Tag Archive | science

Look up high with A CAT’S GUIDE TO THE NIGHT SKY! by Stuart Atkinson & Brendan Kearney (nonfiction picturebook)

May8
Book cover of A Cat's Guide to the Night Sky, by Stuart Atkinson, illustrated by Brendan Kearney. A brown-striped tabby cat sits at lower right, her large eye gazing at constellations Canis Major the Great Dog, Taurus the Bull, Cygnus the Swan, Lyra the Lyre, Gemini the Twins, Canis Minor the Little Dog, Auriga the Charioteer, Crater the Cup, Aquila the Eagle, and Sagittarius the Archer encircling the title clockwise, with the Milky Way spanning the starry sky behind them.

Dark night, twinkling stars,
bright planets,
the Milky Way!

Felicity the cat is here to help you see the wonders of the night sky and know what you’re looking at.

You’ll learn important skywatching words like constellation and asterism. Did you know that the Big Dipper is an asterism within the constellation of Ursa Major: the Great Bear?

Different constellations are visible each season as the Earth moves around our star, the Sun. Felicity tells us the Greek story behind each constellation’s name and where you should look for it in the night sky.

Sagittarius the Archer is also called the Teapot, and Ophiucus means Serpent-Bearer in ancient Greek – but Felicity says “I don’t know anyone who sees a man holding a snake. It’s more like a child’s drawing of a house.” (pg. 27)

Along with the stars in the sky, you might see planets, shooting stars (meteor showers), the Northern Lights, satellites and the International Space Station, or even galaxies if you use binoculars or a telescope.

Felicity’s good advice for safe night viewing includes what to wear and bring, where to go to star-gaze, and who to go with, as well as a good glossary and index.

What’s your favorite thing to see in the night sky?
**kmm

Book info: A Cat’s Guide to the Night Sky / Stuart Atkinson; illustrated by Brendan Kearney. Laurence King Books US, 2018. [author site https://stuartatkinson.wordpress.com/writing/] [artist site https://www.brendandraws.com/] [publisher site https://us.laurenceking.com/products/a-cats-guide-to-the-night-sky] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

U is for the Untold story of Jean Wright and NASA seamstresses: SEW SISTER, by Elise Matich (Nonfiction Picture Book) #AtoZ

Apr24
Book cover of Sew Sister: the Untold story of Jean Wright and NASA's Seamstresses, written and illustrated by Elise Matich. Shows a girl in dress and knee high socks, sitting cross-legged, pulling needle and thread toward her after stitching around image of Space Shuttle taking off surrounded by swirling stitches of its rocket exhaust and patterns of stars.

The Space Shuttle!
Technological wonder,
astronauts’ orbiting home,
covered with blankets…

Yes, each of the space shuttles had a coat of unique fabric panels for protection from the blazing heat of its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Who made them? How?

Jean grew up learning to sew and became a huge fan of NASA’s space program after men landed on the Moon when she was a young teen in Flint, Michigan.

But how could a girl without a college education ever work for NASA?

Years later, when her husband retired from the Navy, they settled in Florida near Cape Canaveral so she could see rockets and space shuttles launched.

Look at this news article! NASA employed seamstresses to construct the many-layered fireproof panels needed for each shuttle!

Jean immediately applied to join the team and began studying shuttle blueprints because every panel had to be uniquely shaped to fit its spot on the shuttle’s exterior.

She waited and applied again and waited – finally, she was called to join the Sew Sisters whose work kept shuttle astronauts safe during launch, orbit, and re-entry.

Different quilts for different protective purposes – against atmospheric friction, solar radiation, roaring engine noise.

The Sew Sisters had to create a pattern for each and every quilt section so all 1400 pieces fit perfectly around a shuttle’s curved outer skin.

Oh, no! Atlantis tore a blanket loose on take-off! The Sew Sisters rushed to test blankets with various repairs in a wind tunnel and while wearing bulky space-suit gloves.

Jean and the Sew Sisters anxiously watched as Atlantis’ on-board camera showed the astronauts fix their dangerous problem on a space walk, by using a surgical stapler!

A long-held dream, long-practiced skills, and persistence brought Jean into the Sew Sisters – now we know about their vital part in the Space Shuttle program, too.

What quiet behind-the-scenes work would you like to see in a picture book?
**kmm

Book info: Sew Sister: the Untold Story of Jean Wright and NASA’s Seamstresses / Elise Matich. Tilbury House Publishers, 2023. [author site https://elisematich.com/] [publisher site https://www.tilburyhouse.com/product-page/sew-sister] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

P is GREEN PROMISES: Girls Who Loved the Earth, by Jeannine Atkins (YA fiction) #AtoZ

Apr18
Book cover of Green Promises: Girls Who Loved the Earth, by Jeannine Atkins. Shows 2 women in old-fashioned dresses and hats, one sitting on riverbank and sketching its tall grasses, one wading in the river and examining rocks she has picked up there.

