Genius

Genius: a Photobiography of Albert Einstein	National Geographic
Written by Marfé Ferguson Delano	2005
Biography	64 pages
Reading Level ages 9-12

Summary

Albert was a good student in his studies but didn’t pay attention to subjects that seemed boring to him. He learned mostly on his own, reading math books at increasingly harder levels. He was left in Germany to continue school while his family moved for business. He dropped out before he was seventeen. He hated the military structure and rote memorization and didn’t want to be drafted into the army once he was old enough. He enrolled in a university and took math classes and many physics. He was engaging and entertained his friends with his violin and deep thoughtful questions. He almost didn’t pass the tests because he didn’t attend classes believing that science isn’t dull theories that have been proven for years. He believed it to be living aspect of life. He married and had two sons, who he called his little bears. He eventually became withdrawn from his family, leading into a divorce. He gave his Nobel Prize money to his wife and children as promised years before he ever received it. He wrote four papers that changed the thinking of science. The first was photoelectric, theorizing that light has the same protons that are within element’s atoms. The second was the mathematical formula for the movement of the atoms in a zigzag motion solidified the Brownian motion theory. The third was a question he had been pondering for years, relativity of light from the perspective of the light. He found that energy is the same as the mass multiplied by the speed of light squared. The last major paper was the combination of space and time, where light bended around objects. Scientists measured the positions of stars behind the sun and proved his theory correct. He was seen as a science celebrity and spent a lot of his time traveling, speaking in conferences and signing autographs. He died from an appendix rupture at the age of 76 on April 18, 1955.

Reaction

I loved reading more into the personal life of Einstein. I learned many things I didn’t know. The photographs added to the book as well as the quotes from his wife, friends, and his own words. It was fascinating to see the political side and how passionate he was against fighting and the German acts against the Jews.

Potential Problems

There are some complex theories that were difficult to follow even when they were translated to be easier understood.

Recommendations

I would recommend this book to students who look up to Einstein and his works and interested in modern applications of his theories and laws.

An American Plague

An American Plague: the true and terrifying story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793	Houghton Mifflin Books
Written by Jim Murphy	2003
Nonfiction	140 pages
Reading Level ages 12-15	Newberry, National Book, and Sibert Awards

Summary

In 1793, when the French Revolution had refugees flocking to the states and calling on Washington for support against the English, there started to be one of the worst yellow fever outbreaks. Philadelphia is a port city where ships came to deliver their goods from all across the world. At first there was a selected area near the wharf and the sewage runoff that was affected and isolated to that one area. No one took notice until the tolling church steeple seemed to be ringing constantly. Doctors gathered and collaborated on what the malady was and how to cure the patients that were dying at an alarming rate. The residents of the town became more concerned and started fleeing the town. Even Washington evacuated and stayed at Mount Vernon. He believed it would only be for a short time and left his legal important papers in the state building. This led to trouble when a problem arose about an English seized ship by the French in an American harbor. Those eventually left were those too sick to help themselves. They died where they were, often without relief and lay there for days before workers carted them away to the gravesite. Doctors urged the homes to aired with gunpowder and vinegar and the body smothered in noxious fumes to help the humors keep balance. Those days, cures were more mild and helped with the symptoms rather than solving the disease. One Doctor believed in bleeding and having patients consume a vile combination that caused violent bowel movements and vomiting. As more were dying in their homes, some of the committee elected others to be over the Burn Hill place where the extremely sick were sent. The conditions were terrible and the building was more like a human slaughter house or waiting at death’s doorstep than a hospital. The Free African Society were some of the ones not affected as much as the white citizens, since some of them experienced the disease in Africa and built up defense against it that slowly deteriorated. The society became nurses and helped those in need. They were paid a dollar a visit and cleaned the homes, people and did what was called for. It became so dire that their time was auctioned off up to five dollars, which was a lot of money then. Also, farmers in the surrounding field refused to deliver food to the town and would not accept any more people fleeing from the city. Israel Israel was important in forming the Orphan society taking in children and caring for them. There soon were almost 200 children under the care of the institution. After the winter slowed the death count, some began to move back but were still aware of any one that appeared sick in any way. There were many books that were printed giving accounts and lists of those who died and what might have caused the disease. It was believed to have something to do with the mix of drinking water and outhouses but was discredited. They created the first water system in America, which allowed them to be more cleanly and not have to pump their water. There were studies experimented with mosquitoes, based on the fact that there were bite like welts on the affected people’s arms. He found that they carried the disease and affected others through their bites. Mosquitoes were observed during the plague to be prevalent in the standing waters and could be killed by adding a layer of oil to the surface of the water. This alone would have saved thousands of lives over the course of the months of the high death rates. There was a massive campaign to eradicate the mosquitoes and any breeding grounds that might be available. Even with most of the mosquitoes killed off, there are some still alive and have evolved against the method used to kill them. The virus also has evolved and is different to that in 1793, meaning that no one is immune to it and its effects.

