CLUES TO THE UNIVERSE by Christina Li

Clues to the Universe by Christina Li

Realistic Fiction, Astronauts & Space, Comic Books, Art, Friendship

292 pages

Description

School Library Journal (January 1, 2021)

Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-olds Ro and Benji are both having a rough start to the school year. Ro's father recently died, and her mother can no longer afford her private school tuition. Transferring to a school where she knows no one proves difficult, and overhearing conversations of students trying to guess her biracial ethnicity (she is white and Chinese) is painful. Benji, who is white, is lonely and aimless because his best friend, Amir, moved across the country. When Ro and Benji begin working on a science fair project together, an unlikely friendship is formed. While the two are very different in terms of personality and interests, they bond over the shared experience of not having a father. The combination of Ro's aptitude for science and logic and Benji's artistic talents and laid-back personality results in a good team. Soon the two are working on more than a science fair project. They are helping each other fulfill a dream that will bring them closer to their absent fathers-building the rocket Ro and her dad were going to work on together and tracking down Benji's comic book creator father. Since the story is set in the 1980s, before use of the internet was widespread, finding Benji's father is no easy task. The novel feels contemporary, so the setting may be somewhat confusing for readers who don't understand the technological limitations. Ro and Benji alternate narration, which helps the reader see their evolving perspectives of each other and provides a mechanism for telling their backstories. The book would have benefited from a stronger distinction between the two voices, though a heading at the beginning of each chapter indicates which character is speaking. It is refreshing to see a strong friendship between female and male characters depicted in a middle grade novel; it's the authenticity of this relationship that drives the heart of the story. VERDICT The message of resilience, courage, and friendship will resonate widely with young readers. Themes touched on include grief, fears, bullying, and identity, making the work highly discussable and a good candidate for classroom use.-Juliet Morefield, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR © Copyright 2021. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

My Comments
Intriguing and creative. I think it could have been a bit shorter, but still a wonderful story. Grade 4-5 seems a bit young.

 

CHASING VERMEER by Blue Balliett

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

Mystery, Art, Math

254 pages

Description

Kirkus Reviews starred (May 15, 2004)

Art, intrigue, and plenty of twists and turns make this art mystery a great read. Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay set out to find the connection between their teacher (a freewheeling constructivist teacher), the eccentric woman in their neighborhood, the bookstore owner, and an international art thief. Balliett intersperses fascinating information about Johannes Vermeer and his paintings throughout the two friends' quest to solve the mystery-a mystery layered with pentominoes (a mathematical tool consisting of 12 pieces), puzzling clues, and suspicious strangers. Helquist's detailed black-and-white chapter illustrations hold hidden messages, clues related to the pentominoes, and more puzzles. Fans of E.L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler or Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game will find equal pleasure in this debut by a talented writer. (Fiction. 11-14)

 My Comments
Timeless, fun, quick-paced mystery. It would be great to pair this with a biography of Vermeer as well as a book of his paintings. A good choice for sixth graders.

READING LIST: ART-SCIENCE GRADES 3-6

SERIES

Science for Kids series : Galileo, Newton, Einstein (all have activities as well as info)

Series: Masterpieces, artists and their works

NONFICTION

The boy who harnessed the wind

By Kamkwamba, William  Dewey: 621.4

The author details how he ignored naysayers and was able to bring electricity and running water to his Malawian village when he built a makeshift windmill out of scrap metal and spare parts.

The dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins : an illuminating history of Mr. Waterhouse Hawkins, artist and lecturer : true dinosaur story in three ages ....

By Kerley, Barbara  Dewey: 567.9

The true story of Victorian artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, who built life-sized models of dinosaurs in the hope of educating the world about what these awe-inspiring ancient animals were like.

Leonardo da Vinci : artist, inventor, and Renaissance man

By Koestler-Grack, Rachel A  Dewey: 709

Profiles the life and works of artist, sculptor, inventor, writer, and scientist, Leonardo da Vinci, and describes how much of his work became forerunners of many modern machines such as the automobile and the airplane.

Leonardo da Vinci by Barbara Witteman (biography)

Series: Masterpieces. Artists and their Work.

 Romare Bearden: Collage of Memories 
by Jan Greenberg
Recounts the life of the twentieth-century African-American collage artist who used his southern childhood. New York City, jazz, and Paris to influence his bold and meaningful art.

Starry messenger : a book depicting the life of a famous scientist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, physicist, Galileo Galilei

By Sis, Peter  Dewey: 520

Describes the life and work of Galileo who changed the way people saw the galaxy, by offering objective evidence that the earth was not the fixed center of the universe.

FICTION

Among the brave

By Haddix, Margaret Peterson  Dewey: -Fic-

In a society that allows families to have only two children, a group of third-borns tries to save themselves and others like them.

Beetle boy

By Leonard, M. G  Dewey: -Fic-

Darkus Cuttle has taken care of his father ever since his mother died, but his father vanished from a locked vault at the Natural History Museum, and now he lives with his eccentric uncle. One day he finds a large and unusually intelligent and self-aware beetle, and soon he and his two friends are caught up in a struggle to protect an intelligent super species of beetles

Benjamin Franklinstein lives!

By McElligott, Matthew  Dewey: -Fic-

While working on a science fair project, a Philadelphia school boy discovers both a secret laboratory in his basement and Benjamin Franklin, who comes to life after receiving a jolt of electricity.

Framed

By Cottrell Boyce, Frank  Dewey: -Fic-

Dylan and his sisters have some ideas about how to make Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel into a more profitable business, but it is not until some strange men arrive in their small town of Manod, Wales with valuable paintings, and their father disappears, that they consider turning to crime.

Me, Frida

By Novesky, Amy  Dewey: -Fic-

Artist Frida Kahlo finds her own voice and style when her famous husband, Diego Rivera, is commissioned to paint a mural in San Francisco, California, in the 1930s and she finds herself exploring the city on her own.

Space case

By Gibbs, Stuart  Dewey: -Fic-

"Dashiell Gibson, who lives on Moon Base Alpha, has to solve a murder of one of the moon's most prominent doctors"--Provided by publisher.

The 7 professors of the Far North

By Fardell, John  Dewey: -Fic-

Eleven-year-old Sam finds himself involved in a dangerous adventure when he and his new friends, brother and sister Ben and Zara, set off for the Arctic to try and rescue the siblings' great-uncle and five other professors from the mad scientist holding them prisoner.

Saffy's angel

By McKay, Hilary  Dewey: -Fic-

After learning that she was adopted, thirteen-year-old Saffron's relationship with her eccentric, artistic family changes, until they help her go back to Italy where she was born to find a special memento of her past.