learn what it was like to be an engineer for the space program in the 1950s or to be an astronaut on a spaceship. Each job and story path comes with real life consequences that can veer off in dangerous or delightful directions. Bring history to life with whatever path you choose.
Chasing the Storm: Tornadoes, Meteorology, and Weather Watching
By Ron Miller | Twenty-First Century Books, 2014, hardcover, $33.26, Ages 10-15
Future meteorologists: this book is for you! Tornadoes and other types of major storms are covered in this non-fiction work full of photographs, diagrams, interviews with storm chasers, and science experiments that use household items. It also offers ways for readers to participate in safe weather reporting from home. Get involved and be one step ahead for your next science project!
How to Fake a Moon Landing: Exposing the Myths of Science Denial
By Darryl Cunningham | Abrams, 2013, hardcover, $16.95, Ages 12-18
Did humans really land on the moon? Does chiropractic medicine actually work? Is climate change for real? These questions and more are explored in this book that strives to show the importance of the scientific method. The resources and cited references are helpful for students doing reports on these topics. Best of all? It’s in comic book style!
Genetics: Breaking the Code of Your DNA
Written by Carla Mooney & Illustrated by Samuel Carbaugh | Nomad Press, 2014, hardcover, $21.95, Ages 12-18
Want to blame your parents for your bad eyesight or big feet? How about thanking them for your perfect height and super intelligence? Now you can! Learn about DNA, RNA, and how genes are passed from parents to children. This book includes helpful side-bars, comic strips, and experiments you can do at home that make learning fun. Genetics, here you come! +
Deena Viviani is a Rochester-based Young Adult Services Librarian. Read more reviews on her blog www.deenaml.livejournal.com or send her a note at DeenaViviani@hotmail.com – she loves to hear from readers!
more reads
Check out the book lists on www.summerreadingnys.org or pick up one of these tales of science fiction:
Picture Books
Boy + Bot Written by Ame Dyckman & Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
Doug Unplugged by Dan Yaccarino
The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot Written by Margaret McNamara & Illustrated by Mark Fearing
Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg
Middle Grade
Aliens and UFOs by Lori Hile
Bot Wars by J. V. Kade
Numbered! by David Lubar
Tesla’s Attic by Neal Shusterman & Eric Elfman
Young Adult
All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Dangerous by Shannon Hale
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey
Linked by Imogen Howson
