Book Description

Ever since sixteen-year-old Tabitha Fortune was a child growing up in Rim, South Dakota, she's heard stories about ghost horses-nightmare creatures whose giant bones haunt the sandstone cliffs near the Badlands. When paleontologist Dr. Phineas X. Parker announces plans to dig for these bones, Tabitha vows to join his crew.

But this is 1899, and the world has different expectations for young women. Tabitha's preacher father urges her to abandon her interest in science. "Pray for a godly husband", he lectures, "not a godless education." Even Dr. Parker discourages Tabitha, saying, "Vertebrate paleontology is no place for a lady." That leaves Tabitha with just one choice-and being a "lady" has nothing to do with it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A teenage feminist at the turn of the (20th) century
Tabitha's the daughter of a *very* conservative minister in North Dakota in 1899, when anthropologists are just beginning to show up looking for dinosaur skeletons. Her father's convinced these skeletons have been planted there by the devil, and forbid's Tabitha from even trying to learn more about them, let alone join an excavation team. So Tabitha dresses up as a boy, claiming to be a twin brother called Tom, and sneaks out to be on a team, with the help of an older woman friend, Abby.

When I first opened this book, I was a little skeptical, it seemed like it was going to be easy reading, and I was very frightened at the prospect of a romantic element finding it's way in there, which would cause all sorts of problems for Tabbie (since she's dressed up as a guy and all). But while it was kind of an easy read, it was very enjoyable. I could hardly put this book down Christmas morning as it's very engaging and you always want to find out how Tabitha gets herself out of each difficult situation she gets herself into (and, thankfully, they're realistic situations, and they aren't portrayed as being all her fault just because she's a ditzy girl who has no place in science, as she eventually proves she's more capable than many of the men on the expedition).

The only thing that keeps this from getting 5 stars is the end. I'm not going to give details, obviously, but several characters make complete turn arounds in the last few pages that aren't explained. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

good popular science
By putting over 3,000 years of faces on the search for the elemental principles -- from the Greek philosopher Anaximander, who held that all the material world was made of four "elements", Earth, Air, Fire, and Water; to teams of modern scientists who race to create new elements -- Benjamin Wiker has moved chemistry off the shelf of dry-and-dusty arcania and given the reader a gum-shoe tale filled with odd and interesting characters. This book is an excellent remedy for people who think the sciences were hatched in university laboratories, or born the test-tube children of egg-headed professors. Tracing the theories of philosophers, alchemists, and scientists, making acquaintance with men of all walks and many nationalities, whose only common trait was their persistent desire to peer ever deeper into the nature of things, Wiker not only outlines the genealogy of the Periodic Table of Elements, but, so doing, introduces his reader to the principles of theoretical and practical science, to the history of the scientific method, and even inklings of atomic theory. This book will be accessible, and of interest, to a wide range of readers: those with no science background can still follow the general story with ease, while even the reader well-versed in high-school level chemistry has probably never encountered the history of modern chemistry synthesized with such clarity and appeal.

Everybody CAN understand Science
This terrific book helps make a complex area of science - the field of chemistry and the periodic table - accessible to everyone. Benjamin Wiker skillfully and humorously takes us through the history of theories, experiments, mistakes and successes in understanding the elements and the development of the Periodic Table. The icing on the cake is how fascinating the order of the table is and how closely and mathematically the elements are related to each other. Fascinating!

The book is written for ages 10 and up, but high schoolers and even college students would benefit from the memorable way this book presents the big picture and helps it 'stick.' The last three chapters are a little tougher to follow. I found it helpful to draw some of my own diagrams of the various atoms and their electron structure. ... Read more

Book Description

It's time...for a change! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent entry into the Franny K Stein series
My boys love these books! Franny K Stein, Mad Scientist, is a bit of a social misfit and no one understands her and her mad scientist creations, except maybe her dog, part-lab assistant Igor. In this 4th entry, she travels back through time to correct the injustice of having been given an thoroughly inappropriate middle name, with predictably disastrous consequences. The entire series is wonderful, especially for those children who have an affinity for mayhem and destruction and somewhat sarcastic humor. The illustrations are a hoot, too. ... Read more