Reaction

I thought this was well organized with sufficient eyewitness accounts and newspaper articles that balanced each other and kept me interested. I liked the portraits and description of the people and the quotes from their journals.

Potential Problems

This is about a plague that affected an entire city and had a death toll in the thousands. It is very descriptive and truthful in the accounts given.

Recommendations

I would be careful who I would recommend this book. It might be a book for students learning about diseases and the spread of them across the continents and the affects it has on people that are not immune to the disease.

Ice Story

Ice Story: Shackelton’s Lost Expedition	Houghton Mifflin Books
Written by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel	1999
Nonfiction/Biography	115 pages
Reading Level ages 8-12

Summary

Ernest Shackelton set off with a crew of 29 for Antarctica. His goal was to journey across the entire continent. They set off in 1914 and have been on the sea for a month and a half when their ship, Endurance became shuck fast in the ice. They stay with the ship, moving the dogs to igloo kennels to create room on the ship. The crew waits for spring in order for the floe to melt and free them. But as it nears spring, the ice doesn’t release them but starts to crush the ship. The ice floe in front of them hit the continent and was building back to where they were held fast. Schackelton ordered the ship be abandoned and in three days it was crushed and slowly sank as the ice moved. The crew kept light spirits by playing cards, games of ice soccer and performing plays. The ice was treacherous and hard to cross. They only traveled a mile in one day. They create two other camps on their way to the Antarctic land: Ocean Camp and Patience Camp. They were journeying inward because there was a cache of supplies left and they needed food and shelter for the coming winter months. The way was too difficult, so Shackelton had the men wait and ready to go in an instant, when the ice broke and they could load into their row boats and travel faster. Even when they were in the boats, the unpredictable ocean within the floe was harrowing. There were three boats and soon became soaked as water was sloshed into their boats. They finally made it to Elephant Island, where they decided to stay. They were the first people believed to land on the island. It was decided that Shackelton and five other men would take a boat and row to the closest whaling island, Saint Georgia some 800 miles away. They outfitted the boat with wood and sails from the other boats to make it as weather able as possible. It took them little more than two weeks of miserable, water soaked nights to arrive on the south west side of the island. The port was on the north east and the only way was through the mountain passes no one had ever climbed. Shackelton and two of the crew set off for the mountain peaks, leaving three behind who were unable to continue. At the top of the pass after all day climbing, the three faced a near shear drop. They didn’t have time to find another way as they had been searching most of the afternoon with no option and it would soon be too dark to see. The tree of them tobogganed down taking two minutes to reach the bottom. They laughed with relief and pent up adrenaline. They walked into the city, not recognized by anyone for having almost a year without bathing. Shackelton sent a boat to pick up the three on the other side of the island and elected a boat to rescue the rest of his stranded crew. The first three attempts had to be abandoned since the ice floe was too thick and could not be broken through. Shackelton became almost frantic to save the rest of his men, fearing that not many would be left to rescue. After three months of being gone from Elephant Island, the ship Yelcho was able to slip through a clear path in the ice. Shackelton arrived in a boat to the sound of shouts and waving arms. None of his crew had died. They had survived on seal ‘hoosh’ and believing he would come each new day. The crew wanted to show him all the accommodations they had made in his absence, but Shackelton was worried the safe passage between the ice would close and hurried them onto the boat. They all arrived home safely after two years being gone as heroes. Shackelton never was able to return to Antarctica. He suffered from a heart attack in Saint Georgia while taking supplies for another journey south. He was buried there in January 1922.

