middle grade Archives - Page 346 of 370

nuclearphysicistchienshiungwu

Nuclear Physicist Chien-Shiung Wu (Stem Trailblazer Bios)
by Valerie Bodden (Author)

Booktalk: Growing up in China, Chien-Shiung Wu enjoyed learning about science. As an adult, she earned her PhD in physics and made a discovery that changed the field forever.

Wu came to the United States to study physics. Soon she was a sought-after physics professor. As an expert in the field, she left teaching to work on secret government programs. She even helped disprove a major law of physics. But how did she get there? Find out how Wu’s persistence drove her contributions in the field of physics.

Snippet: After reading hundreds of pages of research, the scientists found that the law of conservation of parity had never been proved through experiments.

Wu did not think the law was likely to be disproved. But without experimental results, they might never know if the law held up. So Wu spent months designing an experiment to test it. She created much of the equipment for the experiment herself.

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

scariestever-small
Scariest Stories Ever Told
by Roberta Simpson Brown (Author)

Booktalk: This spooky collection of haunting stories from the “Queen of Cold Blooded Tales”, Roberta Simpson Brown, may well be The Scariest Stories Ever Told. These chilling tales are filled with familiar themes to make anyone feel safe – the grouchy old teacher, a family telling one another ghost stories in an old cabin, well meaning yet clueless parents – but jam packed with enough ghouls, ghosts, and menacing spirits to give anyone the chills. The Scariest Stories Ever Told includes over 13 contemporary tales featuring children tackling (and sometimes getting tackled by) their fears. Meet sinister characters like the stick man, the shadows and the feathered thing. Take a peak at the haunted well, check out the school locker portal to the “other side” and buck up your courage to visit the creepy costume party. Children will love seeing characters their age confront sinister creatures and work up the courage to explore supernatural occurrences in everyday life. No one is safe when the “Queen of Cold Blooded Tales” is around so be advised to make sure the lights are on and the doors are locked before opening this book.

Snippet:
Don’t Open that Locker

“What does that have to do with my locker?” asked Nora.

“What they caught on tape was a small ghostly figure that sailed in front of the camera, flew down the hall, and disappeared into this locker!” she said. “Some kids think this locker might be a portal.”

“What’s a portal?” asked Nora.

“It’s an opening between this world and the next,” explained Mia. “Something could be waiting in that locker and pull you right into the next world. Some kids think that’s what happened to that girl who disappeared last year. They think that is her ghost caught on the security camera.”