Book Description

Josh Swensen is not your average 17-year-old. At the age of two, he was figuring out algebraic equations with colored magnetic numbers. He is a prodigy who only wants to make the world a better place. Josh’s wish comes true when his virtual alter ego, Larry, becomes a huge media sensation. Larry has his own Web site where he posts sermons on anti-consumerism and has a large following of adults and teens. Meanwhile, Larry’s identity is a mystery to everyone. While it seems as if the whole world is trying to figure out Larry’s true identity, Josh feels trapped inside his own creation. What will happen to the world, and to Larry, if he is exposed? ... Read more

Reviews (37)

changing the world
Seventeen year old Josh Swensen is a highly intelligent senior who wants to change the world. The only problem is that Josh is a loner and no one in their right mind would pay any attention to him. But who is to say that they won't listen to is anti-consumer alter ego Larry, who urges people away from consumerism one sermon at a time. This book was well written but the best parts were the footnotes at the bottom of the pages. I liked the way that the main character developed, but I also thought that throughout the book he was a jerk. Now granted every book has their stupid people that you don't like, but it shouldn't be the main character. The little bits of humor enhance the story and make it a little more interesting to read, but if consumerism is no interest to you, then don't read this book.

The Gospel According to ME
This BOOK IS AMAZING! Josh Swenson is not at all like all the other seventeen year old boys in Boston Massachusetts. Unlike most teens he is not at all materialistic. In fact he only has seventy-five items in his possession, and that includes his clothing. Josh wants to make a contribution to the world but he doesn't know how, or if he can. Not until he does something that creates a LOT of commotion. So he donates to the world one sermon at a time. Read The Gospel According to Larry to find out what Josh does and how he helps the world become a better place.

I rate this book 5 stars because It is a GREAT book. I highly recommend it.

Absolute trash.
Terrible premise, riddled with bias and propaganda, poorly written..who likes this garbage?

It might have been digestible had the author not taken the book as an opportunity to set up her soapbox and bombard the reader with an endless array of blatant personal opinion and warped views. If you're the kind of pompous pseudo-intellectual teenager who goes to coffee shops with your chic friends to discuss politics you know nothing about and senseless,convoluted philosophies, you'll love this book. If you're intelligent: Stay away.

pretenious and mind numbing
How could someone take such an awesome spin on the teen wonder boy story and do so terribly?
I mean, the idea isn't half bad. Ridiculously smart but strongly anti-social boy starts website, becomes famous, and the fades into oblivion.

But come on! The plot holes in this book are more numerous than
than the abundant footnotes. ¹

For one thing, the major conflict in this book is that "Larry's" audience doesn't know he's a boy in High School, but in the few rants the author most proudly displays in the book, he alludes to the facts he is in High School directly. You wouldn't need to analyse tree patterns or his few possetion, it was right in front of them.

Besides that gapping plot hole and others, there is the simple fact that Josh, the primary character, is a complete jerk. I found myself rooting for the other side in every situation.
In teen summer reads such as these, the primary purpose for the book is for Teens to identify with the main character, which I could not.

None of the book's ill-begotten attempts at critiquing mass media made me feel any type of outrage. The book felt to me like one whiny boy's story of how it's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hard being a prodigy and having everyone love you.

See this? This is the world's smallest violen playing a song for you.

