Painless Chemistry

March 1, 2012

Gr 8 Up-Chen makes basic chemistry accessible to students who might otherwise find the topic boring or challenging. The text starts with a brief introduction that elucidates the chemical processes involved in making and digesting a cake. It is followed by 10 chapters that include matter, the periodic table of the elements, mixtures, nuclear reactions, and more. Each section concludes with a numbered set of both multiple choice and open-ended questions to test readers' knowledge. (Answers are provided a few pages later.) Boxed areas appear throughout the text to offer memorization hints and cautions. Each chapter concludes with a "Wrapping Up" segment that offers a bulleted list of key points. The book also includes free access to the Painless Chemistry app. The explanations of chemical processes are clear without being oversimplified and should be accessible to most students. Simple graphics, like charts and tables, appear throughout. The text and images are done in two colors: black and shades of red. Headings and key words are also in red. This would be a handy supplemental resource for chemistry students.-Maren Ostergard, King County Library System, Issaquah, WA

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