Jeannine AtkinsRessenyes

Gr 5 Up—In this lyrical biographical novel in verse, Atkins shines a light on the struggles and accomplishments of
physicist Lise Meitner, who was instrumental in the discovery of nuclear fission but was never fully credited for it.
Compelling imagery and stirring verses excellently capture Meitner's contributions, which are hidden no more.

Thoroughly researched and intimately imagined, this is a novel in verse about Lise Meitner, the Austrian physicist who discovered nuclear fission, a discovery that was used to create the atomic bomb during WWII. After a 30-year career in Berlin, Lise left under false papers in 1938, making her way to Sweden, and later, Cambridge, England.

Back matter: Author's note, timeline, biographical notes on friends and colleagues, selected bibliography

Quotes

What happens if you try to split the invisible?
...
Being almost invisible doesn't keep someone safe. (10)

...somebody has to go first to make things fair. (29)

Science is beautifully built on facts,
but some shift as knowledge grows....
What's hidden may have more power
than what we see. (55)

Someone else can decide how to use what she finds. (66)

She doesn't want to complain.
She was taught that a woman must appear
not to need money, food, or anger,
which can be part of ambition. (70)

It's foolish to try to blend in, to believe
one can swap hiding one's history for safety. (93)

I just wish people wouldn't make up things
and call them fact. (102)

Dictators hate science...
facts get in the way of their lies. (138)

Is there a difference between hate and fear? (171)

There's no point in calling ourselves scientists
if we don't tell the truth. (172)

Now that it seems almost impossible to get out, Lise knows she must. (184)

This land [Sweden] caught her from a fall,
but gratitude is a pulse, not solid ground. (201)

Once one person names something, it can be simple for others to see too. (216)

What use is the past if we don't let it teach us? (252)

With math as their main tool, they story of seven different women and their different stories is told. Their world changing innovation is told through vibrant inspiring poetry. This book is empowering to girls as they learn about women who have accomplished amazing feats with math.

This book is all about women in history who have made advances in both math and science. This is a great book to have in a classroom for girls to read and see that there are a lot of women in STEM and a lot have discovered things. I will definitely have this book in my classroom to inspire young women to work in STEM.

The plus here: learning about the existence and art of Edmonia Lewis. The minus -- well, the verse form leaves a lot to the imagination -- which makes it a reasonable choice for a figure whom much is unknown, but is frustrating in its slender narrative.

Finding Wonders is an amazing book written in a way that strengths the reading skills of the reader. This is a great book to have in the classroom as it is told in vibrant, evocative poems. This book spreads the joy of discovery and finding wonder within the world surrounding us. Helping students explore creative forms of writing, while gaining inspiration from the three young girls who learn about who grow up to be ground breaking scientist. Thus, making this a perfect book to have within the classroom or to read as inspiration to students who may be struggling to feel confident in their skills, capabilities or love for science.

One day Aani is resting against her favorite tree when she hears the unfamiliar roar of trucks. She alerts the village women, the eldest of whom says the sounds are made by men from the city who have come to cut down the trees.

This book, written in novel-in-verse, is the story of seven remarkable women who overcame obstacles to study and excel in the fields of math and science. The inspirational women were integral in making significant advancements in their fields of study that are typically considered male dominated fields. One of the women featured in the book is Katherine Johnson, the African American woman who fought against racism and segregation to become one of the most important figures in NASA and literally calculated by hand the formulas for the trajectory to the moon that enabled the historic Apollo moon landing. This book would be great for a math or science classroom to show students, especially young girls, that math and science is not just for boys and that they can feel empowered by the ones who have paved the road for them to follow, or better yet to find new roads and discoveries of their own.

This book tells of seven women who overcame the odds and made discoveries and history. By using poetry, the stories convey a well-informative and creative message for young girls. I recommend for any STEM educators who want to encourage young girls the importance of patience and challenges in a male-dominated field.

Edmonia Lewis was the first professional African-American sculptor, active in the U.S. and Italy during mid- to late-1800s. This fictionalized biography in verse elaborates on what little is known of the life of this largely unknown and unheralded artist, from her upbringing among the Chippewa and her time at Oberlin College, to studying sculpture in Rome and exhibiting her work at the 1876 World's Fair in Philadelphia. Hers is a life of many question marks, and it is a shame we know so little about her. Readers who are inspired to find out more about her work will not be disappointed.

The story of three scientist woman who thought beyond what they were taught. Maria Merian , Mary Anning and Maria Mitchell biographies stories of being interested in insects , landforms and outer space are each told in the book at different times in life and locations. The book is told in vibrant poems to give some the wonderful creative outlook of these women and their idea of behind science. This will connect in class when learning about poetry style and diversity story telling . Also when learning about insects , landforms and outer-space in science classes.

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This reads a bit like three short novellas, since each girl's story doesn't overlap with the others. The verse is pretty, but the stories felt a little slow. I think for the right reader, this would work well, and I also think it would be a great choice for someone who needs a biography even though some elements are fictionalized based on extrapolating from known information. There's a great bibliography at the end. (Also, my favorite story to read was the one about Maria Mitchell because I love stars.)