^{Which cease being amusing after the first ten pages}

Best Book Ever
The Gospel According to Larry was one of the best books I have ever read. This book showed me some different perspectives or opinions people can have about life. Suspense in this story was great because it kept me intrigued in the book. I couldn't put it down, yet I wasn't scared out of my mind like in class when the teacher is reading a book to you, then stops right when the main character is risking death. The novel helps me realize how much commercialism is in the world today.I was baffeled in this story because at many parts because I couldnt tell weather it was fact or fiction. Janet Tashjian makes The Gospel According to Larry in a class of its own. I would recommend this book to kids that are 12 or older that don't enjoy reading and of course the kids that love to read will like it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

At the end of World War II, the newly formed United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), noting the shortage of textbooks and teaching materials throughout much of the world, commissioned a book that would allow teachers to devise laboratory experiments with the most common of materials--candles, balls of paper, saucers, odd strands of twine. UNESCO's report grew into this fine and highly useful collection of experiments in the biological, geological, and atmospheric sciences. The experiments illustrate relatively simple facts--how static electricity can be concentrated, how liquids change to gases, how water is purified by passing through charcoal--with only minimal interpretation. It is therefore best used as a companion to a school primer or science encyclopedia. Now revised and updated, 700 Science Experiments for Everyone retains its emphasis on readily available materials, making this an especially useful resource for home-schoolersand for anyone with an urge to learn firsthand how the physical world works. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Classic For Young Scientists
I grew up with this book in the 70's. It is packed full of simple apparatus to build covering most fields of science. For some reason, the weather instruments you can build stand out in my mind as particularly engaging - and of course the chemistry examples.

I seem to recall a carbon-rod oven/kiln you could build (I did) and it seems to have gone missing in this more modern edition (and perhaps just as well, it was truly dangerous). Otherwise, this is good old fashioned science experiments and apparatus straight out of the 60's. It is getting to be a tired old saw, but I have to say it: this book helps in some small way to fill what has gone missing in modern education and a child's youth. Turn off the T.V. and head into the garage/basement for some science fun and education.

A Classic of Simplicity and Clarity
I grew up with this book in the early 1960's. It is a true classic. UNESCO's intention was to make science education possible in parts of the world where sophisticated apparatus is unavailable. The effect has been to create concise, memorable illustrations of scientific principles available to everyone. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

Great color pictures & Photos and easy experiments
My son wanted a microscope for his birthday. I had already bought some microscope books. This one was the best for beginners. On every page there are detailed but cute color pictures explaining all the technical stuff. ALSO, on each page that talks about viewing a particular object under the microscope, there's an ACTUAL PHOTO of the object under the microscop, so you don't have to guess if you're looking at the right thing. This is a really fun book. Before I looked at this book I was getting discouraged because the other two books seemed way too complicated and thus boring for my 8 year old son.

NOT ONLY are the pictures and experiments great, but this book talks about SAFETY, it tells you what overall SUPPLIES you will need, for each individual experiment what SUPPLIES you will need, it explains--in a FUN WAY--how the microscope and other lenses work. ALSO, in the authors own words, "THE MICROSCOPE BOOK is intended to teach children basic techniques and observation skills WITHOUT DESTROYING ANY LIFE FORMS."

I commend the authors Shar Levine & Leslie Johnstone and the Illustrator David Sovka.

The perfect microscope book for the younger readers.
This larger format book contains a wonderful mix of colorful cartoon-like illustrations and full color photomicrographs of interesting projects for learning more about our small world. The book is entertaining, educational, and fun. Teenagers and adults will want to follow-up with the more detailed book "Exploring with the Microscope", by Werner Nachtigall.

The perfect microscope book for the 9-12 age group.
This well illustrated book covers the basics of microscopy for the younger reader in an atmosphere of fun and delight. The reader will learn more about their small world and have a good time with the many interesting projects. This book and it's cartoon-like illustrations and detailed photomicrographs are a wonderful example of a fine science book for young readers. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"My eyes see. His eyes see. I see him. And he sees me." With text as simple as simple can be, Theo. LeSieg (a.k.a. Theodore Geisel, a.k.a.Dr. Seuss) uses humor and rhythm to encourage the very youngest children to discover the joy of reading. A big-eyed boy and a pink-eyed rabbit cavort through the book, seeing everything there is to see: a girl, a horse, an old tin can, the sun, the moon--even pink underpants (which makes them both blush). Rhyming objects give the brief "story" a lilting, happy cadence, and Joe Mathieu's cartoonish colorful pictures provide easy clues to the text. This is a friendly introduction to the wide, wondrous world of seeing and reading.

