While there were a number of interesting anecdotes about minor characters in the book, I finished it feeling like I really didn't learn much about Ella, Franco, or Paraguay. Very disappointing.
Women in Physics by Mary Wissinger is the third book in the Science Wide Open series about female scientists from different eras and countries. According to the back cover, the book is aimed at ages 7-10 (although the author's stated range on her website of 4-8 is more appropriate). This book is about five women physicists, but only Marie Curie (1867-1934) was familiar to me. I had no idea Marie's daughter Irène Joliot-Curie (1897-1956) was also a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, nor was I familiar with the other three women: Émilie du Châtelet (1706-1749), Laura Bassi (1711-1778), and Chien-Shiung Wu (1912-1997).
Each scientist is introduced with a typical question related to physics that a child might ask, such as "Why do things fall down?" and "Can I catch force?" The question is answered by highlighting the work of each woman. At the end, the reader is reminded that scientists make hypotheses, conduct experiments, and observe the results.
There's a pronunciation guide for the scientists' names, as well as a two-page glossary. In a book of this size (37 pages), neither a table of contents nor an index are necessary. The vibrant illustrations by Danielle Pioli are engaging. Now published by Science, Naturally, the series was developed by Genius Games, a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) publishing company, and were originally funded with a highly successful Kickstarter campaign. These books are also available in Spanish, and would be a great addition to a classroom or school library. A teacher's guide will also be available.
Ridgeline by Michael Punke - early reviewer, historical fiction, advance reader edition. I requested this book from the Early Reviewers program because it was described as historical fiction, but I wasn't sure how I was going to like it, being that the subject was the war between the Army and the Native Americans in the American West. I found this book to be fascinating and engaging, and hard to put down. Michael Punke, who spent three summers as a teen working at the Fort Laramie National Historic Site as a living history interpreter (something I used to do in college at a nearby Texas state historic site), told the story of the Fetterman Fight (aka Fetterman Massacre aka the Battle of the Hundred-in-the-Hands) from multiple viewpoints. Those include the Oglala Lakota Sioux chief and warrior Red Cloud and Crazy Horse respectively; Colonel Henry Carrington, commander and builder of Fort Phil Kearny in Wyoming; other soldiers under his command involved in the massacre (or the events leading up to or following it); the wife of one of those men; and famous scout Jim Bridger. I knew nothing about the Fetterman Fight before reading this book, and I appreciated the different insights. In an author's note at the end of the book, Punke identifies what is fact and what is fiction, and makes suggestions for further reading. One book definitely on my list now is Punke's The Revenant. I'm passing Ridgeline on to my adult son, a military history buff who I know will enjoy it.
© Amanda Pape - 2021
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