The Story of Science

Starred review from December 1, 2005
Gr 7 Up -In this second book in the series, Hakim introduces students to the great scientific minds of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and others. Teachers will find anecdotal information to enliven their lessons; browsers will be fascinated by the sidebars and captioned illustrations that enhance the text or show related information. The detailed index makes finding specific individuals, theories, or inventions easy. In an easy, conversational style, the author speaks directly to readers, opening with, -Read this book and you'll know more science than Isaac Newton did. - Full-color illustrations, reproductions, or other graphics appear on almost every page. A tremendous amount of research went into this volume and reading it will greatly increase students' understanding of the history and discovery of scientific theory and invention. Because of its size and weight, this title will need to be booktalked. Put it into the hands of science students who are eager to read beyond the brief snippets found in less comprehensive books." -Kathy Lehman, Thomas Dale High School Library, Chester, VA"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2005
Gr. 7-10. In the second volume of a planned six-book series, Hakim surveys the interlocked histories of early modern astronomy, physics, mathematics, and chemistry--from the invention of printing to the discovery of radioactivity at the end of the nineteenth century. This is a lot of territory to cover, and particularly with respect to the explosion of research in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Hakim introduces so many major figures, in such rapid succession, that they aren't always easy to keep straight--despite a number of piquant biographical tidbits. Furthermore, her main narrative is surrounded by such an array of marginal glosses, explanations, examples, and experiments, in various typefaces, that it sometimes seems to intrude on rather than unite the material. Still, her animated discourse lends immediacy to every breakthrough, and this outing, though overstuffed, should be considered essential reading for its elucidation of difficult concepts, unfailingly relevant diagrams and illustrations, and engaging portraits of individuals caught up in a whirl of world-altering insights into what makes the universe tick. An annotated resource list is appended.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)