An offspring of the world-famous Beginner Books, Bright and Early Books for Beginning Beginners are designed for an even younger age group. Even preschoolers will be inspired to learn to read with these witty, appealing picture books. (Ages 2 to 5) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Your toddler will love it, and so will you!
My 22 month old can't get enough of this book! And, to my surprise, she just started reading it on her own! Well, maybe she just memorized the words, but turn the pages, point at the pictures and see what happens with your child...it's absolutely wonderful!

My Baby's favorite book!
From 3 months old this book captured and held my infant's attention. He loves it! All I have to do is show him the cover and he lights up. Now at 5 months it is still his favorite. The little boy and his rabit are so endearing and the cheer at the end "Hooray, Hooray, Hooray for eyes!" receives a squeal of delight every time! I honestly would never be without this book again.

Funny!
This book is seems like it would capture a child's interest! There is a ton of detial into the illistrations! It's alittle confusing reading one page, but that is the only bummer about this book!

Easy reading for a kindergardener
Wow, how grown up my grandaughter felt when she read this book to me. It's very easy reading. After my grandaughter checked it out three times in a row at the school libarary I jumped on the chance to buy it.
I've heard the story many many times: "my eye your eye"...and with each reading my grandaughter was learning how to recoginize these simple words, and now she can spell & write every word in this book!

my 20 month old's pick - 1st time mom at 44
The Foot Book made it into my son's library by accident but he loved it so much at only 12 months that I looked for other 'body part' books by Dr. Seuss. The Eye book has elicited similar interest on a more 'thotful' scale. He turned to me a week after the book arrived and said 'wink eye pink eye'. Oh the wonderful sights the little boy and his pink rabbit see with their big, buggy eyes. And the inevitable 'hooray, hooray, hooray for EYES' ending continues to captivate my busy little boy who takes this book to his favorite spot when he needs to be quiet for a while. Of course, we now have the tooth book and the nose book en route for a long airplane ride. ... Read more

Book Description

Bedtime often seems to come too early, but what would happen if you never went to sleep? When scientists decided to find out, they discovered that your brain needs a rest after a long day of thinking, just as your muscles would need a rest after a long day of work.
A different kind of bedtime story, this book is the perfect response to the question ‘Can’t I stay up a little longer?’

... Read more

Reviews (2)

Another fun teen read from Katie Maxwell.
January James, called Jan by her family, arrives in Egypt as one of a group of teens volunteering for an archaeological dig. Jan is part of a family of ten children, but she has always felt out of place, because all of her brothers and sisters have artistic talent, while she doesn't. From the time she arrives in Egypt, her trip is off to a bad start. Then she meets a cute but mysterious guy named Seth, and also finds herself saddled with a "cursed" bracelet. There's also a pushy girl named Chloe who is also part of the dig, and is trying to steal Seth from Jan. This book was another cute, funny read from Katie Maxwell, and I highly recommend it to teen readers.

I was a little disappointed
As a huge fan of Katie's "Emily" series (see end of review), I was really looking forward to this book. I was a little disappointed. This book is better suited for a younger audience, which is, of course, the book's target audience. But with the "Emily" series, even an older person like me could enjoy it. Younger girls might like this one. I'd have no problem letting my 12 year-old niece read it. The romance was sweet and very tame. The characters were likable enough, but I found the story a bit dull. I think Katie does a great job of researching the places where she sets her stories. The references to Egypt and Egyptian history were nice. I think maybe I unfairly compared this book to Katie's other Young Adult books: "The Year My Life Went Down the Loo," "They Wear What Under Their Kilts?" and "What's French For Eww?" They were tough acts to follow. I would recommend anyone who hasn't read those to read them first. Now I'm just looking forward to the last book in that series, "The Taming Of the Drew." ... Read more

Book Description

Follow the adventures of Bryan Bronson and his friends Rudy and Olivia as they experience the wonders of the weather. Their journey takes them from a sandstorm on Mars through the earth's atmosphere to survive a hurricane, tornado, flash flood, avalanche, and more. Along the way they see things as strange as snowflakes the size of pizzas and talk to a man who survived a nine-mile fall from an airplane.

