Book of Totally Irresponsible Science

Biblio Bits The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science: 64 Daring Experiments for Young Scientists by Sean Connolly, Workman Publishing, 2008 (ISBN 9780761150206)

Reading Level/Interest Age Ages 9+

Genre Nonfiction, Science

Plot Summary

The title of this book pretty much says it all: it's a book of science experiments for young scientists (and their responsible adults). The book is organized into chapters: "Core Concerns," "Harnessing the Elements," "Food for Thought," "How Moving!", "A Lot of Hot Air," "100% Natural," and "Mad Science." The titles of each experiment are clever and eye-catching, like "The Rubber Chicken Bone" which is all about acids and bases and the importance of calcium. Each experiment gives a brief introduction, a detailed list of necessary supplies, a section called "Take Care" with any safety precautions, step-by-step instructions for the experiment, and the scientific principle the experiment demonstrates. The book has a vintage look and fun photos and illustrations.

Critical Evaluation

Overall, this is a fun book that is great for browsing. Most of the ingredients are readily available, and might already be lurking in your pantry. There were many that were suitable for younger children, though the forward admonishes readers that all experiments should be attended by a responsible adult. The Viking Funeral (p.116) was the only experiment that seemed confusing in the instructions, otherwise the instructions were clear and we had good results on the few that we tried. There is a list of the experiments that is organized by the amount of time each one requires. But it would be helpful to have an index, particularly one that organized the experiments by scientific principle or even just into different branches of science (physics, botany, chemistry, etc.).

Reader's Annotation

It's weird and gross, it's an egg without its shell, it's slimey and gooey, it'll make your hair stand on end... it's science! (And if you make a mess in the house, it will make your parents crazy!)

Author Information

Sean Connolly has written over 50 books for children and adults on many nonfiction topics. He is the father of three children. (Information from this author biography is from the back of the book. Not much else was online about him!)

Challenge issues

Experiments may result in messes and some of them could be dangerous, though there are ample warnings about what to be cautious about in the text.

Booktalking Ideas

The best way to booktalk this book would be to have a nifty, quick experiment to show and tell, probably something that's not too messy! I might recommend The Bold Little Ball (p.120), where you have a funnel and a ping pong ball and you blow air out. It turns out you can show why an airplane can stay in the air using this experiment. I would feature other books that of science experiments, maybe feature a few books on inventions, kid inventors, and biographies of famous scientists. The theme could be "Crazy Ideas That Stuck!"

Curriculum Ties

Obviously there are many links to science units in this volume (duh, it's a book about science experiments!), such as Boyle's Law (Potato Gun, p.45), Volume (Air Cannon, p.35), the Bernoulli Effect (The Bold Little Ball, p.121), and Photosynthesis (Sunny Exposure p.155).

Why this book?
This is a great book to have in your home or library for those long summer vacations or rainy November days (like today!). It's easy to find something in these pages that you have the ingredients for already!

Awards
None.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Yes.

Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Biblio Bits The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, Henry Holt, 2009 (ISBN 9780805088410)

Reading Level/Interest Age 830 lexile/Ages 9-14

Genre Historical fiction

Plot Summary

Three older brothers, three younger brothers, and Calpurnia Tate (Callie) smack in the middle. What’s a girl to do? Set in rural Texas in 1899, and narrated by Callie, we get a view into Callie’s life on her family’s pecan and cotton plantation, told with a good dose of humor. At twelve, Callie has a lively mind and is curious about her surroundings. She wakes up extra early (to get a little quiet from all those brothers) and takes a notebook outside to record her nature observations. It turns out she’s not the only odd-ball in her family when Callie develops a friendship with her grandfather, who had been a real mystery up until that point. He kept to himself, did mysterious things behind the closed doors of his laboratory, and had a library that Callie and her brothers were forbidden from. It turns out that Grandaddy is a scientist himself, an amateur distiller and naturalist, who takes Callie under his wing, including her on his rambles through their property, examining and collecting specimens of flora and fauna, and teaching her the principles of scientific inquiry. In addition to Callie’s adventures in the natural world, there are also moments when the inventions of the time period come to the small town of Fentress, where Callie lives, such as the telephone line and a horseless carriage, giving a taste of what an exciting time this was. But when Callie’s mother decides that it’s high time Callie focus more on her domestic arts, like knitting, cooking, and needlework, she knows that her days rambling at the river are numbered.

Critical Evaluation

Calpurnia's story is an enjoyable one on many levels. Kelly does an excellent job of evoking both a historical time period and a personal time period, including the details of the time and culture, as well as Callie's own self-revelations, self-doubt, and cusping maturity. The language of the book is appropriately matched to the period, without seeming pedantic or heavy, and the flavor of Callie's narrative sparks with her humor and sense of life. There are some excellent vocabulary words sprinkled throughout, which will please the language arts teachers, and just the right amount of context to sort out their meanings. Callie's relationships with her family members develop during the course of the story, as readers come to sort out all those brothers. Of particular interest, historically, is Callie's relationship with the family's quadroon cook; Callie respects her as an almost-member of the family, but Viola is reticent to be overly-familiar. The post-emancipation period is not addressed directly, but certain details (share-cropping, short hoes in cotton farming, etc.) emerge as supporting points in the story. The "trueness" of Calpurnia's character and her internal complexity brought Anastasia Krupnik (Lois Lowry) to mind—as well as her great sense of humor. Ultimately, the ending has some uncertainty, which leaves room for speculation.

Reader's Annotation

Is there a place for Callie in the Texas of 1899, outside of the limits of sock-making for all six of her brothers, her father, AND her grandfather? Smart, clever, and inclined towards science, Callie's breaking new ground, just like the lines for the telephone wire.

Author Information

Jacqueline Kelly was born in New Zealand, raised in Vancouver (BC), and eventually moved to Texas where she attended medical school and law school. She first practiced medicine, then law, before deciding to write fiction full-time, according to her website. The had a short story published in the Mississippi Review in 2001. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is her first novel. She resides in Texas. (Information in this author biography is from the author's website.)

Challenge issues

There are plenty of people who don't believe in Darwin's theory of evolution, just as in Calpurnia's time. Also, there is maybe one, minor swear word.

Booktalking Ideas

The historical, rural setting, family antics, and humor bring to mind some booktalking "friends" for this title, such as Harris and Me (Gary Paulsen) and Our Only May Amelia (Jennifer L. Holm). It could fit equally well with some nonfiction titles, such as Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith (Deborah Heligman) and Animals Darwin Saw: An Around-the-World Adventure (Sandra Markle). Women and science would be another logical category to fit this book into.

Curriculum Ties

Science—Darwin, natural history, nature observation

Social studies—Reconstruction era, critical inventions of the period, cusp of the industrial revolution

Why this book?
A smart and spunky girl main character who is fighting against the societal norms of her time, funny dialogue and a poignant plot, and evocative description and narrative will certainly appeal to many girls and boys (who don't mind a "girly" cover). An example of historical fiction at its best.

Awards
Starred reviews in several review sources, but no awards yet.

Rockport Public Library owns?

No.