Grasses swaying in the breeze,
different rocks in the river,
what stories do they tell about time and change?

Now packed into Grandmother’s small Chicago flat with her siblings and widowed mother, Agnes misses green meadows, learns to draw sidewalk flowers on old envelopes, wishes for school past 8th grade.

School soon for Marguerite, exploring the river’s edge with its intriguing rocks, across from Washington DC where her father and other Black men labor. Her parents never learned to read, yet she dreams of going to high school.

Agnes becomes a talented botanical artist, is asked to travel and survey grasses of the west at her own expense (because she’s a woman), at last working in the Smithsonian.

Marguerite longs to become a teacher, to make a difference in her world, to envision what factors increase flood risks in the nation’s capital.

Women march for the right to vote in 1913! Agnes jailed with other white women protestors, Marguerite and other Black women shunted to the end of the parade.

Will Agnes’s decades of work to find and catalogue the grasses of the world be recognized?
Can Marguerite find a university where she can earn degrees in geology?
How many women will they both inspire to learn and discover and succeed?

This evocative novel-in-verse brings us the lives and work of women who persevered in natural sciences when society’s expectations tried to limit them.

By the author of Hidden Powers: Lise Meitner’s Call to Science (recommended at https://booksyalove.com/?p=12527) and Stone Mirrors: the Sculpture and Silence of Edmonia Lewis (here https://booksyalove.com/?p=8212).

What’s your favorite museum of natural history?
**kmm

Book info: Green Promises: Girls Who Loved the Earth / Jeannine Atkins. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2025. [author site https://www.jeannineatkins.com/] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Green-Promises/Jeannine-Atkins/Girls-Who-Love-Science/9781665950572] Review copy & cover image courtesy of the publisher.

O is THE OBSERVOLOGIST on very small scientific expeditions, by Giselle Clarkson (kids’ nonfiction) #AtoZ

Apr17
Book cover of The Observologist: a Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions, by Giselle Clarkson. Shows a small red-striped caterpillar hanging from title words with speech bubble containing subtitle, above a very large, detailed drawing of a green-fly with long legs.

Observology?
It’s the study of looking,
looking very closely at what’s around you.

As an observologist who enjoys looking and learning, you can discover interesting creatures and objects anywhere and everywhere!

First, learn some basic observology principles – be curious, patient, don’t touch unfamiliar things – and gather your equipment – magnifying glass, small mirror, camera, flashlight, sketchbook.

Then you can mount an observological expedition to places like:

– a damp corner of ground, where you may spot fungi, snails, and things that hide in plain sight.

– on the pavement, prime location for ants, lichen, and birdwatching without birds.

– in a weedy patch, where you might spy wasps, caterpillars, and various types of seeds and leaves.

– indoors, peeking behind the curtains to see and hear what insects may be there and learning the difference between moths and butterflies.

Filled with detailed sketches and information, this intriguing book from New Zealand publisher Gecko Press for observologists of all ages also includes useful skills like how to get a fly to go outdoors, how to help an exhausted bee, and how to save a worm that’s in danger of getting stomped on.

When you look down at the ground outside, what’s the smallest thing that you can observe?
**kmm

Book info: The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions / Giselle Clarkson. Gecko Press, 2024. [author site https://www.giselledraws.com/portfolio/] [publisher site https://geckopress.com/bookshop/the-observologist/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher via Publisher Spotlight.

Z is for alien Zyx fused with FELIX YZ – can they survive separation? by Lisa Bunker (MG book review) #A2Z

Apr30
DNA spiral rising vertically from book title of Felix Yz, by Lisa Bunker

Thirty days till the Procedure –
a successful separation
or death sentence for them both?

The gigantic experiment that killed his scientists father fused a fourth-dimensional alien into Felix at age three, leaving his body contorted and hyperintelligent Zyx permanently part of his brain.

Zyx is a secret from everyone except Felix’s older sister Beatrix (piano genius), Mom, and Grandy (grandparent who is Vera with pearls or Vern in flannel or neither) – and the government group where Dad worked.

When Zyx encounters something new, its enthusiasm causes body spasms so Felix is shunned or bullied at school, his own mental capacity questioned by most teachers, except Mrs. C who encourages him to enter the annual essay contest.

The government experts say that the 13 year old and Zyx must be separated now, or Felix won’t grow to adulthood!

Felix journals what he and Zyx think about and encounter during the 30 days leading up to the Procedure – Zyx’s new-found joy in online chess making Mom’s boyfriend think Felix is a chess genius; Felix finally talking to his crush Hector, then a big misunderstanding; Zyx taking Felix on a small journey into the fourth dimension…

Because whether Zyx and Felix survive the Procedure or not, now is the time to celebrate the most important things in life! And finish that essay.