As they read about these adventures, kids will learn basic facts about the weather and how it works, including information about atmosphere, pressure, sun, clouds, rain, wind, and snow. Experiments include learning about condensation and evaporation, making your own rain gauge, and much more. The book also includes dozens of interesting weather facts and safety tips.

Mark Eubank graduated from the University of Utah in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology. For twenty years he owned and operated WeatherBank, Inc., a weather consulting firm. Mark was the weatherman for KUTV for twenty-two years and is currently the weatherman for KSL TV in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mark A. Hicks is an award-winning illustrator who has done work for many books, magazines, advertising firms, puzzles, and games. He lives with his family in Arizona. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

what a fun book!
I loved this book, my 9 year old son and I did the experiments together and he couldnt wait come home from school and see what we got to do next, this book was well written and makes learning and teaching how weather works fun and interesting for everyone. I loved it so much I bought a copy for his teacher.... This a a must have if you have children!

Clue in to "The Weather Detectives"
I love "The Weather Detectives"!! It has a clever plot--three globe-trotting kids who keep getting caught in extreme storms. The main character, Brian Bronson, reminds me of Encyclopedia Brown or The Great Brain. My children (ages 16,15,13,and 11)enjoyed reading it and my two youngest have especially enjoyed doing the experiments from the book. "The Weather Detectives" is a great tool for helping kids understand how our weather works and what conditions produce certain kinds of weather--like tornados, hurricanes, and thunderstorms--especially when they can do the experiments and make it a hands-on learning experience. I wish we'd had this book when a couple of my kids did weather units in science! The only thing I wonder is: where are these kids' parents and why are they letting them run around the world without supervision?! ... Read more

Book Description

There's nothing better than being a mad scientist -- at least according to Franny. So she's making in her mission to help her classmates discover their own inner mad scientists. All Franny needs for her latest experiment is a few volunteers, a half-completed two-headed robot, and an invisibility potion. Only this experiment just might prove to be Franny's most difficult. What do you do when your classmates don't know anything about mad science and there's a doubly dumb robot running amok to prove it?

... Read more

Book Description

You can shine no matter what you're made of.

Rodney Copperbottom arrives in Robot City to find corruption and chaos everywhere. Will he be able to find his hero, Bigweld, and turn the city around, or will the evil Ratchet prove to be too much for a young robot from the country? Join Rodney and his friends, the Rusties, on their quest to save the city and in their fight to save themselves.

Relive the excitement of the big-screen adventure with this photo-packed storybook!

Book Description

Mr. Wizard (a.k.a. Don Herbert) presents more than 100 super-simple, simply sensational science experiments and tricks using everyday items available in the supermarket. Kids learn how to turn water into wine, use their finger to boil water, plunge a straw through a raw potato, slice the inside of a banana without slicing the outside, and much, much more! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great for kids
This book is filled with neat experiments and tricks. I think it would be perfect for children who are not interested in science. Easy instructions, common ingredients, nicely illustrated. Don't you want to know how to get an egg in a bottle?

A life saver!
It was 9:30 pm on a Thursday evening when my sixth grader casually announced that he had a science project due - the next morning! He had to produce a homemade musical instrument. My suggestion of a toilet roll kazoo didn't cut it. Mr. Wizard to the rescue! Using a ruler,a pencil, some dressmaking pins and an empty cigar box I happened to have been saving, just in case, he put together a delicate "piano" which earned an A. The science teacher said he'd never seen one before! Thank you Mr. Wizard for writing a book which uses things that you can readily find about the house and which explains why they work. ... Read more

Book Description

After Ms. Frizzle takes her class to visit a beekeeper, the Magic School Bus mysteriously vibrates, shrinks, and flies right into a beehive. And when Ms. Frizzle tells everyone to "be a bee", the adventure begins. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

More Science!
My son is 4 years old and we read to him a lot. Now, before bed, he announces, "Mom, you know what kind of book to read....ONLY SCIENCE!" He loves science, and the Magic School Bus is a great, fun way to introduce it, even to a preschooler!

