Science Rocks!

April 15, 2011
Grades 6-9 Launch a missile with a vacuum cleaner. Make a matchbox microphone. Split a sunbeam and see all the colors of the rainbow. Drum up some DNA. Grow your own germs. Physics, chemistry, biology, and human physiology are the subjects covered in this huge, lavishly illustrated volume, packed with detailed suggestions for experiments to perform at home, at school, and for science-fair projects. The tone is relaxed but never cute, with a browsable design that blends the how-to with explanations of the forces at play. For each experiment, tightly packed double-page spreads include step-by-step instructions, digital images, colored screens and diagrams, lists of equipment needed, discussions of connections to science around us (why salt the ice on the road?), and, wherever necessary, danger symbols with warnings to have an adult present. A sidebar names the scientific principle, with occasional profiles of famous scientists and their breakthroughs. Even with all that, many readers will want to go further, and this will spark their curiosity to find out more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)