Reaction

I loved reading this book. The pictures tell the story and add to the accounts and facts that were presented. The amazing journey and trials kept me interested and worried about the outcome. It is incredible that the worst suffered were lost toes to frostbite. It is a great true story.

Potential Problems

The crew was abandoned for several months and had to kill their dogs to eat and hunted seals to survive.

Recommendations

I would recommend this book to those who love learning about true adventure stories and about explorations of intriguing and exciting places.

Bad News for Outlaws

Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal Written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson Carolrhonda Books 2009
Biography 40 pages Reading Level ages 9-12
Summary
Bass grew up in the south as slave in Texas to Colonel George Reeves. Bass loved horses and was skilled with a rifle. He even accompanied his master in fighting the Civil War. Bass eventually ran to Indian Territory and started a family in Arkansas. Out west there were plenty places for outlaws to hide from the law. All the new settlers moving in wanted protection from the bandits and robbers. Bass signed up to be a U.S. Deputy Marshal under the direction of Judge Parker. Bass soon became to best marshal around. He was quick with his gun and could use his left was well as his right. Being raised as a slave, Bass couldn’t read the warrants and had Judge Parker read them to him. He would memorize the descriptions and always bring the correct criminal to justice. He usually had more than one warrant, at one time he brought in seventeen prisoners. He was a good man and saved shooting until the last resort. He would often use disguises to find his targets. He was dedicated and took his time in planning each capture. He pretended to be a farmer, cowboy and even an outlaw looking for partners. He had a strong sense of right and even turned his son in for murdering his wife. Bass was a deputy for thirty years until Oklahoma became a state. He had arrested more than anyone, upwards of three thousand criminals. He was never wounded and only killed fourteen men, who wouldn’t give up without a fight. He was over seventy when state lawmen took over the new state. He still worked with the police force and for the two years he served, no crimes were committed in his area. He died from Bright’s disease on January 12, 1910.
Reaction
I loved this. It was informational, but had an interesting subject and supporting paintings. It was well organized and used shorter sentences rather than droning on and becoming too long. Each paragraph had a bolded first sentence which led into the topic covered on that page. It was quick and easy to follow and I learned a lot in those few pages.
Potential Problems
There is a painting of Bass looking over Webb in the first few pages. He was a lawman and had to shoot those who tried to kill him.
Recommendations
I would recommend this book to students who love reading about the Wild West and the heroes that aren’t well known. This would be a great book to start a unit on early U.S. law or settling the Indian Territory.

Tracking Trash

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion	Houghton Mifflin Books
Written by Loree Griffin Burns	2007
Nonfiction	56 pages
Reading Level ages 9-12

Summary

This is all about the studies Curt Ebbsmeyer has observed and created. He studies the flow of trash and objects that fall into the sea, mainly from crates that fall off cargo ships on route. Dr. Curt’s assistants are mainly volunteers that work to keep the ocean clean with fundraisers and beach trash collecting events. It all started when his mother found an article about sneakers floating up on the west coast. There were thousands of them. He asked around and beachcombers from all over were calling him with their shoe finding serial numbers. He was able to find the exact ship that lost the shoe shipment and track the path the shoes took to end up on the beaches. In the old days currents were tracked by sealed messages in a bottle marking the location in longitude and latitude. Now there are floating satellite trackers that are monitored by computers. These were very expensive and through they were useful, when the batteries died, they weren’t replaced. Another spill was recorded of bath toys: ducks, beavers, frogs and turtles. He started researching the details and predicted where and when the floating objects would start to arrive on the beaches. The bath toys arrived earlier than the shoes would have if they were released at the same time. The shoe would be weighed down and be partially submerged, flowing with the currents. But the rubber ducks floated mostly above the water, so they are susceptible to the wind current and pushed faster than the shoe just being moved by the water movement. There is an area that Curt and his other scientists observed. In between Hawaii and the coast of California, there is a Garbage patch. The currents were keeping the plastic pieces trapped within that area as big as Alaska. They found six pounds of plastic trash for every pound of zooplankton, microscopic animals. Plastic is one of the most durable elements and why it stays in the system longer than any pollutant. Another study estimated the number of mammals dying each year due to plastic either ingestion or strangulation is 100,000. This realization prompted Curt to establish beach cleaning clubs and being aware of what you are throwing away, to recycle more.

