Mathematics

Librarian Jennifer Leveck: 7 Great New STEM Middle Grade Fiction Books

Youth Services Librarian Jennifer Leveck (pictured above) knows kids and books. She works at the Franklin Avenue Branch of the Des Moines Public Library System. From preK to teen, she’s in charge of bringing the best youth programming and books to the community. We asked her to recommend some great middle grade titles with STEM elements for kids in grades 2nd-7th. Best of all, the library has copies (often multiple) of all these books.

“There are a lot more books coming out where the main character has a STEM interest–coding, gaming, scientific ways of thinking–and kids are checking them out,” Leveck noted. “Kids get excited to read about characters who like the same things they like.”

Galaxy of Sea Stars by Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo

Overview from the Publisher: A heartwarming story about family, loyalty, and the hard choices we face in the name of friendship. Eleven-year-old Izzy feels as though her whole world is shifting, and she doesn’t like it. She wants her dad to act like he did before he was deployed to Afghanistan. She wants her mom to live with them at the marina where they’ve moved instead of spending all her time on Block Island. Most of all, she wants Piper, Zelda, and herself—the Sea Stars—to stay best friends, as they start sixth grade in a new school.

Everything changes when Izzy’s father invites his former interpreter’s family, including eleven-year-old Sitara, to move into the marina’s upstairs apartment. Izzy doesn’t know what to make of Sitara―with her hijab and refusal to eat cafeteria food―and her presence disrupts the Sea Stars. But in Sitara Izzy finds someone brave, someone daring, someone who isn’t as afraid as Izzy is to use her voice and speak up for herself. As Izzy and Sitara grow closer, Izzy must make a choice: stay in her comfort zone and risk betraying her new friend, or speak up and lose the Sea Stars forever.

What Jen loves about it: “This book is about the ocean and family dynamics. Placed in a coastal town, I love that the main character’s passion is mapping the ocean floor. It’s while she is measuring depths along the coast that the story develops. This book deals with big issues: friendship, divorce, mental health issues, bullying–but the plot and STEM elements are incorporated together so well that it’s never clunky.”

The Acadia Files series by Katie Coppens and Holly Hatam

Overview from the Publisher: The book presents five summer stories, each one followed by Acadia’s science notebook pages with her simple explanations and lively, whimsical drawings of natural phenomena. The Acadia Files is a fun introduction to the wonders of science, using real-world scenarios to make scientific inquiry relatable and understandable. Parents and educators can use The Acadia Files to let kids discover for themselves what it’s like to be curious about the world and to satisfy that curiosity with scientific thinking.  

What Jen loves about it: “The design of this book is really clever. It’s set up like a scientific notebook. The main character takes an issue in life and applies the scientific method to solve problems around her. The author incorporates complex topics, like genetics, and breaks it down into little tidbits that readers understand. We’re seeing more and more visual books like this, complete with graphs and illustrations. When kids graduate from picture books or early graphic chapter books, this format makes an easy transition.”

Cog by Greg van Eekhout and Beatrice Blue

Overview from the Publisher: Five robots. One unforgettable journey. Their programming will never be the same. Wall-E meets The Wild Robot in this middle grade instant classic about five robots on a mission to rescue their inventor from the corporation that controls them all.

Cog looks like a normal twelve-year-old boy. But his name is short for “cognitive development,” and he was built to learn. But after an accident leaves him damaged, Cog wakes up in an unknown lab—and Gina, the scientist who created and cared for him, is nowhere to be found. Surrounded by scientists who want to study him and remove his brain, Cog recruits four robot accomplices for a mission to find her. Cog, ADA, Proto, Trashbot, and Car’s journey will likely involve much cognitive development in the form of mistakes, but Cog is willing to risk everything to find his way back to Gina.

What Jen loves about it: “The main character is a robot, as are most of the characters. The author does such a good job of developing characters, including one named Trashbot. As they try to escape the evil corporation holding them prisoner, you really become invested in their lives.”


Emmy in the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido

Overview from the Publisher: In this innovative middle grade novel, coding and music take center stage as new girl Emmy tries to find her place in a new school. Perfect for fans of the Girls Who Code series and The Crossover.

In a new city, at a new school, twelve-year-old Emmy has never felt more out of tune. Things start to look up when she takes her first coding class, unexpectedly connecting with the material—and Abigail, a new friend—through a shared language: music. But when Emmy gets bad news about their computer teacher, and finds out Abigail isn’t being entirely honest about their friendship, she feels like her new life is screeching to a halt. Despite these obstacles, Emmy is determined to prove one thing: that, for the first time ever, she isn’t a wrong note, but a musician in the world’s most beautiful symphony.