If you knew you had a short time to live, what would you do first?
**kmm

Book info: Felix Yz / Lisa Bunker. Puffin Books, hardcover 2017, paperback 2018. [author site] [publisher site] Personal copy; cover image courtesy of the publisher.

T is TASTING LIGHT: Ten Science Fiction Stories to Rewire Your Perceptions, edited by A.R. Capetta & Wade Roush (YA book review) #A2Z

Apr23
vague human figure in spacesuit looking upward at title and author names on book cover of Tasting Light: Ten Science Fiction Stories to Rewire Your Perceptions,edited by A R Capetta and Wade Roush

What’s in our future?
Who gets to decide?
Can we change who gets to decide?

She hears a dead friend singing in the park – who selected that voice-mod to replace their own, and why?

Meeting him among the tethers holding together her small space city was electrifying – until she sensed one disintegrating.

Teens on different space habitats exchanging messages and dreams – via junk DNA in bio-sample data packets.

A robot far in the woods, observing the tiniest creatures in its soil – “I am very tired of humans desperately needing me to be something to them” (pg. 119).

Gender assumptions, body image, white entitlement, traditional knowledges, emotions and more…

Go to ten futures with William Alexander, K. Ancrum, Elizabeth Bear, A.R. Capetta, Charlotte Nicole Davis, Nasugraq Rainey Hopson, A.S. King, E.C. Myers, Junauda Petrus-Nasah, and graphic novelist Wendy Xu.

The authors were challenged to write YA fiction using classic hard Sci-Fi with “no magic, no faster-than-light travel, just real-world physics,” and they succeeded brilliantly with these stories “about young people discovering themselves and how their bravery can change the world in small or big ways” (pg x).

Check it out at your local library or independent bookstore – hardcover, eBook, and paperback.

What do you see in your future?
**kmm

Book info: Tasting Light: Ten Science Fiction Stories to Rewire Your Perceptions / edited by A.R. Capetta & Wade Roush. MITeen Press /Candlewick, hardcover 2022, paperback 2023. [A.R. site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

H is for HEALER OF THE WATER MONSTER, a huge task for a Navajo preteen! by Brian Young (MG book review) #A2Z

Apr9
book cover of Healer of the Water Monster, by Brian Young. Published by Heartdrum / Harper Collins.

No electricity, no cell service –
a boring summer at grandmother Nali’s place…
until Nathan encounters a Holy Being!

Nali doesn’t mind the hardships of living part-time on their Navajo ancestors’ land – chopping wood, hauling water – so Nathan tries to help her and shake off his divorced parents’ squabbles.

The 11 year old starts his science project of comparing the growth of Nali’s traditional corn to the modern kernels he bought in the city and begins to learn more about this dry place where the usual summer rains haven’t arrived in years.

Uncle Jet shows up suddenly at Nali’s, still off-balance after his military service, still trying to heal his soul with alcohol.

One night in the desert, Nathan meets Water Monster from the Third World of the Navajo creation story, stranded here in the Fourth World and dreadfully ill!

Is Nathan the only one who can see and hear the Holy Beings?
Can he learn all the correct Navajo songs and travel the difficult path to heal Water Monster?
Will Uncle Jet ever listen to Nali and ask the elders to help him find peace?

An amazing journey to the Third World, frustration when adults don’t believe the Holy Beings are real, a summer that will shape Nathan forever.

Published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, Healer of the Water Monster was named as Best Middle Grade Book: 2022 American Indian Youth Literature Awards.

The sequel, Heroes of the Water Monster, will be published on May 14, 2024 – more at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/heroes-of-the-water-monster-brian-young?variant=41096247541794.

Could you brave the unknown to save a friend?
**kmm

Book info: Healer of the Water Monster / Brian Young. Heartdrum/ Harper Collins, 2021 (hardcover), 2023 (paperback). [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Let’s hear it for inventors! (audiobook recommendations)

Jun29

How clever! This week, AudioSYNC brings us stories of extremely sharp folks and their amazingly inventive minds.

You have until Wednesday 5 July 2023 to download either or both of these professionally produced audiobooks into your Sora shelf. Get all the details here.

Did you miss earlier weeks’ free audiobooks? Check with your local public library or favorite independent bookstore.

Get ready to read with your ears!

CD cover of Bump, by Chiara Atik | Read by Ana Ortiz, Herbert Siguenza, Alma Martinez, and a Full Cast. Published by LA Theatre Works

Bump (free Sora download 6/29-7/5/23)
by Chiara Atik | Read by Ana Ortiz, Herbert Siguenza, Alma Martinez, and a Full Cast
Published by L.A. Theatre Works

The humorous story of Claudia’s plan to deliver her baby at home (using an amateur-built birthing machine!) is bookended by those of a midwife and first-time mother in 1790 and an online bulletin board for December moms.