Reaction

It was a fascinating read. I was surprised how long plastic stays in the ocean and how large the Garbage patch was. It was interesting with enough pictures to explain the information in the text.

Potential Problems

There are pictures of dead animals. It is to show the harm that is caused by the large amounts of plastic and floating nets in the ocean.

Recommendations

I would recommend this book to students who are interested in learning more about ocean’s currents and ways to do their part to be more environment friendly.

Henry's Freedom Box

Henry’s Freedom Box: a true story from the Underground Railroad	Scholastic Press
Written by Ellen Levine	2002
Nonficiton	64 pages
Reading Level ages 5-8	Caldecott Award

Summary

Henry was a slave on a plantation. All his brothers and sisters worked there. His mother talked about how things changed and about the tree leafs falling away from the tree. His master was dying and called Henry to his beside. Henry hoped he would be set free, but he was given to the master’s son to work in his tobacco factory. Henry had to leave all his brothers and sisters to work in the factory. All day he twisted tobacco leaves. He was whipped if he didn’t follow directions or moved too slow. One day, he was walking through the town and met a woman, Nancy. She was shopping for her mistress. They soon married and had two children. Nancy’s master had lost money in an investment and Nancy was worried their children would be sold to pay his debt. One day Henry heard that his family was sold. They were taken away to a new master and he never saw his family after that. He was dead inside. He still worked and twisted the tobacco plants, but he did nothing else. After a time, he became aware of the birds again and thought of being free. He talked to a friend and Dr. Smith who agreed to go along with his plan. They created a box that he would be shipped to freedom. He was sent by wagon, ship and train to arrive finally in Philadelphia. He was a free man at last.

Reaction

I liked this book .The pictures are amazing with detail and a good portrayal of emotions. I didn’t realize he was older when he was freed. The cover makes it seem like he was very small when he was shipped to freedom.

Potential Problems

It would be difficult for young children to understand the concept of selling human beings and the slave trade.

Recommendations

This would be a good introduction to the slave era in our history and the Underground Railroad movement that helped runaway slaves arrive safely to the north.

Force and Motion

Force and Motion	Eyewitness Books
Written by Peter Lafferty	1992
Nonfiction	63 pages
Reading Level ages 8-11

Summary

This is an informational book with many facts about science and different forces and mechanisms that create easier work for us. My favorite page was on pressure and flow. It described how birds were able to get lift by the shape of their wings. Bernoulli was a Swiss mathematician that found the principle of as a flow of liquid or gas increases, it creates lower pressure. Since the bird’s wings are curved, the air above the wing is going faster than the wind moving beneath the wing. This faster moving air forms lower pressure that allows birds to experience lift and flight. Another page was on giant vibrations. It was all about music and how different lengths created different frequencies that translated into different sounds. It described resonance. Resonance is in everything. It is why a class can be exploded. If the resonance created is at the same frequency as the object, it will start to vibrate and eventually cannot hold the oscillations or movement and breaks. This can happen to bridges. In science we learned about the Tacoma Bridge that collapsed because there was a steady wind moving at the same natural frequency as the bridge. This can also happen with ski chair lifts, which is why they shut the lifts down on extremely windy days. Another interesting fact was a pair of Roman scissors. They are created by one metal piece that has fatter, sharp edges on one side and thin middle. It is bent on itself and creates shears. These are a type of lever. The tow cutting pieces revolve around the fulcrum, which is the point of rotation. The effort to use these scissors is less than if it was two separate pieces of metal with the force created by putting them manually together.

Reaction

It was a great book with amazing facts and examples to different types of force and information on the scientists that came up with the theories or laws of force.

Potential Problems

There is a lot of information that may be overwhelming to younger age children.

Recommendations

I would recommend this book to students who enjoy learning interesting facts on how things work and about science that is in everyday life.