What Jen loves about it: “This novel is in verse, so each chapter is a short poem. Both of Emmy’s parents are musicians, so the novel starts out incorporating musical words into the story. For example, the author writes about an “allegro smile.” But Emmy doesn’t love music as much as her parents do. She likes to code. By the end of the story, the musical words transition, and she takes on a coding mindset. In addition to being a good story, it’s really helpful to follow along with someone just beginning to learn code.”


Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers by Celia C. Perez

Overview from the Publisher: From the award-winning author of The First Rule of Punk comes the story of four kids who form an alternative Scout troop that shakes up their sleepy Florida town.

When three very different girls find a mysterious invitation to a lavish mansion, the promise of adventure and mischief is too intriguing to pass up. Ofelia Castillo (a budding journalist), Aster Douglas (a bookish foodie), and Cat Garcia (a rule-abiding birdwatcher) meet the kid behind the invite, Lane DiSanti, and it isn’t love at first sight. But they soon bond over a shared mission to get the Floras, their local Scouts, to ditch an outdated tradition. In their quest for justice, independence, and an unforgettable summer, the girls form their own troop and find something they didn’t know they needed: sisterhood.

What Jen loves about this book: “This book is relevant to today’s climate. It deals with a friendship based on social activism. An eclectic group of girls come together to protest the unnecessary use of a feathered hat in one of their town’s ceremonies. I really liked all of the girls. They makes mistakes along the way, but that just strengthens their friendships.”


Nikki Tesla and the Ferret Proof Death Ray by Jess Keating

Overview from the Publisher: Ocean’s 11 meets Spy School in this hilarious illustrated middle-grade series featuring the world’s greatest minds. “Let the official record show that, I, Nikki Tesla, did not intend to destroy the world.”

There are only so many times a kid can invent an instrument of global destruction without getting grounded. So when Nikki’s death ray accidentally blows up her bedroom, she’s sent to the only place that can handle her. Genius Academy is a school for history’s greatest brains. Nikki feels like an outsider thanks to a terrible secret she can’t let anyone discover. But when her death ray is stolen, Nikki must stop worrying about fitting in and learn to play nice with her new classmates.

What Jen loves about the book: This is one of those action-packed boarding school books. Nikki gets sent away because she accidentally blows up part of her house. She creates tech inventions that always go wrong in some way. I like that the kids are on their own and have to ban together to save the world. In addition, all of the characters are named after famous geniuses throughout history, and they go on to inhabit the main qualities of each.”

Click’d by Tamara Ireland Stone

Overview from the Publisher: Click’d is a thrilling book about a seventh-grade girl named Allie Navarro, who creates an app that goes unexpectedly viral, turning Allie into a school celebrity.

Unfortunately, the glow of her fame starts to fade as an unanticipated bug threatens the privacy of her peers, causing embarrassment and havoc for those closest to her. Will Allie choose to shut down her game, knowing that her place in the Games for Good competition is on the line, or will she try to hide the problems in her application in hopes of being declared the big winner?

What Jen loves about the book: “I love that the main character makes an app that gets away from her. She has the best of intentions, but things still go wrong. It’s about creating technology and then realizing there are issues and problems with it. What happens if it hurts someone? Who is responsible for that? It’s very relevant to technology development today.”

THANK YOU!
To Jen Leveck for your spring STEM recommendations. If you find yourself with some extra time over spring break, head on over to the library for these titles and scads more! If you have trouble finding the perfect book, just ask one of the librarians in the children’s area. They’ll work some book magic and come up with an idea list.

If you do read one of these books (or another STEM-oriented title), please consider being interviewed for this blog. We’d love to hear from more readers! Email the Hub if you’re interested.

Happy reading and have a healthy spring break,
The SC STEM Hub

COVID-19 Library Updates

Located in Des Moines, Franklin and Forest Avenue are our closest libraries. We inquired as to what practices they were enacting to keep us all safe. Click HERE to learn more about the city’s plan. Or visit your local library’s website and learn how to safely use the library during the COVID-19 outbreak.

SCI Book Recommendation–Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code

SCI Scale-Ups

     The Science Center of Iowa (SCI) set out to do ground-breaking work all across Iowa. If all students couldn’t get to the SCI, then the SCI would try to reach all students.
     To accomplish this, they created STEM curriculum for PreK-12 students: Pint-Size Science and Making STEM Connections. Both programs are part of the Iowa STEM Initiative’s Scale-Up Program, and both feature incredible books.
      We caught up with Jolie Pelds (pictured right), SCI’s Director of Innovative STEM Teaching. Pelds introduced us to the books featured in this year’s kits and her new favorite read–Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code written by Laurie Wallmark and illustrated by Katy Wu. When I asked Pelds why she liked it so much, she said “just look at the first page” (see it below).

Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code

“If you’ve got a good idea, and you know it’s going to work, go ahead and do it.”
–Grace Hopper
     Who was Grace Hopper? Even the end sheets tell the story: “Rule breaker. Chance taker. Troublemaker. AMAZING GRACE.” Beginning as an young girl interested in how everyday things worked, Hopper took things a part to learn more about them. Her parents encouraged her curiosity.
     At age seven, Hopper dismantled several clocks in her house to find out what made them tick. She finished high school two years early and then attended Vassar College. Dedicated to making a difference in the World War II effort, Hopper enlisted in the U.S. Navy and embarked on a lifelong military career writing computer programs.
    The book is full of delightful anecdotes. For example, after finding a moth trapped inside a navy computer, she coined the phrase computer bug.
“She didn’t wait for someone else to figure it out–she came up with solutions herself!”
–Jolie Pelds
     “It’s an awesome book,” said Pelds, “because she’s a rebel and a hacker in the way she thinks. She had the ability to take something difficult and make it easier. She didn’t wait for someone else to figure it out–she came up with solutions herself!”
     Hopper’s legacy lives on today. She revolutionized how we use computers, creating what would become COBOL, a common programming language that is still used around the world. Hopper served as a trailblazer for others, especially women, who wanted the challenge of solving difficult problems while defying expectations of the era.

Enter to WIN a CODE/STEM prize extravaganza! 

From Rosie Revere, Engineer to How to Code a Sand Castle to On a Beam of Light: the Story of Albert Einstein, do you have a favorite STEM picture book? If so, please send us an email with the 1.) title, 2.) author, and 3.) why you like it so much. All emails received will go into a drawing for a Code.org/STEM prize extravaganza!
  • Open: August 1, 2018
  • Deadline: all emails must be received on or before August 10, 2018
  • Email: lisa.morlock@drake.edu
  • Announcements: all prize recipients will be notified via email by August 12, 2018

Get This Book: What’s Math Got To Do With It?

The Hub asked Drake professor Dr. Maryanne Huey for ideas on working with young students on math confidence. She recommended the incredible resource: What’s Math Got To Do With It by Jo Boaler. Currently, Boaler is a professor of mathematics education at Stanford University. She also created a website called YouCubed and given TED Talks.

This is one of those rare, important books that every new parent and teacher should read. Boaler explains the importance of introducing math literacy at a young age. She identifies classrooms that consistently develop strong math students and how those teachers do it, and she looks at what parents can do to constantly enrich math at home.

Boaler cites a recent study in which the United States ranked 36 among 64 developed countries across the world. She says that when middle school students asked if they’d rather do math or eat broccoli, over half said they’d rather eat broccoli. While this is humorous, what’s not funny is that many students go into the world with insufficient math skills. The top paying, fastest-growing jobs in the world require employees with strong math skills. If you want a great career = learn math!

But the best part of the book, for me, involves the challenges interspersed through the book. Here are three to check out, but know all of her recommendations are awesome.

1. Page 16: Fibonacci’s Sequence

We loved showing the Golden Ratio, as it’s proof math is everywhere. From the spiral of a snail shell to the spin of hurricane to the way a flower bloom opens, evidence is everywhere! Here’s a website that helps explain this concept. You’ll never walk outside again without thinking about math.

2. Page 170: Tangrams

Introduce geometry in a fun way with tangrams. Preschool kids love the colors and older kids enjoy the puzzle challenge of the project. There’s a website that offers free, online tangrams for teachers and parents to use.

3. Page 211: Race to 20

This is a simple game two people can play in the car. In the game, two people race to reach 20, staring at 0 and using integrals of 1 or 2. While you’ll eventually realize the key to success, the game can be modified by changing the ending number or the integrals used.

Not everyone needs to major in life, but the problem-solving skills learned transfer to all of life’s situations.

In the last chapter, Boaler talks about math’s future: “Let’s move together from the mathematics trauma and dislike that has pervaded our society in recent years to a brighter mathematical future for all, charged with excitement, engagement and learning.”

Kids are born to love numbers. From the first time they hold up their pointer finger when asked their age, to figuring out how much candy they can buy with piggy bank savings. And it takes all of us to nurture their curiosity and ability. If you want to learn how, check out this book.

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