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I will be honest, I was not sure about this book by Jeannine Atkins especially, since this was her first picture book, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was inspired by this story how Aani took a peaceful yet active stand for the beautiful trees in her village, remembering this was so many animals home, and for her village needed these trees to live. Aani’s heroism saved her special tree and the beloved forest. I believe when all is going wrong in the world everyone just wants peace.

Anne Hutchinson’s Way is about a woman, Anne, and her family coming from England to America because they are Puritans who want to be able to express their beliefs with others. After a very long journey to the new land, they arrive in Massachusetts Bay Colony where they meet her brother who has been there for a few months already. The whole reason for moving their family from England so that they can now share their beliefs with others and says that they are blessed with mouths and that we are to speak what we see as the truth. Anne has strong beliefs and when she was told by the Minister to stop her talks, she refused to give up in what she believed in. Anne was punished for a few months and when she was finally released, she moved her family away where they were finally at “home” and where she could continue her talks with the people around her. I think that this is a great book to read to children who are studying about this subject in social studies. I think this book will help them understand what people went through in that time period and the things they faced, and how different things are in todays world.

Warning this book may entice tears. Lauren is a young girl who recently lost her beloved uncle. She and several other families come together to create a quilt in memory honoring him while sharing stories.

What a nice surprise this book about Abigail ‘May’ Alcott turned out to be. She was the one portrayed as ‘Amy’ in Louisa May Alcott’s book Little Women, the youngest sister who gave up her dream of becoming an artist when she married the boy next door. I was glad to learn that part was pure fiction. So, how was her life different than in her sister's book? Sorry, no spoilers. but I will say her life and the art world she moved in were interesting enough that I’ve put The Other Alcott, another biographical novel about her, on my TBR list. Hope it’s as good as this one

I really enjoyed reading “Aani and The Tree Huggers” because it gave me a very new perspective and culture to think about. Normally when I think about people living in a “village” I think of poor, uneducated people who probably live in a developing country and need help. This is not the case for the women in this book. I loved that they stood up for what they believed in and stood their ground. These women were not helpless, which changed my perspective on how I should view people living in an “undeveloped” country. I also really liked this book because I found it empowering. Even though the women were scared, they cared so deeply about the environment that they lived in that they were willing to risk their lives for it. Lastly, I really loved this book because it has beautiful illustrations. I think the main message of this books is bravery and fighting for things you feel passionate about.

These prose poems give us a glimpse into the lives of three young girls who challenged their times and made amazing contributions to science. Growing up in Germany in the 1600s, superstitions make it difficult for Maria Merian to study natural creatures such as caterpillars, with locals believing they come from mud (not eggs) and that "even a good girl may turn / into a witch . . ."

Mary Anning is raised in England in the 1800s and learns to uncover small fossils from her father. But what happens when she finds the imprint of a huge "sea dragon," challenging the idea that the earth is only 6,000 years old and with no mention of animals like this in the Bible? And is spending time searching for fossils worth it when her family is starving?

Maria Mitchell grows up on Nantucket Island in the 1800s. She is financially better off than the first two girls and has a chance to study the stars, but struggles against parts of her Quaker upbringing. And having enough food doesn't prevent people she loves from leaving or dying.

Jeannine Atkins has done an excellent job researching the lives of these three young girls who would one day turn into remarkable scientists. The poetic structure and language keep the material from becoming too heavy-handed or dense, a bonus when dealing with scientific concepts.

The book begins with a quote from Maria Mitchell and I'll use it to end here:

"We especially need imagination in science. It's not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry." ~Maria Mitchell, astronomer

"Aani and the Tree Huggers" is about a girl named Aani who shows courage by protecting her village. When a village in India is visited by tree cutters, Aani tries to stop them from cutting them down. Aani explains how important trees are in her village, and how without the trees, the village will not survive. When the tree cutters fail to listen to her, Aani begins to hug a tree in hopes that they will not cut it if she is holding on to it. The village follows her lead, and the tree cutters finally leave, making Aani a hero.

This book gave a lot of details to Indian culture, including the reasoning behind the jewelry they wear, and the marks on their foreheads. The author did a good job at making the story flow, and keeping it exciting. The illustrations were vibrant, and showed expression. I think this was a very good book that shows that sometimes being courageous can be scary, but the outcome is worth it.

"Anne Hutchinson's Way," by Jeannine Atkins, was about a family that was fleeing their puritan country of England heading to the new world. Once they arrived at the new world, the mother began having meetings and speaking as a preacher. Not all of her beliefs matched the minister's so she was punished. The families were trying to adjust to the ways of the colony, but things just didn't see right or fair. No matter what, not even the punishment could stop mama from doing her meetings and teaching her children what was right and what she believed. She was punished for several months. When she was released from the room she was locked him, mama took her family and moved away where she could share her beliefs. This can teach children to stand up for what they believe in and for what they think is right. This also is about religious beliefs. This can show children of different religions that its okay to believe in different things. Stand up for what you want to believe in, even if it is different from everyone else's beliefs, even your family's.

Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science is perfect for inspiring any young girl that she can make great contributions to the world of science. The book brings three scientists to life by taking you into their every day life.