Beekeeper's Review
Kids (of all ages) ask the darndest things. When we work fairs or are identified as beekeepers in public, we are bomberded with basic questions regarding honeybees. This book was bought for my mother as much as for my brother's son. He asks her questions difficult to answer without pictures, "How do bees make wax...?" This book goes into enough detail to answer all the "How do...?'s" likely to come up regarding honeybees. A fine book for any child interested in insects. Also a good selection to temper the fears of those children that may fear bees. The pages are a little busy, otherwise would have gotten 5 stars.

Once again, Magic School Bus hits the mark!
The full details in this book are simple enough to keep children's interests (mine are ages 4 and 8) but still provide more data than even I knew. The subject matter is of particular interest to kids, not only because bees are encountered nearly every day, but this book helps this overcome the fear that some children have of bees by showing them as peaceful, otherwise occupied and busy creatures. Don't miss this, or any other Magic School Bus book if you have kids! ... Read more

Book Description

A tree stands on a hill by a river. As the sky changes, so does the tree, its branches filling with clouds, stars, snow, birds, mists, and the golden spring sun. One tree can mean many things.

Thomas Locker's lyrical text records the changes in the tree's world just as simply as a child might observe them, and his magnificent paintings crystallize the natural phenomena that embellish the tree on each page. Questions at the bottom of each page lead to a unique discussion in the back of the book, where art and science are intertwined, and further depth is added to the wonder of Sky Tree.

Reviews (5)

Teaching Science Through Art
The artist Thomas Locker studies a tree through a year. The paintings are beautiful. Realism never looked so good in a children's book before.

One to look at over and over again.
I read this book with my 3 year old. The questions were over his head, but he still loved it. By simply discussing the pictures he learned about seasons, weather, the life cycle of a tree, and how painting techniques contribute to the mood of a piece of art.

Sky Tree is a beautiful book
I absolutely love Thomas Locker's art and share his love of trees. Each page of this book presents the same tree in a different light or season. Candance Christiansen's scientific and teaching background add good information to Locker's books. However, for me, it's still Locker's beautiful oil paintings that are the primary draw.
His painting of the tree with a night sky transports me to Georgia O'Keeffe's tree at night or Van Gogh's Starry Night. I'd have been just as thrilled with it at 3 as I am at 53.

SKY TREE
This is one of the most awesome books I have discovered for children in a long time. The pictures are wonderful, the questions asked about the pictures are pertinent and thought provoking, and the notes in the back of the book are great!
I found this book in our school library, brought it home to share with my granddaughter, and she was fascinated! I am purchasing this book for my family library! Kudos to the author and illustrator!

Beautiful illustrations of trees. Articulate descriptions.
I used this book for a language arts lesson for 3rd grade. Students were able to illustrate the tree based on the description alone! The illustrations are spectacular and students were in awe. Excellent book to have in your library in school or at home! ... Read more

Book Description

Learn to Read with Bob!

Children can build their reading skills and their Bob the Builder^™ library with this boxed set of six Ready-to-Read stories. And better yet, they can bring these books with them wherever they go! ... Read more

Book Description

Adam Anderson is no ordinary twelve-year-old. He's a whiz at science, which is why everybody calls him Einstein. He enjoys playing baseball and telling bad jokes. But more than anything, he loves to solve mysteries by using his broad knowledge of science.

Now you can match wits with Einstein as he unravels ten baffling mind-bogglers. His caseload includes all kinds of puzzlers -- from a far-out Frisbee, a hypnotized frog, and some 'crying rocks to an extraterrestrial from cyberspace and a creature beneath the ice. All the clues you need to solve the mysteries are in the stories, and each solution is based on well-known scientific principles.So pick up your magnifying glass, get ready for some fun-filled adventures and may the best scientist win! ... Read more