Includes an interview with the author and a gynecologist.

https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/226065/bump-by-chiara-atik-read-by-ana-ortiz-herbert-siguenza/

swirling lines clipart http://www.clipartpanda.com/clipart_images/mondays-throughout-the-day-17164159
CD cover of The Woman Who Split the Atom: the Life of Lise Meitner, by Marissa Moss | Read by Sandy Rustin. Published by Recorded Books

The Woman Who Split the Atom: the Life of Lise Meitner (free Sora download 6/29-7/5/23)
by Marissa Moss | Read by Sandy Rustin
Published by Recorded Books

It was Lise Meitner’s groundbreaking research into the behavior of atoms in the 1930s that led to understanding nuclear fission and its later use in atomic weapons, much to her sorrow.

As a Jewish woman in pre-World War II Germany, brilliant Meitner was given substandard lab facilities, saw her work attributed solely to men, was forced into exile by the Nazi regime, and never received the Nobel Prize honors awarded to her male co-researchers.

On BooksYALove here, you’ll find my recommendation of Hidden Powers: Lise Meitner’s Call to Science, by Jeannine Atkins – a biography of Meitner in verse.

https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/229657/the-woman-who-split-the-atom-by-marissa-moss-read-by-sandy-rustin/

Which invention has most improved your own life?
**kmm

divider clipart http://www.clipartpanda.com/clipart_images/mondays-throughout-the-day-17164159

Who’s fighting against ONYEKA & THE ACADEMY OF THE SUN? by Tọlá Okogwu (MG book review)

May24
book cover of Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, by Tola Okogwu. Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books | recommended on BooksYALove.com

People in their British town look at her in 2025 and just see voluminous hair, not Onyeka the person…

When the middle-schooler saves her best friend from drowning at the swimming pool – with her hair – Mum finally admits that Onyeka is a Solari with psychokinetic superpowers inherited from her missing father, whose enemies chased Mum and Onyeka out of Nigeria.

Her uncontrolled powers are making her dreadfully sick, so back to the world’s tech capital of Lagos they go, so Onyeka can learn how to harness her Ike at the Academy of the Sun, and Mum can search for her father.

The Solari come to the Academy as children and secretly train to use their powers for the good of their country, so Onyeka is already behind her age-mates. Is that why her roommate Adanna is so grumpy at her?

Holographic rooms, AI teachers, physical training so each Solari can master their own type of Ike – Enhancer, Emitter, Transformer, or Psionic – and someday become Protectors. Hassan and Niyi become her friends as she tries to learn fast.

But Onyeka gets sicker every time she uses her Ike, Mum is suddenly out of contact, and Rogues with Ike powers attack the Academy!

Who’s this Dr. Naomi who worked with her father at their research lab?
Has the Academy director taught them honestly about how the Solari came to be?
Will Onyeka survive to her birthday next month?

Fast-paced, heart-stopping adventure in this debut novel, followed by book 2 in the series: Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels (more info here) on 30 May 2023, same day as the paperback edition of book 1 in the USA.

What superpower would you choose?
**kmm

Book info: Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun (Onyeka, book 1) / Tọlá Okogwu. Margaret K. McElderry Books, hardcover 2022, paperback 2023. [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

They must find more LITTLE MONARCHS, butterflies vital for humanity’s survival! by Jonathan Case (Middle Grade graphic novel review)

Jun14
book cover of Little Monarchs, by Jonathan Case. Published by Margaret Ferguson Books / Holiday House | recommended on BooksYALove.com

Sun-sickness wiped out mammals,
some humans survive underground,
can any ever see daylight again?

By 2101, only two people on Earth can survive sunshine – young Elvie and scientist Flora who’s caring for the 10 year old while Elvie’s parents travel onward as the team perfects a cure for sun-sickness.

Monarch butterflies carry the needed ingredient on their wings, so Flora and Elvie follow their migration south along what used to be the western USA, scavenging from former cities, foraging wild foods, and avoiding known underground settlements.

Elvie documents nature and schoolwork in her journal, while Flora tests and retests ways to make larger quantities of the monarch wing-scale medicine that prevents sun-sickness.

After an earthquake, they find a small boy near an abandoned settlement, so Flora gives him a dose of medicine and they keep going. Elvie left behind a note and some medicine, in case anyone returns to look for little Sito.

Wow, his family does follow them and wants to travel along – safety in numbers, right? Right?!?

This outstanding graphic novel documents their perilous journey to meet up with Elvie’s parents, as well as the natural wonders and survival skills that she records in her journal.

In our time, monarch numbers are dropping dramatically, so planting native milkweed along their migration route can make up for some habitat loss.

Do monarchs migrate through your region?
**kmm

Book info: Little Monarchs / Jonathan Case. Margaret Ferguson Books / Holiday House, 2022. [author site] [book site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.